Life Cost Strategy for Wild Animals Using Wearable Behavior Recording Devices and Telomere Measurement

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K14788
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 45040:Ecology and environment-related
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Mizutani Yuichi 名古屋大学, 環境学研究科, 特任助教 (00815475)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: バイオロギング / テロメア / 酸化ストレス / 移動コスト

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We investigated the effects of different foraging behaviors (mainly time spent foraging, distance away from nests, and total distance traveled) on the physiological load of wild petrels. Since sampling from the same individual gulls was interrupted by the restriction of human movements due to the declaration of a state of emergency, so we examined the relationship between oxidative stress, which represents the medium-term load, and behavior during the breeding season. We found that female gulls tended to increase the time and distance they spent foraging as the number of eggs per nest increased (i.e., their own egg laying increased). On the other hand, there was no increase in oxidative stress. This suggests that they compensate for the investment made by spawning by heading to the ocean to forage for natural food rich in antioxidants, along with nutrients.

Free Research Field

動物生理行動学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

目前の繁殖に投資しすぎると将来の寿命や繁殖に悪影響が現れる、といった生活史戦略のトレードオフの生理基盤について、本研究では、野生動物を対象とした実践的な調査を行うことで知見を得ることができた。繁殖時の投資量の雌雄差を補うような行動を雌がしていた可能性を示唆することができた。今後、長期的に研究を続けることで、至近的/究極的な要因の両面から繁殖戦略と採餌戦略の理解を深めることが出来るだろう。