Energy Selection Functions: Evaluating Polar Bear Movement Energetics

The energetic cost of traversing the environment is a fundamental component of an animal’s energetic balance and subsequently, their body condition. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) occupy dynamic sea ice habitats, which result in spatiotemporal variation in their energetic costs of movement. My objective is to evaluate the role of energetic balance in governing polar bear movement decisions. Most animal movement models ignore the role of energetics when evaluating space-use and movement patterns. I will modify a popular model to include estimates of energy expenditure/gain, resulting in variant models referred to as energy selection functions (ESFs). I will calculate energy expenditure from remotely sensed ice data and estimates of polar bear metabolic rates, and energy gains as a function of prey densities. This will form an energy landscape, onto which I will overlay bear GPS data to evaluate movement in relation to the energetic costs/gains of each GPS relocation path. ESFs will be the first animal movement models to consider energetics as a determining factor in animal movement decisions.

Faculty Supervisor:

Andrew Edward Derocher

Student:

Partner:

Swansea University;The University of Sheffield

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Alberta

Program: