Odontocetes respond to vessels and anthropogenic noise by modifying vocal behavior, surface active behaviors, dive patterns, swim speed, direction of travel, and activity budgets. Exposure scenarios and behavioral responses vary across odontocetes. A literature review was conducted to determine relevant sources of disturbance and associated behavioral responses for several odontocete species (bottlenose dolphin, killer whale, harbor porpoise, and beaked whales). The energetic costs of species-specific responses to anthropogenic disturbance were then estimated. The energetic impact varies across species and scenarios as well as by behavioral responses. Overall, the cumulative energetic cost of ephemeral behavioral responses (e.g., performing surface active behaviors, modifying acoustic signals) and modifying swim speeds and activity budgets likely increases daily energy expenditure by ≤4%. In contrast, the reduction in foraging activity in the presence of vessels and/or exposure to sonar has the potential to significantly reduce individuals’ daily energy acquisition. Indeed, across all odontocete species, decreased energy acquisition as a result of reduced foraging undoubtedly has a larger impact on individuals than the increased energy expenditure associated with behavioral modification. This work provides a powerful tool to investigate the biological significance of multiple behavioral responses that are likely to occur in response to anthropogenic disturbance.
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10 July 2016
Fourth International Conference on the Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life
10–16 July 2016
Dublin, Ireland
January 23 2017
Comparative and cumulative energetic costs of odontocete responses to anthropogenic disturbance
Dawn P. Noren
;
Dawn P. Noren
1Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center,
National Marine Fisheries Service
, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA
; dawn.noren@noaa.gov, marla.holt@noaa.gov
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Marla M. Holt;
Marla M. Holt
1Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center,
National Marine Fisheries Service
, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA
; dawn.noren@noaa.gov, marla.holt@noaa.gov
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Robin C. Dunkin;
Robin C. Dunkin
2Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Department,
University of California
, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
; rdunkin@ucsc.edu, nthometz@ucsc.edu, tmwillia@ucsc.edu
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Nicole M. Thometz;
Nicole M. Thometz
2Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Department,
University of California
, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
; rdunkin@ucsc.edu, nthometz@ucsc.edu, tmwillia@ucsc.edu
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Terrie M. Williams
Terrie M. Williams
2Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Department,
University of California
, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
; rdunkin@ucsc.edu, nthometz@ucsc.edu, tmwillia@ucsc.edu
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Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 27, 040011 (2016)
Article history
Received:
August 11 2016
Accepted:
November 21 2016
Citation
Dawn P. Noren, Marla M. Holt, Robin C. Dunkin, Nicole M. Thometz, Terrie M. Williams; Comparative and cumulative energetic costs of odontocete responses to anthropogenic disturbance. Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 10 July 2016; 27 (1): 040011. https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0000357
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