Energy landscapes of Kodiak brown bears: a comparison of accelerometer and global positioning system-derived estimates ...

• Main Authors: Finnegan, S. P., Pagano, A. M., Svoboda, N. J., Schooler, S. L., Belant, J. L.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: figshare 2023
• Subjects: Space Science; Physiology; FOS Biological sciences; Evolutionary Biology; Ecology; Sociology; FOS Sociology; 69999 Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified; Inorganic Chemistry; FOS Chemical sciences; Archipelago; Kodiak; Ursus arctos; Alaska
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6585232.v1; https://springernature.figshare.com/collections/Energy_landscapes_of_Kodiak_brown_bears_a_comparison_of_accelerometer_and_global_positioning_system-derived_estimates/6585232/1

Abstract Within optimal foraging theory animals should maximize their net energy gain while minimizing energetic costs. Energetic expenditure in wild animals is therefore key to measure proxies of fitness. Accelerometers are an effective tool to study animal movement-based energetics, but retrieval of the device is usually required and often difficult. Accelerometers measure movement across three axes (x, y, and z) and can be calibrated to measures of oxygen consumption from captive animals, providing estimates of overall energy expenditure. Measuring energetic expenditures using a global positioning system (GPS) approach could provide an alternative method to study energetic ecology. This technique uses locomotor speeds across a range of slopes from successive GPS locations, which can be linked to the energy expenditure from captive individuals. We compared accelerometer and GPS methods of energetic expenditures in free-roaming brown bears (Ursus arctos) on the Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska, USA. We then ...