Environmental Influences on Diel Calling Behavior in Baleen Whales

• Main Author: Baumgartner, Mark
• Other Authors: WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION MA DEPT OF BIOLOGY
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: Biology; *BEHAVIOR; *WHALES; *ZOOPLANKTON; ACOUSTICS; FEEDING; GLIDERS; GULFS; MIGRATION; MONITORING; OCEANS; *SOCIAL INTERACTIONS; baleen whale; baleen whales
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA598564; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA598564

Our objective is to investigate the relationship between prey behavior and baleen whale calling behavior in a poorly studied environment: the central Gulf of Maine during late fall and early winter. We hypothesize that diel calling patterns are established, in part, by the diel availability of prey: when prey is strongly aggregated during the day at depth, calling activity is reduced while the whales feed. Conversely, during periods of active vertical migration by prey or when prey is diffusely distributed, the whales cannot profitably forage, and therefore increase calling activity and social interactions in lieu of feeding. To address this hypothesis, we will (1) deploy ocean gliders to locate whales and simultaneously observe prey migration behavior and whale acoustic activity, and (2) conduct shipboard zooplankton sampling in the region to identify available prey, including both migrating and non-migrating species.