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Physiological Capacity and Constraint Impact Behavioral Phenotype in Phocid Seals

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Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Phocids

Part of the book series: Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Marine Mammals ((EBEMM))

Abstract

The physiological challenges required for air-breathing phocids to forage and survive in the marine environment and then breed on land or ice have resulted in behavioral phenotypes that are highly constrained by physiological adaptation. Foraging behavior is enabled and constrained by species differences in the ability to withstand pressure, store oxygen, and manage oxygen consumption while swimming. Their reproductive behavior reflects a continuum of income to capital breeding strategies that include some of the highest sustained energy expenditure rates relative to body size found in nature while fasting. Metabolic adaptations for fasting while lactating, locomoting, and developing are critical components of most species’ life-history strategies. Depending on the habitat, thermoregulatory adaptations that facilitate heat retention at depth may impose significant limitations on terrestrial behavior. Studies on metabolic and behavioral endocrinology suggest important activational roles for organizing behavior but are relatively unstudied in most species. For these reasons, phocids are an important taxon for comparative studies that examine the evolution of behavior and the role that performance capacity plays in selection for variation in life histories and behavioral strategies among closely related species.

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Acknowledgements

DEC was supported on ONR grant # N000141812822. BIM was supported on ONR grant # N000141612852 and NSF grant # 1656077.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA, 94928, USA

    Daniel E. Crocker

  2. Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, San Jose State University, Moss Landing, CA, 95039, USA

    Birgitte I. McDonald

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  1. Daniel E. Crocker
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  2. Birgitte I. McDonald
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Correspondence to Daniel E. Crocker .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Ocean Health, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

    Daniel P. Costa

  2. University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Elizabeth A. McHuron

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Crocker, D.E., McDonald, B.I. (2022). Physiological Capacity and Constraint Impact Behavioral Phenotype in Phocid Seals. In: Costa, D.P., McHuron, E.A. (eds) Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Phocids . Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Marine Mammals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88923-4_4

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