Collaborative Research: IDBR: Type A: A High-resolution bio-sensor to simultaneously measure the behavior, vital rates and environment of key marine organisms

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

An award is made to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to develop an innovative, high-resolution, biosensor for soft-bodied marine invertebrates and other ecologically key taxa. Squid and jellies are critical components of many marine ecosystems that simultaneously support and pressure important commercial fisheries. Access to, and observations of, jellies and squid are particularly timely given climate-associated habitat modifications and range changes. The ITAG will provide information to address how the marine environment is changing and how key taxa are responding to these changes, supporting the needs of the scientific community, commercial fisheries, resource managers, and policy makers. This research will support the career development of young scientists. Undergraduate students will be directly involved in all aspects of the research and outreach. Results of this work will be broadly disseminated to the scientific community and the public through direct collaborations, workshops, tutorials, open-access data and tools, media releases, and already well-followed blogs. This project will leverage the Communication and Outreach Departments of multiple institutions and the public's inherent interest in jellies and squid to broaden the awareness of marine science and engineering through: (a) public presentations, (b) direct communication and interaction with journalists and teachers, and (c) education in local schools for preschool, grade-school and college students. The purpose of the new ITAG (invertebrate tag) bio-sensor is to simultaneously record a suite of fine-scale behavioral and environmental data. Soft-bodied invertebrates such as such as jellies and squid are the most abundant and diverse animals in the ocean, the world's largest habitat. As keystone taxa, these soft-bodied invertebrates make up important global fisheries and are a vital link in the ocean food web, connecting top predators and smaller prey. However, we know surprisingly little about the linkages between the physical conditions of their environment and physiological and behavioral patterns of jellies and squid. This new technology will incorporate new physical sensors as well as animal-based orientation and acceleration measurements thereby proving a unique and inclusive bio-sensor. The ITAG will be constructed with a modular framework that will enable the flexibility required to apply the device across taxa. Once secured to the animal, the ITAG will provide vital data on animal associations with environmental features and responses to ocean acidification and warming. As such, tagged animals will become mobile sensing platforms capable of observing their surrounding environment. The tools and data developed for this award will be broadly applicable in both the research and conservation communities who face a paucity of information about these animals and the environments they inhabit. Leveraging key and abundant taxa provides an efficient means to circumvent the challenges and costs of traditional sampling and observing platforms, thus transforming our measurement capabilities, data resolution, breadth of application, and understanding of the ocean and its resources.