OPP-PRF: Reconstructing Baleen Whale Movement and Foraging Ecology Using Archived Natural History Collections

University Of Rhode Island, Kingston RI

Investigators

Abstract

Baleen whales play vital roles in polar marine ecosystems. Their annual migrations between their polar and tropical feeding grounds connect organisms, nutrients, cultures, and economies globally. Despite playing such important socio-environmental roles, baleen whales are challenging to locate and study in the wild due to the distances they travel and their elusive nature. Effective management and conservation plans are hindered by lack of knowledge about their migration and foraging patterns. To address these critical knowledge gaps, this project measures molecular chemical signatures, called stable isotopes, recorded in baleen preserved in museums and from whales that have stranded on beaches. As baleen whales migrate and feed, their baleen records years’ worth of stable isotope data about marine ecosystems. The inferences derived from this study will advance understanding of baleen whale life history, assist wildlife managers with conservation plans, and inform scientists about past, current, and future impacts from climate change. The project engages local, national, and international stakeholders, K-12 students, and science communication organizations to make research findings accessible to the public. The North Atlantic Ocean basin is a dynamic ecosystem susceptible to global climate change. This project reconstructs baleen whale migration patterns by integrating bulk stable isotope values from baleen time series with agent-based movement models and global geospatial isoscape maps. Compound-specific isotopes of individual amino acids will be used to validate the underlying drivers of geospatial variation in whale isotope dynamics to reconstruct whale foraging behavior. These data will shed light on the effects of anthropogenic activities on ecosystem biogeochemical cycling and productivity, which in turn reflect ecosystem-level changes in community structure, biodiversity, and trophic relationships. This research generates novel and critical data on baleen whale movement and foraging ecology, provides insight on ecosystem-level changes in biogeochemical processes, and integrates archived natural history samples with advanced modelling approaches and stable isotope analysis, advancing both fundamental and applied marine mammal science. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.