Physiological ecology in the 21st century: advancements in biologging science

Top pelagic predators such as tunas, sharks, marine turtlesand mammals have historically been difficult to study due totheir large body size and vast range over the oceanic habitat.In recent years the development of small microprocessor-baseddata storage tags that are surgically implanted or satellite-linkedprovide marine researchers a novel avenue for examining themovements, physiology and behaviors of pelagic animals in thewild. When biological and physical data obtained from the tagsare combined with satellite derived sea surface temperatureand ocean color data, the relationships between the movements,behaviors and physical ocean environment can be examined. Tag-bearingmarine animals can function as autonomous ocean profilers providingoceanographic data wherever their long migrations take them.The biologging science is providing ecological physiologistswith new insights into the seasonal movements, habitat utilization,breeding behaviors and population structures in of marine vertebrates.In addition, the data are revealing migration corridors, hotspots and physical oceanographic patterns that are key to understandinghow organisms such as bluefin tunas use the open ocean environment.In the 21st century as ecosystem degradation and global warmingcontinue to threaten the existence of species on Earth, thefield of physiological ecology will play a more pivotal rolein conservation biology.