Towards a Wearer-Centred Framework for Animal Biotelemetry

The emerging discipline of Animal-Computer Interaction (ACI) aims to understand the relation between animals and technology in naturalistic settings, to design technology that can support animals in different contexts and to develop user-centred research methods and frameworks that enable animals to take part in the design process as legitimate contributors [11]. Given existing interspecies differences and communication barriers, measuring the behaviour of animals involved in ACI research can be instrumental to achieving any or all of these aims, as a way of gauging the animals’ patterns, needs and preferences. Indeed, measuring behaviour is a common practice among ACI researchers, who take various approaches to this task [5,15,17,24]. In this respect, the use of biotelemetry devices such as VHF tags and GPS trackers, or bio-logging and environmental sensors has a significant potential [22]. At the same time, biotelemetry has been used for many years in many areas of biological research. Biotelemetry is used to improve the quality of physiological and behavioural data collected from animals and in an attempt to reduce researchers’ intrusion in the animals’ habitat [2]. However, there is evidence that carrying biotelemetry tags may influence the bearer’s physiology and behaviour [20]. Such impacts interfere with the validity of recorded data [14] and the welfare of individual animal wearers [1,3,13]. Neither of these effects are compatible with the animal-centred perspective advocated by ACI, on both scientific and ethical grounds. Our analysis of current body-attached device design and biotelemetry-enabled studies points to a general lack of wearer-centred perspective. To address these issues, we have developed a framework to inform the design of wearer-centred biotelemetry interventions, in order to support the implementation of animal-centred research methodologies and design solutions in ACI and other disciplines

Intrinsic and extrinsic factors drive ontogeny of early-life at-sea behaviour in a marine top predator

Young animals must learn to forage effectively to survive the transition from parental provisioning to independent feeding. Rapid development of successful foraging strategies is particularly important for capital breeders that do not receive parental guidance after weaning. The intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of variation in ontogeny of foraging are poorly understood for many species. Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are typical capital breeders; pups are abandoned on the natal site after a brief suckling phase, and must develop foraging skills without external input. We collected location and dive data from recently-weaned grey seal pups from two regions of the United Kingdom (the North Sea and the Celtic and Irish Seas) using animal-borne telemetry devices during their first months of independence at sea. Dive duration, depth, bottom time, and benthic diving increased over the first 40 days. The shape and magnitude of changes differed between regions. Females consistently had longer bottom times, and in the Celtic and Irish Seas they used shallower water than males. Regional sex differences suggest that extrinsic factors, such as water depth, contribute to behavioural sexual segregation. We recommend that conservation strategies consider movements of young naïve animals in addition to those of adults to account for developmental behavioural changes

Wild animals' biologging through machine learning models

In recent decades the biodiversity crisis has been characterised by a decline and extinction of many animal species worldwide. To aid in understanding the threats and causes of this demise, conservation scientists rely on remote assessments. Innovation in technology in the form of microelectromechanical systems (MEMs) has brought about great leaps forward in understanding of animal life. The MEMs are now readily available to ecologists for remotely monitoring the activities of wild animals. Since the advent of electronic tags, methods such as biologging are being increasingly applied to the study of animal ecology, providing information unattainable through other techniques. In this paper, we discuss a few relevant instances of biologging studies. We present an overview on biologging research area, describing the evolution of acquisition of behavioural information and the improvement provided by tags. In second part we will review some common data analysis techniques used to identify daily activity of animals

Minimizing the impact of biologging devices: Using computational fluid dynamics for optimizing tag design and positioning

1. Biologgingdevicesareusedubiquitouslyacrossvertebratetaxainstudiesofmove- ment and behavioural ecology to record data from organisms without the need for direct observation. Despite the dramatic increase in the sophistication of this technology, progress in reducing the impact of these devices to animals is less obvi- ous, notwithstanding the implications for animal welfare. Existing guidelines focus on tag weight (e.g. the ‘5% rule’), ignoring aero/hydrodynamic forces in aerial and aquatic organisms, which can be considerable. Designing tags to minimize such im- pact for animals moving in fluid environments is not trivial, as the impact depends on the position of the tag on the animal, as well as its shape and dimensions.2. Wedemonstratethecapabilitiesofcomputationalfluiddynamics(CFD)modelling to optimize the design and positioning of biologgers on marine animals, using the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) as a model species. Specifically, we investigate the effects of (a) tag form, (b) tag size, and (c) tag position and quantify the impact under frontal hydrodynamic forces, as encountered by seals swimming at sea.3. By comparing a conventional versus a streamlined tag, we show that the former can induce up to 22% larger drag for a swimming seal; to match the drag of the streamlined tag, the conventional tag would have to be reduced in size by 50%. For the conventional tag, the drag induced can differ by up to 11% depending on the position along the seal's body, whereas for the streamlined tag this difference amounts to only 5%.4. We conclude by showing how the CFD simulation approach can be used to opti- mize tag design to reduce drag for aerial and aquatic species, including issues such as the impact of lateral currents (unexplored until now). We also provide a step‐ by‐step guide to facilitate the implementation of CFD in biologging tag design

First insights Into the fine-scale movements of the Sandbar Shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus

The expanding use of biologging tags in studies of shark movement provides an opportunity to elucidate the context and drivers of fine-scale movement patterns of these predators. In May 2017, we deployed high-resolution biologging tags on four mature female sandbar sharks Carcharhinus plumbeus at Ningaloo Reef for durations ranging between 13 and 25.5 h. Pressure and tri-axial motion sensors within these tags enabled the calculation of dive geometry, swimming kinematics and path tortuosity at fine spatial scales (m-km) and concurrent validation of these behaviors from video recordings. Sandbar sharks oscillated through the water column at shallow dive angles, with gliding behavior observed in the descent phase for all sharks. Continual V-shaped oscillatory movements were occasionally interspersed by U-shaped dives that predominately occurred around dusk. The bottom phase of these U-shaped dives likely occurred on the seabed, with dead-reckoning revealing a highly tortuous, circling track. By combining these fine-scale behavioral observations with existing ecological knowledge of sandbar habitat and diet, we argue that these U-shaped dives are likely to be a strategy for bentho-pelagic foraging. Comparing the diving geometry of sandbar sharks with those of other shark species reveals common patterns in oscillatory swimming. Collectively, the fine-scale movement patterns of sandbar sharks reported here are consistent with results of previous biologging studies that emphasize the role of cost-efficient foraging in sharks

Shark Attach

ME450 Capstone Design and Manufacturing Experience: Winter 2021Smooth dogfish are a near-threatened species of shark that primarily reside in coastal waters off of Central America and the Northeastern United States. As a result of dogfish being a bycaught species, having a late sexual maturity, and having small litter sizes, dogfish populations are now in danger. The species’ distinction as “near-threatened,” along with the fact that little is known about their fine-scale behavior, has encouraged scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) to study dogfish in their natural habitat. To assist in this study, we were asked to design a biologging tag that can securely attach while being minimally-invasive on dogfish. To guide our design process and conceptualization of potential solutions, we developed a set of specifications that any solution must meet. This list includes securing the sensing electronics to dogfish while minimizing invasiveness, which is measured using metrics such as tail beat frequency and qualitative analysis of behavior by the researchers at WHOI. We further specified that the solution must be sufficiently durable to stay on the animal for 72 hours under typical environmental conditions and activity levels, characterized by depth and movement of the animals. The tag must also detach autonomously and float to the ocean surface for retrieval. Finally, the device must not contribute to ocean pollution and have an affordable cost. Through research, rapid prototyping, and physical testing, we developed a method to attach the necessary biologging electronics to dogfish. The final solution features a flexible harness around the circumference of the body with hydrodynamically efficient packages housing the electronics on either side of the body in line with the first dorsal fin. The harness closes around the shark by threading a strip of Nichrome wire through a clasp. The wire will break and release the tag when a strong electrical current is triggered at a time programmed by the researchers. We used a number of analytical and experimental approaches to verify our solution. Early in the design process, we used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to study the hydrodynamic qualities of a virtual model dogfish. The package designs were hydrodynamically improved using CFD and the final package design adds roughly 5-7% drag to the baseline shark. A physical model of the dogfish was created and taken to the Michigan Hydrodynamics Laboratory to verify our analysis procedure and test a prototype tag in their tow tank. Through tow tank testing we verified the results from the CFD while also observing qualitative information about the attachment method. Finally, we mailed a prototype tag to WHOI for testing on live dogfish that they have on campus. Testing on the live dogfish highlighted potential areas for improvement in the design and confirmed that the attachment method was effective, but too invasive for long-term deployment. The current final prototype is not ready for deployment on dogfish in the wild. However, our design and analysis procedures have been verified and can be used in future work related to tagging small marine animals.Dr. Aran Mooney, Seth Cones: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, UM Mechanical Engineeringhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/167643/1/Team_27-SharkAttach.pd