Supervisors:Dr. David Rosen and Dr. Andrew Trites

Research area: energetics and physiology

Description of Research:

Changes in the biological and physical environment will alter the behaviour of Steller sea lions. To understand and accurately model the impact of changes in behavior on sea lion energy requirements it is essential to quantify the cost of various activities. Previous work with captive Steller sea lions has indicated that heart rate can be used to predict oxygen consumption while fasting, but that a different relationship between these variables may exist when animals are feeding. For my M.Sc thesis research, I propose to develop a multivariate equation to more accurately predict energy expenditure from heart rate under a variety of behavioral, nutritional, and physiological conditions including feeding and diving.

Publications and Posters
Aggressive Behavior and Activity Ratio of California Sea Lions, Zalophus californianus, During Rehabilitation, California Animal Behavior Symposium, Univ. of California, San Diego, Feb. 2006.

An Assessment of Southern Species Fish Assemblage in San Diego Bay, Undergraduate Research Center, Occidental College, Los Angeles, California, 2005

The Nearshore Rocky-Reef and Kelp Bed Fishes of Southern California, Undergraduate Research Center, Occidental College, Los Angeles, California, 2004

Biogeography of the Northern California Channel Islands, Undergraduate Research Center, Occidental College, Los Angeles, California,2003