Bubble blasts! An adaptation for buoyancy regulation in shallow foraging gray whales

• Published in: Ecology and evolution 2024-08, Vol.14 (8), p.e70093-n/a
• Main Authors: Bird, Clara N., Pirotta, Enrico, New, Leslie, Bierlich, K. C., Hildebrand, Lisa, Fernandez Ajó, Alejandro, Torres, Leigh G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation; Animal models; Animals; Aquatic animals; Aquatic environment; Aquatic mammals; baleen whales; Bayesian analysis; Bayesian linear mixed effects models; behavior; Behavioural Ecology; Birds; Buoyancy; Cetacea; Diving; drones; Efficiency; Energy; Energy expenditure; Eschrichtiidae; Foraging behavior; Foraging habitats; Habitats; Kinematics; Lipids; Locomotion; Marine mammals; Mathematical models; Morphology; Predation; Prey; Substrates; Swimming; Tactics; Whales; Whales & whaling
• ISSN: 2045-7758; 2045-7758
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70093

Foraging efficiency is key to animal fitness. Consequently, animals evolved a variety of kinematic, morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations for efficient locomotion to reduce energy expenditure while moving to find, capture, and consume prey. Often suited to specific habitat and prey types, these adaptations correspond to the terrain or substrate the animal moves through. In aquatic systems, adaptations focus on overcoming drag, buoyancy, and hydrostatic forces. Buoyancy both benefits and hinders diving animals; in particular, shallow divers constantly contend with the costs of overcoming buoyancy to dive and maintain position. Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG) gray whales forage in shallow habitats where they work against buoyancy to dive and feed using various foraging tactics. Bubble blasts (underwater exhalations) have been observed during several foraging tactics performed by PCFG whales. As exhalations aid buoyancy regulation in other diving animals, we hypothesize that bubble blasts are performed by longer, more buoyant whales in shallower water and that bubble blasts increase dive duration while accounting for size and tactic. We test our hypotheses using Bayesian linear mixed effects models and a 7‐year dataset of drone footage containing concurrent individual morphological and behavioral data. We find that while headstanding – a stationary, head‐down tactic – bubble blasts are performed by longer, more buoyant whales and extend the dive duration, whereas whales using forward‐swimming tactics are less likely to bubble blast. Our results suggest that PCFG gray whales may use bubble blasts as a behavioral adaption to mitigate the cost of energetically expensive tactics in their shallow habitat foraging niche. Gray whales use bubble blasts (underwater exhalations) to regulate their buoyancy while feeding in shallow habitats. Pacific Coast Feeding Group gray whales feed in shallow coastal habitats using a variety of behaviors. Using a 7‐year dataset of drone footage, we show that longer and more buoyant whales use bubble blasts to extend their dive duration when engaged in stationary behaviors.