Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Earth & Marine Sciences A308
Phone: 831.459.5358
Fax: 831.459.5353
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DANIEL P. COSTA Professor of EEBiology B.A., University of California, Los Angeles Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz Postdoctoral, Scripps Institution of Oceanography COSTA LAB

Center for Ocean Health 100 Shaffer Road University of California Santa Cruz, CA 95060 phone 831.459.2786 fax 831.459.3383 costa@biology.ucsc.edu office hours

Physiological Ecology of Marine Mammals and Birds

Our laboratory is interested in the adaptations of marine mammals and seabirds to life in the marine environment. Our research integrates physiology, behavior and ecology, focusing on how marine mammals and birds are adapted to life in the ocean. Current research focuses on the movement and habitat utilization patterns, foraging ecology and energetics of pinnipeds and seabirds.

We study the diving, foraging, and searching behavior of marine mammals and seabirds, in order to determine areas and characteristics of the marine environment that are important for prey acquisition, and ultimately, the reproductive success of these animals. We investigate individual and population-level variability of diving and movement patterns in sea lions, fur seals, seals and seabirds in a variety of habitats including the Coastal California, The Galapagos, Australia, South Africa, South America and the Antarctic. We also look at how individual variation and intrinsic factors (sex and age) affect foraging behavior and movement patterns of these marine predators, and their association with differing oceanographic features. For example, we examine the relationship between animal behavior and habitat use: specifically, what oceanographic features are used by animals while they forage. This research is being conducted in northern and southern elephant seals, Weddell and crabeater seals, California, Galapagos and southern sea lions, Laysan and black-footed albatrosses, and sooty shearwaters. Collectively, these data will be used to investigate multi-species assemblages in the ocean environment and the identification of oceanic regions where these predators aggregate.

Our research on relating animal behavior to oceanography is enhanced by collecting oceanographic data from the tags deployed on the animals. By equipping our study animals with instruments that can not only record the animals behavior, but can collect data on water temperature, light level, and salinity we can acquire information on the animals habitat at the scale and resolution that the animal operates within. Further, such animal collected oceanographic data are proving invaluable acquiring data in regions where it is difficult or not possible to collect using existing methods (Antarctic sea-ice). Such oceanographic data are making a contribution to studies of climate change and are providing insights into how marine mammals and seabirds might respond to climate change.

Our lab has a long history in exploring the physiological mechanisms that allow animals to live where they live and to carry out their specific life histories. By investigating the interaction between physiology, behavior, and reproductive ecology of free-ranging animals we can elucidate the environmental factors influencing their distribution and abundance. Energetic expenditure is a central theme in these investigations; we are particularly interested in how animals acquire and allocate energy toward various activities. Currently, we are examining diving physiology in California and Galapagos sea lions and northern elephant seals, fasting physiology of elephant seals.

Selected Publications

Costa D.P. 2009. Energetics. In: Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. 2nd Edition. W.F. Perrin, J.G.M. Thewissen and B. Wursig, eds. Academic Press. Pages 375-383.

Villegas-Amtmann, S., Costa, D.P., Y Tremblay,Y., D Aurioles-Gamboa, D. and Salazar, S. 2008. Multiple foraging strategies in a marine apex predator, the Galapagos Sea Lion. Marine Ecology Progress Series 363:299-309.

Costa, D.P. A model of the Variation in Parental Attendance in Response to Environmental Fluctuation: Foraging Energetics of Lactating Sea lions and Fur Seals. 2008. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 17:S44-S52.

Biuw, M., et al. 2007. Variations in behaviour and condition of a Southern Ocean top predator in relation to in-situ oceanographic conditions. Proceedings National Academy of Science 104:13705-13710.

Fowler, S. L. Costa, D. P. Arnould, J. P.Y. Gales, N. J. and Burns J. M. 2007. Ontogeny of oxygen stores and physiological diving capability in Australian sea lions. Functional Ecology 21:922-935.

Weise, M. J., D. P. Costa, and R. M. Kudela. 2006. Movement and diving behavior of male California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) during anomalous oceanographic conditions of 2005 compared to those of 2004, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L22S10, doi:10.1029/2006GL027113.

Shaffer, S.A. Tremblay, Y. Weimerskirch, H., Scott, D., Thompson, D.R. Sagar, P.M., Moller, H., Taylor, G.A., Foley, G.A., Block, B.A., and Costa, D.P. 2006. Endless Summer: Migratory Shearwaters Integrate Oceanic Resources Across The Pacific Ocean. Proceedings National Academy Sciences 103:12799-802.

Crocker, D.E., Costa, D.P., Le Boeuf, B.J., Webb, P.M., and Houser, D.S. 2006. Impact of El Niño on the foraging behavior of female northern elephant seals. Marine Ecology Progress Series 309:1-10.

Costa, D.P., Weise, M.J. and Arnould, J.P.Y. 2006. Worldwide Pinniped Population Status and Trends in Whales, whaling and ocean ecosystems ed Estes, J.A. Williams, T.M., Doak, D. and DeMaster, D. University of California Press Berkeley, CA.

Costa, D.P. and Sinervo, B. 2004. Field physiology: Physiological insights from animals in nature. Annual Review Physiology 66:23.1-23.30.

Costa, D.P., Crocker, D.E., Gedamke, J., Webb, P.M., Houser, D.S., Blackwell, S.B., Waples, D., Hayes, S.A. and LeBoeuf, B.J. 2003. The effect of a low-frequency sound source (acoustic thermometry of the ocean climate) on the diving behavior of juvenile northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris. Journal Acoustical Society of America 113(2):1155-1165.

Block, B.A., Costa, D.P., Hoehlert, G.W. and Kochevar, R. 2002. Revealing pelagic habitat use: the tagging of Pacific pelagics program. Oceanologica Acta. 25:255-266.

Costa, D.P. and Gales, N.J. 2003. The energetics of a benthic diver: seasonal foraging ecology of the Australian sea lion, Neophoca cinerea. Ecological Monographs 73(1):27-43.

Hofmann, E.E., Klinck, J.M., Costa, D.P., Daly, K.L., Torres, J.J. and Fraser, W.R. 2002. U.S. Southern Ocean Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics Program. Oceanography 15(2) 64-74.

Boehlert, G.W., Costa, D.P., Crocker, D.E., Green, P., O'Brien, T., Levitus, S., and LeBoeuf, B.J. 2001. Autonomous pinniped environmental samplers (APES): Using instrumented animals as oceanographic data collectors. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology. 18:1882-1893.

Costa, D.P., Gales, N.J. and Goebel, M.E. 2001. Aerobic dive limit: how often does it occur in nature? Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 129A:771-783.

Costa, D.P. and Williams, T.M. 2000. Marine Mammal Energetics. In: The Biology of Marine Mammals, J. Reynolds and J. Twiss, eds. The Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, DC; pp. 176-217.

Costa, D.P. and Gales, N.J. 2000. Foraging energetics and diving behavior of lactating New Zealand sea lions, Phocarctos hookeri. Journal of Experimental Biology 203:3655-3665.