Near-infrared spectroscopy as a tool for marine mammal research and care

Alexander Ruesch, J. Chris McKnight*, Andreas Fahlman, Barbara G. Shinn-Cunningham, Jana M. Kainerstorfer

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Developments in wearable human medical and sports health trackers has offered new solutions to challenges encountered by eco-physiologists attempting to measure physiological attributes in freely moving animals. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is one such solution that has potential as a powerful physio-logging tool to assess physiology in freely moving animals. NIRS is a non-invasive optics-based technology, that uses non-ionizing radiation to illuminate biological tissue and measures changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentrations inside tissues such as skin, muscle, and the brain. The overall footprint of the device is small enough to be deployed in wearable physio-logging devices. We show that changes in hemoglobin concentration can be recorded from bottlenose dolphins and gray seals with signal quality comparable to that achieved in human recordings. We further discuss functionality, benefits, and limitations of NIRS as a standard tool for animal care and wildlife tracking for the marine mammal research community.
Original languageEnglish
Article number816701
Number of pages8
JournalFrontiers in Physiology
Volume12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Jan 2022

Keywords

  • Near-infrared spectroscopy
  • Marine mammals
  • Physio-logging
  • Wearable
  • Vital signs
  • Driving physiology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Near-infrared spectroscopy as a tool for marine mammal research and care'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this