Joseph Onoufriou Phd Thesis
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Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina) in a Tidal Stream Environment: Movement Ecology and the Effects of a Renewable Energy Installation Joseph Alistair Ross Onoufriou This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at the University of St Andrews November 2019 i “Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.” Frank Herbert, Dune ii Thesis Abstract Despite ever increasing information on the importance of oceanographic processes for marine predators, movement ecology of higher trophic level species in tidal stream environments remains relatively under-studied. This represents a significant knowledge gap for certain species which spend large portions of their lives in these energetic habitats. In this thesis I show that a top predator, the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina), inhabiting one of the most tidally energetic regions in Europe, the Pentland Firth, shows a complex range of behaviours as a consequence of the strong current flows they are subjected to. Both horizontal movement and diving behaviour elucidate a degree of foraging plasticity, hitherto undocumented in a single population of harbour seals. I also demonstrate that, by using multiple perspectives of movement, researchers can better tease apart ecologically important areas for animals inhabiting these habitats. Given the importance of tidally energetic systems for harbour seals, I then go on to study the impact of tidal energy installations on their movements and physical fitness. Using telemetry data, I determine an overt avoidance response of the local population to an operational turbine array and demonstrate the effect this can have on our understanding of collision risk. To further augment our predictions of the population level effect of these devices, I then go on to demonstrate that not all collisions between seals and tidal turbine blades are likely to result in fatality. In combination, these results suggest that currently held views on the lethal effects of tidal turbines are overly-conservative, and the likely behavioural and physical responses to these devices may result in a more ecologically favourable outcome than previously assumed. iii Candidate's declaration I, Joseph Alistair Ross Onoufriou, do hereby certify that this thesis, submitted for the degree of PhD, which is approximately 57,000 words in length, has been written by me, and that it is the record of work carried out by me, or principally by myself in collaboration with others as acknowledged, and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for any degree. I was admitted as a research student at the University of St Andrews in November 2015. I received funding from an organisation or institution and have acknowledged the funder(s) in the full text of my thesis. Date Signature of candidate 06.06.2020 Supervisor's declaration I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of PhD in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. Date Signature of supervisor 06.06.2020 06.06.2020 Permission for publication In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews we understand that we are giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. We also understand, unless exempt by an award of an embargo as requested below, that the title and the abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work iv may be made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker, that this thesis will be electronically accessible for personal or research use and that the library has the right to migrate this thesis into new electronic forms as required to ensure continued access to the thesis. I, Joseph Alistair Ross Onoufriou, confirm that my thesis does not contain any third-party material that requires copyright clearance. The following is an agreed request by candidate and supervisor regarding the publication of this thesis: Printed copy No embargo on print copy. Electronic copy No embargo on electronic copy. Date Signature of candidate 06.06.2020 Date Signature of supervisor 06.06.2020 06.06.2020 v Underpinning Research Data or Digital Outputs Candidate's declaration I, Joseph Alistair Ross Onoufriou, understand that by declaring that I have original research data or digital outputs, I should make every effort in meeting the University's and research funders' requirements on the deposit and sharing of research data or research digital outputs. Date Signature of candidate 06.06.2020 Permission for publication of underpinning research data or digital outputs We understand that for any original research data or digital outputs which are deposited, we are giving permission for them to be made available for use in accordance with the requirements of the University and research funders, for the time being in force. We also understand that the title and the description will be published, and that the underpinning research data or digital outputs will be electronically accessible for use in accordance with the license specified at the point of deposit, unless exempt by award of an embargo as requested below. The following is an agreed request by candidate and supervisor regarding the publication of underpinning research data or digital outputs: Embargo on all of electronic files for a period of 1 year on the following ground(s): • Publication would preclude future publication Supporting statement for embargo request Publication of the thesis would severely hinder the potential of results within being published in peer-review journals Date Signature of candidate 06.06.2020 vi Date Signature of supervisor 06.06.2020 06.06.2020 vii Acknowledgements You spend a lot of your time during a PhD wondering how you’re going to do it on your own. A PhD is supposed to be a mammoth solo effort. Nothing could be further from the truth in my case. I didn’t write this thesis on my own; I was helped by a horde of wonderful, compassionate, selfless and understanding folk. I have been constantly surrounded by a group of people who have become a family. Firstly, thank you to my supervisors Gordon Hastie and Dave Thompson. As a team, you have given me space to pursue and develop my own ideas and had a trust in me that bordered on insanity. I took this project in a direction that was not intended at the outset and you have done everything to help me become a creative thinker while reigning me in when needed. To Gordon, you haven’t only taught me how to be a robust scientist, how to think critically and objectively, and how to consider the bigger picture (all of which you excel at), you have shown me how a brilliant mind can also carry themselves with unwavering respect for others, congeniality and class. If I become half the scientist you are, I will consider my career a success. Thank you for being a comforting ear and voice, giving me the focus I needed when going off on tangents, being beyond generous with your time and being the role model I needed. Thank you for teaching me the power of a semi-colon (which now makes 444 appearances in this thesis) and for being the only Scotsman who didn’t rub the Scottish Calcutta Cup wins in my face. To Dave, it would be futile to try and thank for all you have done for me since starting in St Andrews in 2012. I once asked if you’d supervise my masters project and with no other information other than “I am interested in hydrodynamics” you somehow saw something in me that I will never understand and gave me a chance. Since then, you have continued this unexplainable faith in me and if I achieve a career in this field, it is almost entirely down to you. Thank you for the conversations about football, politics, physics and everything in between. Thank you for sharing the Das But style experience of firing wax seals through a German torpedo tube: “los geht's!”. Thank you for showing me a thirst for knowledge never has to be quenched and for being one of the most loyal people I’ve met; thank you for always fighting my corner. Thanks also to my external supervisor, John Baxter for your advice on this thesis. Your ability to communicate science effectively has been a vital guide and thank you for picking up on those small, important details that I miss every time. Thanks also to Liz Masden and Jared Wilson for helping get the project off the ground. Over the course of this PhD I have collected several other unsuspecting supervisors; people who I have shamelessly pestered to gain as much knowledge as I can and who have been incredibly influential in the formation of the ideas, analyses and production of this thesis. To Debbie Russell, thank you for being my number 1 “in brackets supervisor”. You have never shut your door to my questions, no matter if they were a 30 second clarification, a long meeting over a complicated analysis or listening to my panicked neuroses. For providing me fruit, advise and a dear, dear friend when needed most, thank you. Thank viii you for also being my partner in indiscretion; you’re my canary down the mine of inappropriate jokes. You continually raise the analytical bar and inspire us all. Thanks Frubby.