News Headline
Behind The Power Of Giant Sharks
Source
Forbes
Publication Date
2019-10-15
Led by Christopher L. Lawson, a PhD Candidate in the School of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Queensland, a group of scientists set out to learn more about the bioenergetics models for shark and rays. “A bioenergetics model describes the energy requirements of an animal and how energy is distributed to various processes in the body, such as metabolic rate, exercise, growth and reproduction,” explained Lawson. “They are useful for modelling populations of animals (e.g. fisheries) or for predicting how reproductive rates may change under altered environmental conditions, such as ocean warming.” Any bioenergetic models for elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) would allow scientists to answer fundamental ecological questions surrounding their response to our changing environmental conditions.