Data set for 'Lunge filter feeding biomechanics constrain rorqual foraging ecology across scale'...

Fundamental scaling relationships influence the physiology of vital rates,
which in turn shape the ecology and evolution of organisms. For diving
mammals, benefits conferred by large body size include reduced transport
costs and enhanced breath-holding capacity, thereby increasing overall
foraging efficiency. Rorqual whales feed by engulfing a large mass of
prey-laden water at high speed and filter it through baleen plates.
However, as engulfment capacity increases with body length across species
(Engulfment Volume ∝ Body Length 3.57), the surface area of the baleen
filter does not increase proportionally (Baleen Area ∝ Body Length1.82),
and thus the filtration time of larger rorquals predictably increases
because the baleen surface area must filter a disproportionally large
amount of water. We predicted that filtration time should scale with body
length to the power of 1.75 (Filter Time ∝ Body Length1.75). We tested
this hypothesis on four rorqual species using multi-sensor tags with
corresponding unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) -based body length
estimates. We found that filter time scales with body length to the power
of 1.79 (95% CI: 1.61 - 1.97). This result highlights a scale-dependent
trade-off between engulfment capacity and baleen area that creates a
biomechanical constraint to foraging through increased filtration time.
Consequently, larger whales must target high density prey patches
commensurate to the gulp size to meet their increased energetic demands.
If these optimal patches are absent, larger rorquals may experience
reduced foraging efficiency compared to smaller whales if they do not
match engulfment capacity to the size of targeted prey aggregations.