Data from: Movement and seasonal energetics mediate vulnerability to disturbance in marine mammal populations

In marine environments noise from human activities is increasing
dramatically, causing animals to alter their behavior and forage less
efficiently. These alterations incur energetic costs that can result in
reproductive failure, death, and may ultimately influence population
viability; yet the link between population dynamics and individual
energetics is poorly understood. We present an energy budget model for
simulating effects of acoustic disturbance on populations. It accounts for
environmental variability and individual state, while incorporating
realistic animal movements. Using harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) as
a case study, we evaluated population consequences of disturbance from
seismic surveys and investigated underlying drivers of vulnerability. The
framework reproduced empirical estimates of population structure and
seasonal variations in energetics. The largest effects predicted for
seismic surveys were in late summer and fall, and were unrelated to local
abundance, but instead to lactation costs, water temperature, and body
fat. Our results demonstrate that consideration of temporal variation in
individual energetics and their link to costs associated with disturbances
is imperative when predicting disturbance impacts. These mechanisms are
general to animal species, and the framework presented here can be used
for gaining new insights into the spatiotemporal variability of animal
movements and energetics that control population dynamics.