Data from: A dynamic state model of migratory behavior and physiology to assess the consequences of environmental variation and anthropogenic disturbance on marine vertebrates

Integrating behavior and physiology is critical to formulating new
hypotheses on the evolution of animal life-history strategies. Migratory
capital breeders acquire most of the energy they need to sustain
migration, gestation and lactation before parturition. Therefore, when
predicting the impact of environmental variation on such species, a
mechanistic understanding of the physiology of their migratory behavior is
required. Using baleen whales as a model system, we developed a dynamic
state variable model that captures the interplay among behavioral
decisions, energy, reproductive needs and the environment. We applied the
framework to blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) in the Eastern North
Pacific Ocean, and explored the effects of environmental and anthropogenic
perturbations on female reproductive success. We demonstrate the emergence
of migration to track prey resources, enabling us to quantify the
trade-offs among capital breeding, body condition, and metabolic expenses.
We predict that periodic climatic oscillations affect reproductive success
less than unprecedented environmental changes do. The effect of localized,
acute anthropogenic impacts depended on whales' behavioral response
to the disturbance; chronic, but weaker, disturbances had little effect on
reproductive success. Because we link behavior and vital rates by modeling
individuals' energetic budgets, we provide a general framework to
investigate the ecology of migration and assess the population
consequences of disturbance, while identifying critical knowledge gaps.