ECR Spotlight is a series of interviews with early-career authors from a selection of papers published in Journal of Experimental Biology and aims to promote not only the diversity of early-career researchers (ECRs) working in experimental biology but also the huge variety of animals and physiological systems that are essential for the ‘comparative’ approach. Maëlle Oberlin is an author on ‘ Exploring new depths: king penguins break dive records during the austral winter’, published in JEB. Maëlle is a PhD student in the lab of Yves Handrich at Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Strasbourg, France, and Charles-André Bost at Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, Villiers-en-Bois, France, investigating ecophysiology, foraging behaviour and movement ecology of marine predators.
Maëlle Oberlin
How did you become interested in biology?
When I was a child, I spent most of my time outside, inventing stories with unknown creatures and mysteries waiting to be discovered. Although adults told me that the magic would fade when I grew up, to me the mysteries became greater, more tangible and undeniably real, guided by a single goal: understanding how, if not why. Among all these secrets, the ocean naturally became my favourite enigma. Fascinated by its depths and predators, I chased a path that led me from ecology to paleontology, before finally diving into the wonderful world of ecophysiology.
Describe your scientific journey and your current research focus
This great interest for marine predators naturally led me to a master's degree in marine sciences at Sorbonne University. My passion for penguins, however, was born out of an unexpected twist. In my first year, a friend and I chose to study shark feeding behavior, not realizing the topic had already been taken. By the time we noticed, it was too late to change, so our professor assigned us a replacement topic: the foraging behavior of Crozet's king penguins. Initially unenthusiastic, I soon found myself swept up in hours of riveting reading. So many new questions waiting to be answered! I then pursued a second master's degree in paleontology at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, with an internship on dolphin fossils at the Brussels Museum. Today, I am completing my PhD at the Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien in Strasbourg, where I explore the link between body size and dive performance in king penguins, a scientific journey that finally allowed me to fulfill my greatest dream through a breathtaking field expedition.
A king penguin returns well fed to the breeding colony after spending weeks or even months at sea during the austral winter. Photo credit: Manfred Enstipp.
A king penguin returns well fed to the breeding colony after spending weeks or even months at sea during the austral winter. Photo credit: Manfred Enstipp.
How would you explain the main findings of your paper to a member of the public?
King penguins are one of the champions among diving birds. Most studies on their diet and diving behaviour are conducted during their breeding period, the austral summer (November to February), when they undertake short trips at sea lasting a few weeks. However, little is known about the autumn and winter seasons, when they spend several months at sea and may need to change their strategies to reach their prey. By tracking king penguins from the Crozet Islands during this period, we observed that they performed deeper and longer dives than in summer. Most of them exceeded previously known records, but one individual in particular set the deepest (424.5 m) and longest (10 min) dives! These performances are unprecedented for the species and suggest that king penguins can acclimate to seasonal variations by progressively improving their diving capacities.
What is the most important piece of equipment for your research, what does it do and what question did it help you address?
Data loggers, temporarily attached to king penguins, are a key tool in my research. These devices record valuable data, offering insights into various aspects of the life of my study individuals. The development of such sensors has been a game-changer in the study of marine predators, uncovering previously inaccessible details about their foraging behaviour. In my case, these recordings provide crucial information on individual diving performance and potential physiological adjustments to environmental variations. But beyond the data collected, the continuous improvement of these devices primarily aims to minimize any disturbance by optimizing their shape, weight and attachment method, striking a balance between scientific requirements and animal welfare, a core concern in my work.
What's next for you?
Right now, I'm focused on completing my PhD and publishing my current research. Beyond that, I'm keeping an open mind about future opportunities, but I would love to continue working on seabird tracking and conservation, especially in extreme environments. I'm particularly interested in how movement ecology and diving behaviour can inform conservation strategies, especially in the context of global changes.
Maëlle Oberlin’s contact details: Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS (UMR 7178), 67087 Strasbourg, France, and Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS (UMR 7372), 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
E-mail: [email protected]
