The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) is an herbivorous marine mammal that occupies freshwater, estuarine, and marine habitats. Despite being considered endangered, relatively little is known about the feeding ecology of either of the two recognized subspecies, the Florida manatee (T.m. latirostris) and Caribbean or Antillean manatee (T.m. manatus). A better understanding of their respective feeding preferences and habitat use is essential to establish criteria on which conservation plans can be based. The present study expands on previous work on manatee feeding ecology by both assessing the application of stable isotope analysis to manatee tissue and providing critical baseline parameters for accurate isotopic data interpretation. The present study was the first to calculate stable isotope turnover rate in the skin of any marine mammal. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were examined over a period of more than one year in the epidermis of rescued Florida manatees that were transitioning from a diet of aquatic forage to terrestrial forage (lettuce) in captivity. Mean half-life for 13C turnover in manatee epidermis was 55 days and mean half-life for 15N turnover was 42 days. Due to these slow turnover rates, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis in manatee epidermis is useful in summarizing average dietary intake over a long period of time rather than assessing recent diet. In addition to turnover rate, a diet-tissue discrimination value of 2.8‰ for 13C was calculated for long-term captive manatees on a lettuce diet. Turnover and diet-tissue discrimination results were subsequently used to interpret carbon and nitrogen stable isotope data in epidermis samples collected from free-ranging manatees in Florida, Belize, and Puerto Rico. This study was the first application of stable isotope analysis to Antillean manatees. Regional differences in stable isotope ratios in manatee skin were consistent with ratios in plant samples collected in those regions. Signatures in the skin of manatees sampled in Belize and Puerto Rico indicated a diet composed mainly of seagrasses, whereas those of Florida manatees exhibited greater variation. Mixing model results indicated manatees sampled from Crystal River and Homosassa Springs had an overall average intake of primarily freshwater vegetation whereas manatees sampled from Big Bend Power Plant, Ten Thousand Islands, and Warm Mineral Springs fed primarily on seagrasses. Possible diet tissue discrimination values for 15N ranged from 1.0 to 1.5‰. Stable isotope analysis can be successfully applied to interpret manatee feeding behavior over a long period of time, specifically the use of freshwater vegetation vs. seagrasses, and can aid in improving conservation efforts.

L’imagerie hyperspectrale issue de la télédétection, va devenir une nouvelle modalité d’imagerie médicale pouvant assister le diagnostic de plusieurs pathologies via la détection des marges tumorales des cancers ou la mesure de l’oxygénation des tissus. L’originalité de ce travail de thèse est de fournir au chirurgien en cours d’intervention une vision améliorée du champ opératoire grâce à une image RGB affichée sur écran, résultat de traitements des cubes hyperspectraux dans le visible, le proche infrarouge et le moyen infrarouge (400-1700 nm). Notre application permet la détection des tissus difficilement détectables et vitaux comme l’uretère. Deux prototypes d’imagerie hyperspectrale utilisant les filtres programmables à cristaux liquides ont été développés, calibrés et mis en oeuvre dans de nombreuses campagnes d’expérimentations précliniques. Les résultats présentés dans cette thèse permettent de conclure que les méthodes de sélection de bandes sont les plus adaptées pour une application interventionnelle de l’imagerie hyperspectrale en salle d’opération puisqu’elles affichent une quantité maximale d’information, un meilleur rendu naturel de l’image RGB résultante et une amélioration maximale de la visualisation de la scène chirurgicale puisque le contraste dans l’image résultat entre le tissu d’intérêt et les tissus environnants a été triplé par rapport à l’image visualisée par l’oeil du chirurgien. Le principal inconvénient de ces méthodes réside dans le temps d’exécution qui a été nettement amélioré par les méthodes combinées proposées. De plus, la bande spectrale du moyen infrarouge est jugée plus discriminante pour explorer les données hyperspectrales associées à l’uretère puisque la séparabilité entre les tissus y est nettement supérieure par rapport à la gamme spectrale du visible. / Hyperspectral imagery initially applied for remote sensing will become a new medical imaging modality that may assist the diagnosis of several diseases through the detection of tumoral margins of cancers or the measure of the tissue oxygenation. The originality of this work is to provide, during surgery, an improved vision of the operative field with a RGB image displayed on screen, as the result of hyperspectral cubes processing in the visible, near infrared and mid-infrared (400-1700 nm). Our application allows the detection of hard noticeable and vital tissues as the ureter. Two hyperspectral imaging prototype using liquid crystal tunable filters have been developed, calibrated and implemented in many preclinical experiments campaigns. The results presented in this thesis allow to conclude that the methods of band selection are most suitable for interventional application of hyperspectral imaging in operating room since they show a maximal amount of information, a better natural rendering of the resulting RGB image and a maximal improvement of visualization of the surgical scene as the contrast in the resulting image between the tissue of interest and the surrounding tissues was tripled compared to the image viewed by the surgeon’s eye. The main drawback of these methods lies in the execution time which was significantly improved by the proposed combined methods. Furthermore, the mid-infrared spectral range is considered more discriminating to explore hyperspectral data associated with the ureter as the separability between tissues is significantly higher compared to the visible spectral range.

This thesis investigates the foraging of Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) and its predators during the summer in the Canadian Arctic. Findings included the identification of Arctic cod, ringed seal (Pusa hispida), beluga (Delphinapterus leucas), and narwhal (Monodon monoceros) diet shifts in response to seasonal prey availability; calculation of isotopic diet-tissue discrimination factors for Arctic cod, ringed seals, and whales based on local tissue and stomach content sampling; and determination of predatory cues to optimize foraging, such as the presence of schools. Additionally, I quantified seabird feeding and interspecific interactions such kleptoparasitism and found that black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) and northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) captured cod directly but lost many to parasitic jaegers (Stercorarius parasiticus) and glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus). Finally, I determined that schools of cod were important prey sources for northern fulmars, glaucous gulls, and whales however non-schooling cod were a significant source for black-legged kittiwakes and ringed seals.

This thesis investigates the foraging of Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) and its predators during the summer in the Canadian Arctic. Findings included the identification of Arctic cod, ringed seal (Pusa hispida), beluga (Delphinapterus leucas), and narwhal (Monodon monoceros) diet shifts in response to seasonal prey availability; calculation of isotopic diet-tissue discrimination factors for Arctic cod, ringed seals, and whales based on local tissue and stomach content sampling; and determination of predatory cues to optimize foraging, such as the presence of schools. Additionally, I quantified seabird feeding and interspecific interactions such kleptoparasitism and found that black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) and northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) captured cod directly but lost many to parasitic jaegers (Stercorarius parasiticus) and glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus). Finally, I determined that schools of cod were important prey sources for northern fulmars, glaucous gulls, and whales however non-schooling cod were a significant source for black-legged kittiwakes and ringed seals.