Browse by volume Browse by section Browse by topic Browse by conference

Section: Ecology
Topic: Ecology, Environmental sciences

The persistence in time of distributional patterns in marine megafauna impacts zonal conservation strategies

Lambert, Charlotte1  ; Dorémus, Ghislain2; Ridoux, Vincent1, 2
1 Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 5 allées de l'Océan, 17000 La Rochelle, France
2 Observatoire Pelagis, UMS 3462 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 5 allées de l'Océan, 17000 La Rochelle, France

10.24072/pcjournal.46 - Peer Community Journal, Volume 1 (2021), article no. e39.

Get full text PDF Peer reviewed and recommended by PCI
The main type of zonal conservation approach corresponds to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which are spatially defined and generally static entities aiming at the protection of some target populations by the implementation of a management plan. For highly mobile species the relevance of an MPA over time might be hampered by temporal variations in distributions or home ranges. In the present work, we used habitat model-based predicted distributions of cetaceans and seabirds within the Bay of Biscay from 2004 to 2017 to characterise the aggregation and persistence of mobile species distributional patterns and the relevance of the existing MPA network. We explored the relationship between population abundance and spatial extent of distribution to assess the aggregation level of species distribution. We used the smallest spatial extent including 75% of the population present in the Bay of Biscay to define specific core areas of distributions, and calculated their persistence over the 14 studied years. We inspected the relevance of the MPA network with respect to aggregation and persistence. We found that aggregation and persistence are two independent features of marine megafauna distributions. Indeed, strong persistence was shown in both aggregated (bottlenose dolphins, auks) and loosely distributed species (northern gannets), while some species with aggregated distributions also showed limited year-to-year persistence in their patterns (black-legged kittiwakes). We thus have demonstrated that both aggregation and persistence have potential impact on the amount of spatio-temporal distributional variability encompassed within static MPAs. Our results exemplified the need to have access to a minimal temporal depth in the species distribution data when aiming to designate new site boundaries for the conservation of mobile species.
Published online:
DOI: 10.24072/pcjournal.46
Type: Research article
Lambert, Charlotte 1; Dorémus, Ghislain 2; Ridoux, Vincent 1, 2

1 Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 5 allées de l'Océan, 17000 La Rochelle, France
2 Observatoire Pelagis, UMS 3462 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 5 allées de l'Océan, 17000 La Rochelle, France
License: CC-BY 4.0
Copyrights: The authors retain unrestricted copyrights and publishing rights 
@article{10_24072_pcjournal_46,
     author = {Lambert, Charlotte and Dor\'emus, Ghislain and Ridoux, Vincent},
     title = {The persistence in time of distributional patterns in marine megafauna impacts zonal conservation strategies},
     journal = {Peer Community Journal},
     eid = {e39},
     publisher = {Peer Community In},
     volume = {1},
     year = {2021},
     doi = {10.24072/pcjournal.46},
     url = {https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.46/}
}
TY  - JOUR
AU  - Lambert, Charlotte
AU  - Dorémus, Ghislain
AU  - Ridoux, Vincent
TI  - The persistence in time of distributional patterns in marine megafauna impacts zonal conservation strategies
JO  - Peer Community Journal
PY  - 2021
VL  - 1
PB  - Peer Community In
UR  - https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.46/
DO  - 10.24072/pcjournal.46
ID  - 10_24072_pcjournal_46
ER  - 
%0 Journal Article
%A Lambert, Charlotte
%A Dorémus, Ghislain
%A Ridoux, Vincent
%T The persistence in time of distributional patterns in marine megafauna impacts zonal conservation strategies
%J Peer Community Journal
%D 2021
%V 1
%I Peer Community In
%U https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.46/
%R 10.24072/pcjournal.46
%F 10_24072_pcjournal_46
Lambert, Charlotte; Dorémus, Ghislain; Ridoux, Vincent. The persistence in time of distributional patterns in marine megafauna impacts zonal conservation strategies. Peer Community Journal, Volume 1 (2021), article  no. e39. doi : 10.24072/pcjournal.46. https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.46/

Peer reviewed and recommended by PCI : 10.24072/pci.ecology.100048

Conflict of interest of the recommender and peer reviewers:
The recommender in charge of the evaluation of the article and the reviewers declared that they have no conflict of interest (as defined in the code of conduct of PCI) with the authors or with the content of the article.

[1] Alpine, J. E.; Hobday, A. J. Area requirements and pelagic protected areas: is size an impediment to implementation?, Marine and Freshwater Research, Volume 58 (2007) no. 6 | DOI

[2] Arcos, J. M.; Bécares, J.; Villero, D.; Brotons, L.; Rodríguez, B.; Ruiz, A. Assessing the location and stability of foraging hotspots for pelagic seabirds: An approach to identify marine Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Spain, Biological Conservation, Volume 156 (2012), pp. 30-42 | DOI

[3] Ballance, L. T.; Pitman, R. L.; Fiedler, P. C. Oceanographic influences on seabirds and cetaceans of the eastern tropical Pacific: A review, Progress in Oceanography, Volume 69 (2006) no. 2-4, pp. 360-390 | DOI

[4] Becker, E.; Forney, K.; Foley, D.; Smith, R.; Moore, T.; Barlow, J. Predicting seasonal density patterns of California cetaceans based on habitat models, Endangered Species Research, Volume 23 (2014) no. 1, pp. 1-22 | DOI

[5] Breen, P.; Cañadas, A.; Cadhla, O. Ó.; Mackey, M.; Scheidat, M.; Geelhoed, S. C. V.; Rogan, E.; Jessopp, M. New insights into ocean sunfish (Mola mola) abundance and seasonal distribution in the northeast Atlantic, Scientific Reports, Volume 7 (2017) no. 1 | DOI

[6] Buckland, S. T.; Anderson, D. R.; Burnham, K. P.; Laake, J. L.; Borchers, D. L.; Thomas, L. Introduction to Distance Sampling: Estimating Abundance of Biological Populations, OUP Oxford, Oxford, New York, 2001

[7] Delavenne, J.; Lepareur, F.; Witté, I.; Touroult, J.; Lambert, C.; Pettex, E.; Virgili, A.; Siblet, J.-P. Spatial conservation prioritization for mobile top predators in French waters: Comparing encounter rates and predicted densities as input, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, Volume 141 (2017), pp. 275-284 | DOI

[8] Doray, M.; Petitgas, P.; Romagnan, J. B.; Huret, M.; Duhamel, E.; Dupuy, C.; Spitz, J.; Authier, M.; Sanchez, F.; Berger, L.; Dorémus, G.; Bourriau, P.; Grellier, P.; Massé, J. The PELGAS survey: Ship-based integrated monitoring of the Bay of Biscay pelagic ecosystem, Progress in Oceanography, Volume 166 (2018), pp. 15-29 | DOI

[9] Edgar, G. J.; Stuart-Smith, R. D.; Willis, T. J.; Kininmonth, S.; Baker, S. C.; Banks, S.; Barrett, N. S.; Becerro, M. A.; Bernard, A. T. F.; Berkhout, J.; Buxton, C. D.; Campbell, S. J.; Cooper, A. T.; Davey, M.; Edgar, S. C.; Försterra, G.; Galván, D. E.; Irigoyen, A. J.; Kushner, D. J.; Moura, R.; Parnell, P. E.; Shears, N. T.; Soler, G.; Strain, E. M. A.; Thomson, R. J. Global conservation outcomes depend on marine protected areas with five key features, Nature, Volume 506 (2014) no. 7487, pp. 216-220 | DOI

[10] French Marine Natural Parks Le parc naturel marin. http://www.aires-marines.fr/Les-aires-marines-protegees/Categories-d-aires-marines-protegees/Parc-naturel-marin, 2019

[11] Game, E. T.; Grantham, H. S.; Hobday, A. J.; Pressey, R. L.; Lombard, A. T.; Beckley, L. E.; Gjerde, K.; Bustamante, R.; Possingham, H. P.; Richardson, A. J. Pelagic protected areas: the missing dimension in ocean conservation, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 24 (2009) no. 7, pp. 360-369 | DOI

[12] Garthe, S.; Markones, N.; Mendel, B.; Sonntag, N.; Krause, J. C. Protected areas for seabirds in German offshore waters: Designation, retrospective consideration and current perspectives, Biological Conservation, Volume 156 (2012), pp. 126-135 | DOI

[13] Halpern, B. S.; Frazier, M.; Potapenko, J.; Casey, K. S.; Koenig, K.; Longo, C.; Lowndes, J. S.; Rockwood, R. C.; Selig, E. R.; Selkoe, K. A.; Walbridge, S. Spatial and temporal changes in cumulative human impacts on the world’s ocean, Nature Communications, Volume 6 (2015) no. 1 | DOI

[14] Halpern, B. S.; Walbridge, S.; Selkoe, K. A.; Kappel, C. V.; Micheli, F.; D'Agrosa, C.; Bruno, J. F.; Casey, K. S.; Ebert, C.; Fox, H. E.; Fujita, R.; Heinemann, D.; Lenihan, H. S.; Madin, E. M. P.; Perry, M. T.; Selig, E. R.; Spalding, M.; Steneck, R.; Watson, R. A Global Map of Human Impact on Marine Ecosystems, Science, Volume 319 (2008) no. 5865, pp. 948-952 | DOI

[15] Heinänen, S.; Skov, H. The identification of discrete and persistent areas of relatively high harbour porpoise density in the wider UK marine area. Technical report. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, 2015

[16] Hooker, S. K.; Gerber, L. R. Marine Reserves as a Tool for Ecosystem-Based Management: The Potential Importance of Megafauna, BioScience, Volume 54 (2004) no. 1 | DOI

[17] Hyrenbach, K.; Veit, R.; Weimerskirch, H.; Hunt GL, J. Seabird associations with mesoscale eddies: the subtropical Indian Ocean, Marine Ecology Progress Series, Volume 324 (2006), pp. 271-279 | DOI

[18] INPN French Natura 2000 documentation” http://inpn.mnhn.fr/programme/natura2000/presentation/objectifs, 2018

[19] Journal Officiel Arrêté du 18 janvier 2018 portant désignation du site natura 2000 mers celtiques - talus du golfe de gascogne (zone de protection spéciale)” URL https://www.legirance.gouv.fr/eli/arrete/2018/1/18/TRELI1732565A/jp/texte, 2018

[20] Kelleher, G. Guidelines for Marine Protected Areas., IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK, 1999

[21] Klein, C. J.; Brown, C. J.; Halpern, B. S.; Segan, D. B.; McGowan, J.; Beger, M.; Watson, J. E. Shortfalls in the global protected area network at representing marine biodiversity, Scientific Reports, Volume 5 (2015) no. 1 | DOI

[22] Lambert, C.; Authier, M.; Doray, M.; Dorémus, G.; Spitz, J.; Ridoux, V. Decadal stability in top predator habitat preferences in the Bay of Biscay, Progress in Oceanography, Volume 166 (2018), pp. 109-120 | DOI

[23] Lambert, C.; Pettex, E.; Dorémus, G.; Laran, S.; Stéphan, E.; Canneyt, O. V.; Ridoux, V. How does ocean seasonality drive habitat preferences of highly mobile top predators? Part II: The eastern North-Atlantic, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, Volume 141 (2017), pp. 133-154 | DOI

[24] Lambert, C.; Virgili, A.; Pettex, E.; Delavenne, J.; Toison, V.; Blanck, A.; Ridoux, V. Habitat modelling predictions highlight seasonal relevance of Marine Protected Areas for marine megafauna, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, Volume 141 (2017), pp. 262-274 | DOI

[25] Laran, S.; Authier, M.; Blanck, A.; Doremus, G.; Falchetto, H.; Monestiez, P.; Pettex, E.; Stephan, E.; Van Canneyt, O.; Ridoux, V. Seasonal distribution and abundance of cetaceans within French waters- Part II: The Bay of Biscay and the English Channel, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, Volume 141 (2017), pp. 31-40 | DOI

[26] Lewison, R.; Hobday, A. J.; Maxwell, S.; Hazen, E.; Hartog, J. R.; Dunn, D. C.; Briscoe, D.; Fossette, S.; O'Keefe, C. E.; Barnes, M.; Abecassis, M.; Bograd, S.; Bethoney, N. D.; Bailey, H.; Wiley, D.; Andrews, S.; Hazen, L.; Crowder, L. B. Dynamic Ocean Management: Identifying the Critical Ingredients of Dynamic Approaches to Ocean Resource Management, BioScience, Volume 65 (2015) no. 5, pp. 486-498 | DOI

[27] Longhurst, A. R. Toward an ecological geography of the sea, Ecological Geography of the Sea, Elsevier, 2007, pp. 1-17 | DOI

[28] Notarbartolo-di-Sciara, G.; Agardy, T.; Hyrenbach, D.; Scovazzi, T.; Van Klaveren, P. The Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean marine mammals, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, Volume 18 (2008) no. 4, pp. 367-391 | DOI

[29] Nur, N.; Jahncke, J.; Herzog, M. P.; Howar, J.; Hyrenbach, K. D.; Zamon, J. E.; Ainley, D. G.; Wiens, J. A.; Morgan, K.; Ballance, L. T.; Stralberg, D. Where the wild things are: predicting hotspots of seabird aggregations in the California Current System, Ecological Applications, Volume 21 (2011) no. 6, pp. 2241-2257 | DOI

[30] Oppel, S.; Bolton, M.; Carneiro, A. P.; Dias, M. P.; Green, J. A.; Masello, J. F.; Phillips, R. A.; Owen, E.; Quillfeldt, P.; Beard, A.; Bertrand, S.; Blackburn, J.; Boersma, P. D.; Borges, A.; Broderick, A. C.; Catry, P.; Cleasby, I.; Clingham, E.; Creuwels, J.; Crofts, S.; Cuthbert, R. J.; Dallmeijer, H.; Davies, D.; Davies, R.; Dilley, B. J.; Dinis, H. A.; Dossa, J.; Dunn, M. J.; Efe, M. A.; Fayet, A. L.; Figueiredo, L.; Frederico, A. P.; Gjerdrum, C.; Godley, B. J.; Granadeiro, J. P.; Guilford, T.; Hamer, K. C.; Hazin, C.; Hedd, A.; Henry, L.; Hernández-Montero, M.; Hinke, J.; Kokubun, N.; Leat, E.; Tranquilla, L. M.; Metzger, B.; Militão, T.; Montrond, G.; Mullié, W.; Padget, O.; Pearmain, E. J.; Pollet, I. L.; Pütz, K.; Quintana, F.; Ratcliffe, N.; Ronconi, R. A.; Ryan, P. G.; Saldanha, S.; Shoji, A.; Sim, J.; Small, C.; Soanes, L.; Takahashi, A.; Trathan, P.; Trivelpiece, W.; Veen, J.; Wakefield, E.; Weber, N.; Weber, S.; Zango, L.; Daunt, F.; Ito, M.; Harris, M. P.; Newell, M. A.; Wanless, S.; González-Solís, J.; Croxall, J. Spatial scales of marine conservation management for breeding seabirds, Marine Policy, Volume 98 (2018), pp. 37-46 | DOI

[31] Pettex, E.; Laran, S.; Authier, M.; Blanck, A.; Dorémus, G.; Falchetto, H.; Lambert, C.; Monestiez, P.; Stéfan, E.; Van Canneyt, O.; Ridoux, V. Using large scale surveys to investigate seasonal variations in seabird distribution and abundance. Part II: The Bay of Biscay and the English Channel, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, Volume 141 (2017), pp. 86-101 | DOI

[32] Skov, H.; Durinck, J.; Leopold, M. F.; Tasker, M. L. A quantitative method for evaluating the importance of marine areas for conservation of birds, Biological Conservation, Volume 136 (2007) no. 3, pp. 362-371 | DOI

[33] Vilchis, L.; Ballance, L.; Fiedler, P. Pelagic habitat of seabirds in the eastern tropical Pacific: effects of foraging ecology on habitat selection, Marine Ecology Progress Series, Volume 315 (2006), pp. 279-292 | DOI

[34] Weimerskirch, H. Are seabirds foraging for unpredictable resources?, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, Volume 54 (2007) no. 3-4, pp. 211-223 | DOI

[35] Wilson, B. Might marine protected areas for mobile megafauna suit their proponents more than the animals?, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, Volume 26 (2016) no. 1, pp. 3-8 | DOI

Cited by Sources: