These datasets and accompanying syntheses provide a greater understanding of fundamental ecosystem processes in the Southern Ocean, support modelling of predator distributions under future climate scenarios and create inputs that can be incorporated into decision making processes by management authorities. In this data paper, we present the compiled tracking data from research groups that have worked in the Antarctic since the 1990s. The data are publicly available through biodiversity.aq and the Ocean Biogeographic Information System. The archive includes tracking data from over 70 contributors across 12 national Antarctic programs, and includes data from 17 predator species, 4060 individual animals, and over 2.9 million observed locations.Scientific Data | (2020) 7:94 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0406-x www.nature.com/scientificdata www.nature.com/scientificdata/ circum-Antarctic synthesis yet exists that crosses species boundaries. This deficiency prompted the Expert Group on Birds and Marine Mammals (EG-BAMM) and the Expert Group on Antarctic Biodiversity Informatics (EGABI) of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR; www.scar.org) to initiate in 2010 the Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking Data (RAATD). RAATD aims to advance our understanding of fundamental and applied questions in a data-driven way, matching research priorities already identified by the SCAR Horizon Scan 9,21 and key questions in animal movement ecology 22 . For these reasons, we worked on the collation, validation and preparation of tracking data collected south of 45 °S. Data from over seventy contributors (Data Contacts and Citations 23 ) were collated. This database includes information from seventeen predator species, 4,060 individuals and over 2.9 million at-sea locations. To exploit this unique dataset, RAATD is undertaking a multi-species assessment of habitat use for higher predators in the Southern Ocean 24 .RAATD will provide a greater understanding of predator distributions under varying climate regimes, and provide outputs that can inform spatial management and planning decisions by management authorities such as the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR; www.ccamlr.org). Our synopsis and analysis of multi-predator tracking data will also highlight regional or seasonal data-gaps.Scientific Data | (2020) 7:94 | https://doi.

Palabras Clave: captura accesoria, competencia por recursos, contaminación marina, degradación de hábitat, sobrepesca

ABSTRACT. The relationsh~ps between the foraging strategy of seabirds, hydrographic features and food availability are poorly understood. We investigated the movements at sea, time spent per oceanic sector, food intake, and d~e t of king pengulns Aptenodytespatagonicus in the Crozet Islands (Southern Indian Ocean) during summer, as a function of the position of major frontal zones. Fifteen trips at sea were monitored using satelhte transmitters over 3 austral summers (1992 to 1994). During each season, satellite transmitters were used in conjunction with stomach temperature recorders in order to investigate feeding activity. The at-sea distribution of klng penguins was closely related to the localisation of major hydrographic frontal systems. Intense prospecting areas were observed mainly in zones corresponding to the northern h i t of the Polar Front (50" to 51°S), southern limit of the Sub-Antarctic Front (44.50' to 45O S], and a zone between 47' and 48" S. During trips directed south, 2 distinct phases based on travelling speed were detected. The myctophids Electrons carlsbergi, Krefftichtys anderssoni and Protomyctophurn tenisoni dominated the diet. The est~mated average amount of food ingested per day at sea was 2.4 kg. Between 17 and 64 kg of food was captured during 7 to 25 d at sea. Approximately 80% of the food intake occurred during the first phase of the trip. Food intake was related to trip duration and relative amount of time spent in particular oceanic sectors. The sections 47' to 48" S and 48.5" to 50.50" S appeared particularly favorable for food intake, the latter coinciding with the northern limit of the Polar Front. King penguins fed ~ntensively on several distinct patches when traveling towards the Polar Front. The foraging range seems to be related to the foraging success during the first phase of the trip. The foraging strategy of king penguins during the summer favors displacements toward frontal zones where food availability is optimal.

No abstract

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is becoming a key management approach throughout the world. The process includes the mapping of how humans and wildlife use the marine environment to inform the development of management measures. An integrated multi-species approach to identifying key areas is important for MSP because it allows managers a global representation of an area, enabling them to see where management can have the most impact for biodiversity protection. However, multi-species analysis remains challenging. This paper presents a methodological framework for mapping key areas for marine megafauna (seabirds, pinnipeds, cetaceans) by incorporating different data types across multiple species. The framework includes analyses of tracking data and observation survey data, applying analytical steps according to the type of data available during each year quarter for each species. It produces core-use area layers at the species level, then combines these layers to create megafauna core-use area layers. The framework was applied in the Falkland Islands. The study gathered over 750,000 tracking and at-sea observation locations covering an equivalent of 5,495 data days between 1998 and 2015 for 36 species. The framework provides a step-by-step implementation protocol, replicable across geographic scales and transferable to multiple taxa. R scripts are provided. Common repositories, such as the Birdlife International Tracking Database, are invaluable tools, providing a secure platform for storing and accessing spatial data to apply the methodological framework. This provides managers with data necessary to enhance MSP efforts and marine conservation worldwide.

The Patagonian Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem supports high levels of biodiversity and endemism and is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world. Despite the important role marine predators play in structuring ecosystems, areas of high diversity where multiple predators congregate remains poorly known on the Patagonian Shelf. Here, we used biotelemetry and biologging tags to track the movements of six seabird species and three pinniped species breeding at the Falkland Islands. Using Generalized Additive Models, we then modelled these animals’ use of space as functions of dynamic and static environmental indices that described their habitat. Based on these models, we mapped the predicted distribution of animals from both sampled and unsampled colonies and thereby identified areas where multiple species were likely to overlap at sea. Maximum foraging trip distance ranged from 79 to 1,325 km. However, most of the 1,891 foraging trips by 686 animals were restricted to the Patagonian Shelf and shelf slope, which highlighted a preference for these habitats. Of the seven candidate explanatory covariates used to predict distribution, distance from the colony was retained in models for all species and negatively affected the probability of occurrence. Predicted overlap among species was highest on the Patagonian Shelf around the Falkland Islands and the Burdwood Bank. The predicted area of overlap is consistent with areas that are also important habitat for marine predators migrating from distant breeding locations. Our findings provide comprehensive multi-species predictions for some of the largest marine predator populations on the Patagonian Shelf, which will contribute to future marine spatial planning initiatives. Crucially, our findings highlight that spatially explicit conservation measures are likely to benefit multiple species, while threats are likely to impact multiple species.

No abstract

No abstract