Modelling habitat preferences for fin whales and striped dolphins in the Pelagos Sanctuary (Western Mediterranean Sea) with physiographic and remote sensing variables

Panigada, Simone; Zanardelli, Margherita; MacKenzie, Monique; Donovan, Carl; Mélin, Frédéric; Hammond, Philip S.

doi:10.1016/j.rse.2007.11.017

Cited by 114 publications

(101 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…The considered environmental variables include sea-surface temperature (SST) (Brown & Winn 1989, Baumgartner et al 2001, Cañadas et al 2005, Panigada et al 2008; bottom topography (Baumgartner 1997, Cañadas et al 2002, 2005, Panigada et al 2005, Ingram et al 2007); bathymetry, SST and chlorophyll content (Laran & Gannier 2008); currents and frontal systems (Tynan 1998, Mendes et al 2002, Johnston et al 2005, Gannier & Praca 2007; primary production cycles (Littaye et al 2004, Panigada et al 2008; and prey distribution (Woodley & Gaskin 1996, Jaquet & Gendron 2002, Baumgartner et al 2003, Macleod et al 2004). …”

Section: Resale or Republication Not Permitted Without Written Consenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although fin whales do not feed on phytoplankton, surface chlorophyll content is commonly selected as a good proxy for prey availability (e.g. Littaye et al 2004, Panigada et al 2008, and here the remotely observed chl a level and gradients are considered to be reasonable resource predictors accessible on a wide scale and with a high return frequency. As mentioned above, SST fronts are only used to remove chl a fronts erroneously produced by non-filtered atmospheric effects.…”

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Potential feeding habitat of fin whales in the western Mediterranean Sea: an environmental niche model

Druon¹,

Panigada²,

David³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The development of synoptic tools is required to derive the potential habitat of fin whales Balaenoptera physalus on a large-scale basis in the Mediterranean Sea, as the species has a largely unknown distribution and is at high risk of ship strike. We propose a foraging habitat model for fin whales in the western Mediterranean Sea relying on species ecology for the choice of predictors. The selected environmental variables are direct predictors and resource predictors available at daily and basin scales. Feeding habitat was determined mainly from the simultaneous occurrence of large oceanic fronts of satellite-derived sea-surface chlorophyll content (chl a) and temperature (SST). A specific range of surface chl a content (0.11 to 0.39 mg m −3) and a minimum water depth (92 m) were also identified to be important regional criteria. Daily maps were calibrated and evaluated against independent sets of fin whale sightings (presence data only). Specific chl a fronts represented the main predictor of feeding environment; therefore, derived habitat is a potential, rather than effective, habitat, but is functionally linked to a proxy of its resource (chl a production of fronts). The model performs well, with 80% of the presence data < 9.7 km from the predicted potential habitat. The computed monthly, seasonal and annual maps of potential feeding habitat from 2000 to 2010 correlate, for the most part, with current knowledge on fin whale ecology. Overall, fin whale potential habitat occurs frequently during summer in dynamic areas of the general circulation, and is substantially more spread over the basin in winter. However, the results also displayed high year-to-year variations (40 to 50%), which are essential to consider when assessing migration patterns and recommending protection and conservation measures.KEY WORDS: Balaenoptera physalus · Potential habitat · Feeding · Mediterranean Sea · Satellite data · Fronts · Chlorophyll a · Environmental niche model Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 464: [289][290][291][292][293][294][295][296][297][298][299][300][301][302][303][304][305][306] 2012 eral anthropogenic threats affect the Mediterranean fin whale population, with vessel strikes being one of the main causes of human-induced mortality (Panigada et al. 2006). The risk of a vessel strike is particularly severe in areas of heavy maritime traffic, such as the PELAGOS Sanctuary (ACCOBAMS 2006, David et al. 2011, where fin whales tend to concentrate in high numbers during the summer months (Gannier 1997, 2002, Notarbartolo di Sciara et al. 2003, Panigada et al. 2005, Würtz 2010. The PELAGOS Sanctuary is the first International Marine Protected Area (MPA) created in the high seas (Hoyt 2005) that aims at integrating human activities with cetacean conservation (Notarbartolo di Sciara 2007). While shipping noise is one source of disturbance, seismic airguns used for oil and gas exploration can also deter fin whales from feeding or breeding grounds (Cas...

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Potential feeding habitat of fin whales in the western Mediterranean Sea: an environmental niche model

Druon¹,

Panigada²,

David³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…chlorophyll a surface concentration) have been successfully employed to describe cetacean habitat preference indirectly (e.g. Cañadas et al 2002, Davis et al 2002, Hamazaki 2002, Yen et al 2004, Cañadas et al 2005, Ferguson et al 2006, Panigada et al 2008, Praca & Gannier 2008. There are however disadvantages of using such proxy measures.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Sharples ( , in McDonald 1993 showed by means of a simulation study that this so-called empirical variance estimator performs well when compared to other estimators that assume a specific model for the correlation. This approach has already been successfully applied to the study of cetacean habitat preference by Panigada et al (2008).The geepack library (Yan et al 2010) in R (R Development Core Team 2009) was used to fit binomialbased GEE-GLMs with a logit link and a working cor- Mar Ecol Prog Ser 436: 257-272, 2011 relation structure defined by block (i.e. the follows and the searching transects).…”

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“…The selection we performed on how each variable should enter the model settled on non-linear forms for all except SST for singleton animals, which supports this view. (2) Although the details of the smooth terms employed here could not be optimised as suggested by Wood (2006), the use of onedimensional B-splines allowed autocorrelation to be accounted for via the GEEs (as in Panigada et al 2008). Cetacean observations are often spatially and temporally autocorrelated.…”

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Modelling sperm whale habitat preference: a novel approach combining transect and follow data

Pirotta¹,

Matthiopoulos²,

MacKenzie³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

126

148

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Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus habitat preferences are still poorly understood in the Mediterranean, despite the population being classified as 'Endangered' by the IUCN. Techniques to make the best use of multiple data sources are important in improving this situation. This work provides a detailed evaluation of sperm whale distribution and habitat use around the Balearic Islands using a novel analytical framework that combines transect and follow data while accounting for any autocorrelation present. During dedicated research cruises (2003 to 2008), sperm whales were located by listening at regular intervals along a search track and subsequently followed acoustically. Sperm whales were encountered 56 times and followed for periods ranging from a few hours to 3 d. Logistic Generalized Additive Models were used to model the probability of whale presence across the study area as a function of environmental variables, and Generalized Estimating Equations were used to account for autocorrelation. The results suggest that sperm whales do not use the region uniformly and that topography plays a key role in shaping their distribution. Moreover, solitary individuals were found to use the habitat differently from groups. This segregation appeared to be driven by water temperature and might reflect different needs or intraspecific competition. By shedding light on sperm whale habitat preference in such a critical area, this study represents an important step towards the implementation of conservation measures for this population.KEY WORDS: Habitat modelling · Cetacean · Distribution · Balearic Islands · GAM · GEE · Multi-scale 436: 257-272, 2011 258 archipelago is one of the few areas in the Mediterranean Sea in which both social units and mature males are observed consistently, suggesting a possibly important role as breeding ground (Gannier et al. 2002, Drouot-Dulau & Gannier 2007. Nevertheless, no long-term study has been conducted to date to specifically estimate the species distribution in this region, and thus little information exists on its space use and habitat preferences around the archipelago. Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog SerHabitat preference modelling techniques represent a useful tool to quantify the relationships between a species and its environment (Guisan & Zimmermann 2000, Redfern et al. 2006, Matthiopoulos & Aarts 2010. Knowing where the animals are, what environmental characteristics influence their choice of habitat and how this choice changes with time is crucial to understanding the species' ecology, identifying the areas of critical importance, assessing the overlap with human activities and, ultimately, guiding appropriate conservation efforts (Redfern et al. 2006). Food availability is probably the main determinant of space use by marine mammals (e.g. Benoit-Bird & Au 2003, Hastie et al. 2004, Frederiksen et al. 2006, Friedlaender et al. 2006. Other potentially important factors affecting habitat choice include beh...

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Integrating pelagic and coastal MPAs into large‐scale ecosystem‐wide management

Guidetti

Sciara

Agardy³

2012

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have gained increasing popularity worldwide as tools for biodiversity conservation and management of human uses. This rise in popularity has been accompanied by an increasing body of scientific papers and books on MPA design and management, the vast majority of which are almost completely focused on coastal or insular MPAs.2. A small number of MPAs have also been established in the pelagic domain, however, these pelagic sites have been considered in isolation from coastal/insular MPAs, even when the sites are adjacent or nearby. Pelagic and coastal ecosystems are not at all isolated from each other, but interconnected both physically via the flow of water, and biologically, via the movement of organisms.3. In order to maximize the effectiveness of MPAs, it is suggested that spatial management planning encompass large areas that span both coastal and pelagic domains. This requires integrated, large-scale spatial management, which may extend across borders and thus require international cooperation.

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Modelling habitat preferences for fin whales and striped dolphins in the Pelagos Sanctuary (Western Mediterranean Sea) with physiographic and remote sensing variables

Cited by 114 publications

References 54 publications

Potential feeding habitat of fin whales in the western Mediterranean Sea: an environmental niche model

Potential feeding habitat of fin whales in the western Mediterranean Sea: an environmental niche model

Modelling sperm whale habitat preference: a novel approach combining transect and follow data

Integrating pelagic and coastal MPAs into large‐scale ecosystem‐wide management

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