Predicting foraging hotspots for Yelkouan Shearwater in the Black Sea

Pérez-Ortega, María; İsfendiyaroğlu, Süreyya

doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.07.007

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Distance from the coast was the variable with the strongest influence on the distribution and habitat preference of the species. This has been already observed in previous studies conducted on shearwaters [24,71] and on bottlenose dolphins in the Strait of Sicily [19,44], as well as in other areas [72,73]. The strongest probability of presence for the considered species was found between 13 and 15 km from the coast, at a depth of 80-90 m. The preference for these distances in the case of the bottlenose dolphin confirms its coastal habits in the Mediterranean [74].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…MaxEnt was applied in previous studies to obtain predictive results on bottlenose dolphins in the waters of Lampedusa Island [19], in the North-Eastern Atlantic [20], in the waters of the Osa Peninsula, and in Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica [21]. Moreover, there are also studies conducted using MaxEnt on Scopoli's shearwaters along the Tunisian [22] and Iberic [23] coasts, Yelkouan shearwaters [24], and European storm petrels along Spanish coasts [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bottlenose Dolphins and Seabirds Distribution Analysis for the Identification of a Marine Biodiversity Hotspot in Agrigento Waters

Ranù¹,

Vanacore²,

Mandich

et al. 2022

JMSE

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The aim of this study is to evaluate the presence of biodiversity hotspots in Agrigento waters (Mediterranean Sea) to define the conservation area for bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and seabirds (Calonectris diomedea, Puffinus yelkouan, and Hydrobates pelagicus), according to European directives. With this purpose, the maximum entropy algorithm (MaxEnt) was applied to the sighting points of the focal species. They co-occur in the study area and have been documented to forage behind trawlers. In this study, a fishing rate was designed and used as an explanatory variable of the species distribution, together with physiographic variables. Data were collected during 68 surveys in the waters off Agrigento province. MaxEnt models showed a strong predictive power, with distance from the coast being the greatest predicting variable, followed by slope, depth, and fishing rate. For all the species considered, the probability of presence increased as the fishing rate grew. Cartographic analysis revealed one area shared by the species, which occupies 529 km2, from the shoreline to 100 m depth. This study increases knowledge on the distribution and habitat preferences of the target species in the Sicilian waters. Evaluating the influence of fisheries is a promising method that needs further testing to apply effective management measures.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bottlenose Dolphins and Seabirds Distribution Analysis for the Identification of a Marine Biodiversity Hotspot in Agrigento Waters

Ranù¹,

Vanacore²,

Mandich

et al. 2022

JMSE

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“…These findings are consistent with what has been described for yelkouan shearwaters breeding in France (Lambert et al., 2017; Péron et al., 2013) as well as for the closely related Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus within the NW Mediterranean and along the Portuguese coasts during the post‐breeding period (Araújo et al., 2017; Meier et al., 2015). The positive selection of coastal and relatively shallow waters by the yelkouan shearwater has been documented also during the non‐breeding period, both in the Northern African coastal waters (Raine et al., 2013) and in the Black Sea (Pérez‐Ortega & İsfendiyaroğlu, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Not surprisingly, available data are subject to substantial reassessments following steady improvements in knowledge. It has been reliably ascertained that the range of this species, contrary to other procellariids, is confined to the Mediterranean and Black Sea both during the breeding and non‐breeding seasons (Gaudard, 2018; Pérez‐Ortega & İsfendiyaroğlu, 2017). As a consequence, the whole population appears to be strongly exposed to the overall condition of this area which is currently affected by major transformations (e.g., Lejeusne et al., 2010; Macias et al., 2015) and which is considered a climate‐change hot spot (Giorgi, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Productivity changes in the Mediterranean Sea drive foraging movements of yelkouan shearwater Puffinus yelkouan from the core of its global breeding range

et al. 2021

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Pelagic seabirds are tied to their breeding colonies throughout their long‐lasting breeding season, but at the same time, they have to feed in a highly dynamic marine environment where prey abundance and availability rapidly change across space and seasons. Here, we describe the foraging movements of yelkouan shearwater Puffinus yelkouan, a seabird endemic to the Mediterranean Sea that spends its entire life cycle within this enclosed basin and whose future conservation is intimately linked to human‐driven and climatic changes affecting the sea. The aim was to understand the main factors underlying the choice of foraging locations during the reproductive phases. A total of 34 foraging trips were obtained from 21 breeding adults tagged and tracked on Tavolara Archipelago (N Sardinia, Italy). This is the largest and most important breeding area for the species, accounting for more than 50% of the world population. The relationships between foraging movements during two different breeding stages and the seasonal changes of primary productivity at sea were modeled. Movements appeared to be addressed toward inshore (<20 km), highly productive, and relatively shallow (<200 m) foraging areas, often in front of river mouths and at great distances from the colony. During incubation, the Bonifacio Strait and other coastal areas close to North and West Sardinia were the most preferred locations (up to 247 km from the colony). During the chick‐rearing phase, some individuals reached areas placed at greater distances from the colony (up to 579 km), aiming at food‐rich hotspots placed as far north as the Gulf of Lion (France). The need for such long distance and long‐lasting foraging trips is hypothesized to be related to unfavorable conditions on the less productive (and already depleted) Sardinian waters.

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“…The most common approach has been to make a comparison (usually qualitative) of the estimated spatial distributions resulting from separate models for each dataset and use these in a complementary way e.g. [ 18 , 21 – 26 ]. This latter approach can offer a pragmatic and relatively simple way to maximise interpretation of different datasets for conservation managers, and is also useful in situations where the original raw data are unavailable or were not designed for more sophisticated statistical integration techniques.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing marine distribution maps for seabirds during the breeding season derived from different survey and analysis methods

et al. 2018

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Understanding how seabirds use the marine environment is key for marine spatial planning, and maps of their marine distributions derived from transect-based surveys and from tracking of individual bird’s movements are increasingly available for the same geographic areas. Although the value of integrating these different datasets is well recognised, few studies have undertaken quantitative comparisons of the resulting distributions. Here we take advantage of four existing distribution maps and conduct a quantitative comparison for four seabird species (black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla; European shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis; common guillemot Uria aalge; and razorbill Alca torda). We quantify the amount of overlap and agreement in the location of high use areas identified from either tracking or transect samples and use Bhattacharyya’s Affinity to quantify levels of similarity in the general distribution patterns. Despite multiple differences in the properties of the datasets, there was a far greater degree of overlap than would be expected by chance, except when adopting the most constrained definition of high use. Distance to the nearest conspecific colony appeared to be an important driver of the degree of similarity. Agreed areas of highest use tended to occur close to colonies and, with increasing distance from colonies, similarity between datasets declined and/or there was similarity in respect of their being relatively low usage. Interpreting reasons for agreement between data sources in some areas and not others was limited by an inability to control for the multiple potential sources of differences from both the sampling and modelling processes of the underlying datasets. Nevertheless, our quantitative comparative approach provides a valuable tool to quantify the degree to which an area’s importance is corroborated across multiple datasets, and therefore confidence that an important area has been correctly identified. This can help prioritise where the implementation of conservation measures should be targeted and identify where greatest scrutiny is required of the potential adverse environmental effects of any planned anthropogenic activities.

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Predicting foraging hotspots for Yelkouan Shearwater in the Black Sea

Cited by 5 publications

References 46 publications

Bottlenose Dolphins and Seabirds Distribution Analysis for the Identification of a Marine Biodiversity Hotspot in Agrigento Waters

Bottlenose Dolphins and Seabirds Distribution Analysis for the Identification of a Marine Biodiversity Hotspot in Agrigento Waters

Productivity changes in the Mediterranean Sea drive foraging movements of yelkouan shearwater Puffinus yelkouan from the core of its global breeding range

Comparing marine distribution maps for seabirds during the breeding season derived from different survey and analysis methods

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