Dolphin Distribution and Habitat Suitability in North Western Australia: Applications and Implications of a Broad-Scale, Non-targeted Dataset
Understanding species’ distribution patterns and the environmental and ecological interactions that drive them is fundamental for biodiversity conservation. Data deficiency exists in areas that are difficult to access, or where resources are limited. We use a broad-scale, non-targeted dataset to des...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:d7b2dc8c7bf346b5be5ee66f6fdb585d 2023-05-15T17:03:33+02:00 Dolphin Distribution and Habitat Suitability in North Western Australia: Applications and Implications of a Broad-Scale, Non-targeted Dataset Daniella Hanf Amanda Jane Hodgson Halina Kobryn Lars Bejder Joshua Nathan Smith 2022-02-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.733841 https://doaj.org/article/d7b2dc8c7bf346b5be5ee66f6fdb585d EN eng Frontiers Media S.A. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.733841/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-7745 2296-7745 doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.733841 https://doaj.org/article/d7b2dc8c7bf346b5be5ee66f6fdb585d Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol 8 (2022) Australian humpback dolphin Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin distribution habitat suitability Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) environmental impact assessment Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.733841 2022-12-31T13:51:00Z Understanding species’ distribution patterns and the environmental and ecological interactions that drive them is fundamental for biodiversity conservation. Data deficiency exists in areas that are difficult to access, or where resources are limited. We use a broad-scale, non-targeted dataset to describe dolphin distribution and habitat suitability in remote north Western Australia, where there is a paucity of data to adequately inform species management. From 1,169 opportunistic dolphin sightings obtained from 10 dugong aerial surveys conducted over a four-year period, there were 661 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus), 191 Australian humpback dolphin (Sousa sahulensis), nine Australian snubfin dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni), 16 Stenella sp., one killer whale (Orcinus orca), one false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), and 290 unidentified dolphin species sightings. Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) habitat suitability models identified shallow intertidal areas around mainland coast, islands and shoals as important areas for humpback dolphins. In contrast, bottlenose dolphins are more likely to occur further offshore and at greater depths, suggesting niche partitioning between these two sympatric species. Bottlenose dolphin response to sea surface temperature is markedly different between seasons (positive in May; negative in October) and probably influenced by the Leeuwin Current, a prominent oceanographic feature. Our findings support broad marine spatial planning, impact assessment and the design of future surveys, which would benefit from the collection of high-resolution digital images for species identification verification. A substantial proportion of data were removed due to uncertainties resulting from non-targeted observations and this is likely to have reduced model performance. We highlight the importance of considering climatic and seasonal fluctuations in interpreting distribution patterns and species interactions in assuming habitat suitability. Article in Journal/Newspaper Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Pacific Frontiers in Marine Science 8 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Australian humpback dolphin Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin distribution habitat suitability Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) environmental impact assessment Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 |
spellingShingle |
Australian humpback dolphin Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin distribution habitat suitability Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) environmental impact assessment Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 Daniella Hanf Amanda Jane Hodgson Halina Kobryn Lars Bejder Joshua Nathan Smith Dolphin Distribution and Habitat Suitability in North Western Australia: Applications and Implications of a Broad-Scale, Non-targeted Dataset |
topic_facet |
Australian humpback dolphin Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin distribution habitat suitability Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) environmental impact assessment Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 |
description |
Understanding species’ distribution patterns and the environmental and ecological interactions that drive them is fundamental for biodiversity conservation. Data deficiency exists in areas that are difficult to access, or where resources are limited. We use a broad-scale, non-targeted dataset to describe dolphin distribution and habitat suitability in remote north Western Australia, where there is a paucity of data to adequately inform species management. From 1,169 opportunistic dolphin sightings obtained from 10 dugong aerial surveys conducted over a four-year period, there were 661 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus), 191 Australian humpback dolphin (Sousa sahulensis), nine Australian snubfin dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni), 16 Stenella sp., one killer whale (Orcinus orca), one false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), and 290 unidentified dolphin species sightings. Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) habitat suitability models identified shallow intertidal areas around mainland coast, islands and shoals as important areas for humpback dolphins. In contrast, bottlenose dolphins are more likely to occur further offshore and at greater depths, suggesting niche partitioning between these two sympatric species. Bottlenose dolphin response to sea surface temperature is markedly different between seasons (positive in May; negative in October) and probably influenced by the Leeuwin Current, a prominent oceanographic feature. Our findings support broad marine spatial planning, impact assessment and the design of future surveys, which would benefit from the collection of high-resolution digital images for species identification verification. A substantial proportion of data were removed due to uncertainties resulting from non-targeted observations and this is likely to have reduced model performance. We highlight the importance of considering climatic and seasonal fluctuations in interpreting distribution patterns and species interactions in assuming habitat suitability. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Daniella Hanf Amanda Jane Hodgson Halina Kobryn Lars Bejder Joshua Nathan Smith |
author_facet |
Daniella Hanf Amanda Jane Hodgson Halina Kobryn Lars Bejder Joshua Nathan Smith |
author_sort |
Daniella Hanf |
title |
Dolphin Distribution and Habitat Suitability in North Western Australia: Applications and Implications of a Broad-Scale, Non-targeted Dataset |
title_short |
Dolphin Distribution and Habitat Suitability in North Western Australia: Applications and Implications of a Broad-Scale, Non-targeted Dataset |
title_full |
Dolphin Distribution and Habitat Suitability in North Western Australia: Applications and Implications of a Broad-Scale, Non-targeted Dataset |
title_fullStr |
Dolphin Distribution and Habitat Suitability in North Western Australia: Applications and Implications of a Broad-Scale, Non-targeted Dataset |
title_full_unstemmed |
Dolphin Distribution and Habitat Suitability in North Western Australia: Applications and Implications of a Broad-Scale, Non-targeted Dataset |
title_sort |
dolphin distribution and habitat suitability in north western australia: applications and implications of a broad-scale, non-targeted dataset |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.733841 https://doaj.org/article/d7b2dc8c7bf346b5be5ee66f6fdb585d |
geographic |
Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Pacific |
genre |
Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca |
genre_facet |
Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca |
op_source |
Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol 8 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.733841/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-7745 2296-7745 doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.733841 https://doaj.org/article/d7b2dc8c7bf346b5be5ee66f6fdb585d |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.733841 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Marine Science |
container_volume |
8 |
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1766057454748041216 |