Spatial mismatch in diversity facets reveals contrasting protection for New Zealand's cetacean biodiversity

• Published in: Biological Conservation
• Main Authors: Mouton, Theophile, Stephenson, Fabrice, Torres, Leigh G., Rayment, Will, Brough, Tom, Mclean, Matthew, Tonkin, Jonathan D., Albouy, Camille, Leprieur, Fabien
• Other Authors: MARine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation - MARBEC (UMR MARBEC ), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM), Centre de Synthèse et d’Analyse sur la Biodiversité (CESAB), Fondation pour la recherche sur la Biodiversité (FRB), National Institute of Water and Atmosphere Hamilton (NIWA), Marine Mammal Institute and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, University of Oregon Eugene, Department of Marine Sciences Dunedin, University of Otago Dunedin, Nouvelle-Zélande, Dalhousie University Halifax, University of Canterbury Christchurch, Dynamique et durabilité des écosystèmes : de la source à l’océan (DECOD), Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut Agro Rennes Angers, Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro), Institut universitaire de France (IUF), Ministère de l'Education nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (M.E.N.E.S.R.)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2022
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Marine protected areas; Cetaceans; Functional diversity; Phylogenetic diversity; Conservation planning; [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]; Blue whale
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-04203806; https://hal.science/hal-04203806/document; https://hal.science/hal-04203806/file/S0006320722000374.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109484

International audience Cetaceans play key roles in the world's ecosystems and provide important economic and social benefits. New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone is a global biodiversity hotspot for cetaceans and benefits from a system of marine protected areas (MPAs). However, spatial patterns of cetacean biodiversity and their overlap with MPAs have never been assessed.We quantify this overlap by using a comprehensive cetacean at-sea sightings database, high-resolution environmental data layers, and information on ecological and evolutionary characteristics of each species to model spatial patterns of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of cetaceans. We examine areas of congruence among hotspots of richness and uniqueness components of biodiversity and measure the contribution of species to biodiversity.We find that cetacean taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity are spatially mismatched with MPAs, but this is less true for functional diversity. Hotspots of congruence among richness indices are located on the continental shelf break, whereas hotspots of uniqueness indices are located closer to shore on the continental shelf. Seven species have high contributions to biodiversity, with blue whale being the only species being evolutionarily distinct, functionally unique, specialised and globally endangered.Our results underline the potential of multicomponent biodiversity indices, their spatial congruence, and the contribution of species to biodiversity to be used as guides for a strategic placement and expansion of MPAs to protect biodiversity.