Predicting large-scale habitat suitability for cetaceans off Namibia using MinxEnt
Knowledge of the occurrence and distribution of cetaceans is particularly important for conservation and management, but is still limited within Namibian waters. We collated 3211 cetacean records from the Namibian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for the period 2008 to 2016 and applied the principle of...
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70906 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12934 |
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ftunivpretoria:oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/70906 2023-05-15T17:10:52+02:00 Predicting large-scale habitat suitability for cetaceans off Namibia using MinxEnt De Rock, P. Elwen, Simon Harvey Roux, J.P. Leeney, R.H. James, B.S. Visser, V. Martin, Morgan Jennifer Gridley, T. 2019-08-07T09:43:09Z http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70906 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12934 en eng Inter Research http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70906 De Rock, P., Elwen, S.H., Roux, J.P. et al. 2019, 'Predicting large-scale habitat suitability for cetaceans off Namibia using MinxEnt', Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 619, pp. 149-167. 0171-8630 (print) 1616-1599 (online) doi:10.3354/meps12934 © Inter-Research 2019 Whale MaxEnt Marine spatial planning Marine protected area Habitat suitability Habitat modelling Dolphin Cetacean Postprint Article 2019 ftunivpretoria https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12934 2022-05-31T13:20:44Z Knowledge of the occurrence and distribution of cetaceans is particularly important for conservation and management, but is still limited within Namibian waters. We collated 3211 cetacean records from the Namibian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for the period 2008 to 2016 and applied the principle of minimum cross entropy (MinxEnt) to predict habitat suitability. MinxEnt is a generalised form of maximum entropy modelling that allows incorporation of additional information such as sampling bias. The habitat suitability of 9 cetacean species or species groups (5 odontocete species, 2 mysticete species and 2 taxonomic groups: pilot whales Globicephalus spp. and balaenopterids Balaenopteridae spp.) were predicted per season, in relation to environmental variables likely to drive cetacean presence: sea surface temperature, chlorophyll a concentration, water depth or distance to shore, seabed slope and habitat complexity. The environmental variable which most frequently influenced habitat suitability was depth, which was the main environmental driver for bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus, humpback Megaptera novaeangliae and southern right whales Eubalaena australis. Further, Heaviside’s dolphin Cephalorhynchus heavisidii habitat was best predicted by distance to shore in all seasons, while common dolphin Delphinus delphis and the balaenopterid group habitats were best predicted by habitat complexity, and sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus habitats by chlorophyll a concentration. We identify distinct spatial patterns in habitat suitability for different species and provide baseline maps which can be used by managers of wildlife resources. R.H.L. and aerial surveys were funded by the British Ecological Society and the Mohammed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund. http://www.int-res.com/journals/meps/meps-home 2024-06-04 hj2019 Mammal Research Institute Zoology and Entomology Article in Journal/Newspaper Megaptera novaeangliae Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale University of Pretoria: UPSpace Marine Ecology Progress Series 619 149 167 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Pretoria: UPSpace |
op_collection_id |
ftunivpretoria |
language |
English |
topic |
Whale MaxEnt Marine spatial planning Marine protected area Habitat suitability Habitat modelling Dolphin Cetacean |
spellingShingle |
Whale MaxEnt Marine spatial planning Marine protected area Habitat suitability Habitat modelling Dolphin Cetacean De Rock, P. Elwen, Simon Harvey Roux, J.P. Leeney, R.H. James, B.S. Visser, V. Martin, Morgan Jennifer Gridley, T. Predicting large-scale habitat suitability for cetaceans off Namibia using MinxEnt |
topic_facet |
Whale MaxEnt Marine spatial planning Marine protected area Habitat suitability Habitat modelling Dolphin Cetacean |
description |
Knowledge of the occurrence and distribution of cetaceans is particularly important for conservation and management, but is still limited within Namibian waters. We collated 3211 cetacean records from the Namibian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for the period 2008 to 2016 and applied the principle of minimum cross entropy (MinxEnt) to predict habitat suitability. MinxEnt is a generalised form of maximum entropy modelling that allows incorporation of additional information such as sampling bias. The habitat suitability of 9 cetacean species or species groups (5 odontocete species, 2 mysticete species and 2 taxonomic groups: pilot whales Globicephalus spp. and balaenopterids Balaenopteridae spp.) were predicted per season, in relation to environmental variables likely to drive cetacean presence: sea surface temperature, chlorophyll a concentration, water depth or distance to shore, seabed slope and habitat complexity. The environmental variable which most frequently influenced habitat suitability was depth, which was the main environmental driver for bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus, humpback Megaptera novaeangliae and southern right whales Eubalaena australis. Further, Heaviside’s dolphin Cephalorhynchus heavisidii habitat was best predicted by distance to shore in all seasons, while common dolphin Delphinus delphis and the balaenopterid group habitats were best predicted by habitat complexity, and sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus habitats by chlorophyll a concentration. We identify distinct spatial patterns in habitat suitability for different species and provide baseline maps which can be used by managers of wildlife resources. R.H.L. and aerial surveys were funded by the British Ecological Society and the Mohammed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund. http://www.int-res.com/journals/meps/meps-home 2024-06-04 hj2019 Mammal Research Institute Zoology and Entomology |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
De Rock, P. Elwen, Simon Harvey Roux, J.P. Leeney, R.H. James, B.S. Visser, V. Martin, Morgan Jennifer Gridley, T. |
author_facet |
De Rock, P. Elwen, Simon Harvey Roux, J.P. Leeney, R.H. James, B.S. Visser, V. Martin, Morgan Jennifer Gridley, T. |
author_sort |
De Rock, P. |
title |
Predicting large-scale habitat suitability for cetaceans off Namibia using MinxEnt |
title_short |
Predicting large-scale habitat suitability for cetaceans off Namibia using MinxEnt |
title_full |
Predicting large-scale habitat suitability for cetaceans off Namibia using MinxEnt |
title_fullStr |
Predicting large-scale habitat suitability for cetaceans off Namibia using MinxEnt |
title_full_unstemmed |
Predicting large-scale habitat suitability for cetaceans off Namibia using MinxEnt |
title_sort |
predicting large-scale habitat suitability for cetaceans off namibia using minxent |
publisher |
Inter Research |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70906 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12934 |
genre |
Megaptera novaeangliae Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale |
genre_facet |
Megaptera novaeangliae Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale |
op_relation |
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70906 De Rock, P., Elwen, S.H., Roux, J.P. et al. 2019, 'Predicting large-scale habitat suitability for cetaceans off Namibia using MinxEnt', Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 619, pp. 149-167. 0171-8630 (print) 1616-1599 (online) doi:10.3354/meps12934 |
op_rights |
© Inter-Research 2019 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12934 |
container_title |
Marine Ecology Progress Series |
container_volume |
619 |
container_start_page |
149 |
op_container_end_page |
167 |
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1766067532515508224 |