Data from: Seabird diversity hotspot linked to ocean productivity in the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem

• Main Authors: Grecian, W. James, Witt, Matthew J., Attrill, Martin J., Bearhop, Stuart, Becker, Peter H., Egevang, Carsten, Furness, Robert W., Godley, Brendan J., González-Solís, Jacob, Grémillet, David, Kopp, Matthias, Lescroël, Amélie, Matthiopoulos, Jason, Patrick, Samantha C., Peter, Hans-Ulrich, Phillips, Richard A., Stenhouse, Iain J., Votier, Stephen C.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Larus fuscus; Stercorarius skua; upwelling; marine conservation; Xema sabini; Calonectris diomedea; Marine protected areas; Calonectris borealis; Morus bassanus; Stercorarius maccormicki; Sterna hirundo; Gam
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/4983149; https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.01sd0

Upwelling regions are highly productive habitats targeted by wide-ranging marine predators and industrial fisheries. In this study, we track the migratory movements of eight seabird species from across the Atlantic; quantify overlap with the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) and determine the habitat characteristics that drive this association. Our results indicate the CCLME is a biodiversity hotspot for migratory seabirds; all tracked species and more than 70% of individuals used this upwelling region. Relative species richness peaked in areas where sea surface temperature averaged between 15 and 20°C, and correlated positively with chlorophyll a, revealing the optimum conditions driving bottom-up trophic effects for seabirds. Marine vertebrates are not confined by international boundaries, making conservation challenging. However, by linking diversity to ocean productivity, our research reveals the significance of the CCLME for seabird populations from across the Atlantic, making it a priority for conservation action. Seabird species richness and environmental dataThis datafile contains the species richness and environmental data used by Grecian et al. to examine the drivers of seabird species richness in the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem. Species richness data was calculated across a network of 200 km tessellated hexagons; the Cartesian x and y coordinates of these are in the first two columns. The following columns include Species Richness; average sea surface temperature; average chlorophyll a; and a measure of null usage. The data were analysed using a GAM with a soap film smoother. For full details see Supplementary materials.dat.csv