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A matter of timing: how temporal scale selection influences cetacean ecological niche modelling

2018; Inter-Research; Volume: 595; Linguagem: Inglês

10.3354/meps12551

1616-1599

Marc Fernández, Chris Yesson, Alexandre Gannier, Peter I. Miller, José M. N. Azevedo,

Isotope Analysis in Ecology

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 595:217-231 (2018) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12551 A matter of timing: how temporal scale selection influences cetacean ecological niche modelling M. Fernandez1,*, C. Yesson2, A. Gannier3, P. I. Miller4, J. M. N. Azevedo1 1cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group, and Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade dos Açores, Ponta Delgada, 9501-801, Portugal 2Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, NW1 4RY, UK 3Groupe de Recherche sur les Cétacés, Antibes, 06633, France 4Remote Sensing Group, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth PL1 3DH, UK *Corresponding author: marc.fern@gmail.com ABSTRACT: Modelling in the marine environment faces unique challenges that place greater emphasis on model accuracy. The spatio-temporal variability of this environment presents challenges when trying to develop useful habitat models. We tested how different temporal scales influence model predictions for cetaceans with different ecological requirements. We used 7 years of (opportunistic) whale watching data (>16000 cetacean sightings) collected in the Azores archipelago under the MONICET platform. We modelled the distribution of 10 cetacean species with a sampling bias correction. Distribution modelling was performed at 2 spatial scales (2 and 4 km) and 2 temporal resolutions (8 d vs. monthly averages). We used a MAXENT analysis with 3 different validation procedures. Generally, the 8 d means produced better results. In some cases (e.g. baleen whales), predictions using monthly means were no better than null models. Finer temporal grains provided essential insights, especially for species influenced by dynamic variables (e.g. sea surface temperature). For species more influenced by static variables (e.g. bathymetry), differences between temporal scales were smaller. The selection of the right temporal scale can be essential when modelling the niches of cetaceans. Datasets with high temporal resolution (e.g. whale watching data) can provide an excellent basis for these analyses, allowing use of finer temporal grains. Our models showed good predictive performance; however, limitations related to the spatial coverage were found. Merging datasets with different temporal and spatial resolutions could help to improve niche estimates. Models with better predictive capacity and transferability are needed to implement more efficient protection and conservation measures. KEY WORDS: Ecological niche models · Temporal scales · Marine environments · Whale watching · Cetaceans · Azores Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Fernandez M, Yesson C, Gannier A, Miller PI, Azevedo JMN (2018) A matter of timing: how temporal scale selection influences cetacean ecological niche modelling. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 595:217-231. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12551 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 595. Online publication date: May 14, 2018 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2018 Inter-Research.