Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper in
Frontiers in Marine Science, section Marine Megafauna:
A comprehensive survey of pelagic megafauna: their distribution, densities and
taxonomic richness in the tropical Southwest Indian Ocean, by Sophie Laran,
Matthieu Authier, Olivier Van Canneyt, Ghislain Dorémus, Pierre Watremez,
Vincent Ridoux,
/Abstact: The distribution and density of pelagic megafauna (marine
mammals, seabirds,
elasmobranches, and sea turtles) are important indicators of marine
biodiversity,
reflecting the condition of the underlying ecosystems. A dedicated
aerial survey was
conducted in the tropical Southwest Indian Ocean to map their
distribution, the
taxonomic diversity, and to estimate their densities to serve as a
baseline for the
area. This large survey across three ecological sub-regions revealed
contrasting spatial
distributions: maps of taxonomic richness of marine mammals and seabirds
revealed
different “hotspots” in the area. Densities were estimated for eight
cetacean taxa with
small and large Delphininae, or small Globicephalinae dominating, and
for seven seabird
taxa, with terns and noddies dominating. At the community level, the
Southwest Indian
Ocean megafauna was structured by the marine environment with strong
differences
between the Mozambique Channel and the Mascarene Islands, or between
shelf and
slope/oceanic habitats. Our results illustrate how multi-taxa aerial
surveys are relevant
and cost-effective monitoring tools for marine megafauna, allowing a
community-wide
approach./
To view the online publication, please click here:
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2017.00139/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Marine_Science&id=255789
Best regards
Sophie Laran
--
Sophie Laran (PhD)
Observatoire PELAGIS - UMS 3462
Université de La Rochelle - CNRS
Pôle Analytique - 5 allées de l'Océan
17 000 LA ROCHELLE - FRANCE
TEL : +33 (0)5 16 49 67 15 (LD)
TEL : +33 (0)5 46 44 99 10 (STD)
http://www.observatoire-pelagis.cnrs.fr
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