Dear MARMAM community,
We are pleased to announce the publication of the following article in
Global Change Biology:
*Derville, S., Torres, L.G., Albertson, R., Andrews, O., Baker, C.S.,
Carzon, P., Constantine, R., Donoghue, M., Dutheil, C., Gannier, A.,
Oremus, M., Poole, M.M., Robbins, J. & Garrigue, C. (2019) Whales in
warming water : Assessing breeding habitat diversity and adaptability in
Oceania ’ s changing climate. Global Change Biology, 1–16.
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14563*
Abstract
In the context of a changing climate, understanding the environmental
drivers of marine megafauna distribution is important for conservation
success. The extent of humpback whale breeding habitats and the impact
of temperature variation on their availability are both unknown. We used
19 years of dedicated survey data from seven countries and territories
of Oceania (1,376 survey days), to investigate humpback whale breeding
habitat diversity and adaptability to climate change. At a fine scale (1
km resolution), seabed topography was identified as an important
influence on humpback whale distribution. The shallowest waters close to
shore or in lagoons were favored, although humpback whales also showed
flexible habitat use patterns with respect to shallow offshore features
such as seamounts. At a coarse scale (1° resolution), humpback whale
breeding habitats in Oceania spanned a thermal range of 22.3–27.8°C in
August, with interannual variation up to 2.0°C. Within this range, both
fine and coarse scale analyses of humpback whale distribution suggested
local responses to temperature. Notably, the most detailed dataset was
available from New Caledonia (774 survey days, 1996–2017), where
encounter rates showed a negative relationship to sea surface
temperature, but were not related to the El Niño Southern Oscillation or
the Antarctic Oscillation from previous summer, a proxy for feeding
conditions that may impact breeding patterns. Many breeding sites that
are currently occupied are predicted to become unsuitably warm for this
species (>28°C) by the end of the 21st century. Based on modeled
ecological relationships, there are suitable habitats for relocation in
archipelagos and seamounts of southern Oceania. Although distribution
shifts might be restrained by philopatry, the apparent plasticity of
humpback whale habitat use patterns and the extent of suitable habitats
support an adaptive capacity to ocean warming in Oceania breeding grounds.
The paper may be downloaded on
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14563
Feel free to contact me directly for a PDF copy: [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>
Best,
--
Solène Derville
PhD - Marine & Geospatial Ecology
Association Opération Cétacés
UMR Entropie - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
----------
101 Promenade Roger Laroque, BPA5
98848 Noumea cedex, New Caledonia
Phone: +687 912299
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Solene_Derville
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