Multi-method assessment of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) residency, distribution, and dispersal behavior at an aggregation site in the Red Sea


Autoři: Jesse E. M. Cochran aff001;  Camrin D. Braun aff002;  E. Fernando Cagua aff004;  Michael F. Campbell, Jr. aff001;  Royale S. Hardenstine aff001;  Alexander Kattan aff001;  Mark A. Priest aff005;  Tane H. Sinclair-Taylor aff001;  Gregory B. Skomal aff006;  Sahar Sultan aff001;  Lu Sun aff001;  Simon R. Thorrold aff003;  Michael L. Berumen aff001
Působiště autorů: Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aff001;  Massachusetts Institute of Technology–Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering, Cambridge, MA, United States of America aff002;  Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States of America aff003;  Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag, Christchurch, New Zealand aff004;  Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia aff005;  Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, New Bedford, MA, United States of America aff006;  School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom aff007;  Key Laboratory of Science and Engineering for Marine Ecology and Environment, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China aff008
Vyšlo v časopise: PLoS ONE 14(9)
Kategorie: Research Article
doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222285

Souhrn

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are typically dispersed throughout their circumtropical range, but the species is also known to aggregate in specific coastal areas. Accurate site descriptions associated with these aggregations are essential for the conservation of R. typus, an Endangered species. Although aggregations have become valuable hubs for research, most site descriptions rely heavily on sightings data. In the present study, visual census, passive acoustic monitoring, and long range satellite telemetry were combined to track the movements of R. typus from Shib Habil, a reef-associated aggregation site in the Red Sea. An array of 63 receiver stations was used to record the presence of 84 acoustically tagged sharks (35 females, 37 males, 12 undetermined) from April 2010 to May 2016. Over the same period, identification photos were taken for 76 of these tagged individuals and 38 were fitted with satellite transmitters. In total of 37,461 acoustic detections, 210 visual encounters, and 33 satellite tracks were analyzed to describe the sharks’ movement ecology. The results demonstrate that the aggregation is seasonal, mostly concentrated on the exposed side of Shib Habil, and seems to attract sharks of both sexes in roughly equal numbers. The combined methodologies also tracked 15 interannual homing-migrations, demonstrating that many sharks leave the area before returning in later years. When compared to acoustic studies from other aggregations, these results demonstrate that R. typus exhibits diverse, site-specific ecologies across its range. Sightings-independent data from acoustic telemetry and other sources are an effective means of validating more common visual surveys.

Klíčová slova:

Biology and life sciences – Organisms – Eukaryota – Animals – Vertebrates – Fish – Chondrichthyes – Elasmobranchii – Sharks – Bioacoustics – Neuroscience – Sensory perception – Vision – Psychology – Physical sciences – Physics – Acoustics – Research and analysis methods – Research design – Survey research – Census – Social sciences – Earth sciences – Marine and aquatic sciences – Bodies of water – Red Sea – Reefs – Geomorphology – Topography – Landforms – Islands


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