Integrating biological data into ocean observing systems: the future role of OBIS

The future data needs of ocean science and ocean resource management will require a more seamless and accessible coupling of biological data with physical oceanographic processes. This bio-physical data framework will be built through the active integration of data from an extensive variety of sensors, observers, platforms and data archives across a wide range of space and time scales. This necessary synthesis of raw biological data into useful information and potentially new understanding is dependent on both new developments in ocean exploration as well as developments in information systems and informatics. The Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) is poised to play a significant and expanding role in the evolving ocean observation system

Ecosystem-based management for military training, biodiversity, carbon storage and climate resiliency on a complex coastal land/water-scape

The Defense Coastal/Estuarine Research Program (DCERP) was a 10-year multi-investigator project funded by the Department of Defense to improve understanding of ecosystem processes and their interactions with natural and anthropogenic stressors at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune (MCBCL) located in coastal North Carolina. The project was aimed at facilitating ecosystem-based management (EBM) at the MCBCL and other coastal military installations. Because of its scope, interdisciplinary character, and duration, DCERP embodied many of the opportunities and challenges associated with EBM, including the need for explicit goals, system models, long-term perspectives, systems complexity, change inevitability, consideration of humans as ecosystem components, and program adaptability and accountability. We describe key elements of this program, its contributions to coastal EBM, and its relevance as an exemplar of EBM

Outstanding challenges in the transferability of ecological models

Predictive models are central to many scientific disciplines and vital for informing management in a rapidly changing world. However, limited understanding of the accuracy and precision of models transferred to novel conditions (their 'transferability') undermines confidence in their predictions. Here, 50 experts identified priority knowledge gaps which, if filled, will most improve model transfers. These are summarized into six technical and six fundamental challenges, which underlie the combined need to intensify research on the determinants of ecological predictability, including species traits and data quality, and develop best practices for transferring models. Of high importance is the identification of a widely applicable set of transferability metrics, with appropriate tools to quantify the sources and impacts of prediction uncertainty under novel conditions.Katherine L. Yates ... Alice R. Jones ... et al

A Survey of mid and large bodied mammals in Núcleo Caraguatatuba, Serra do Mar State Park, Brazil

Nós aplicamos técnicas de amostragem complementares para obter uma lista de espécies de mamíferos de médio e grande porte no Núcleo Caraguatatuba, Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Brasil. As amostragens de campo realizaram-se nos meses de Maio e Setembro de 2011. Utilizou-se, censo ao longo de transectos (212,4 km), armadilhas fotográficas (223,2 armadilhas-dias) e armadilhas de pegadas (478 armadilhas-dias). Foram obtidos registros de 18 espécies, pertencentes a 14 famílias e oito ordens. Nós registramos a presença de sete espécies consideradas ameaçadas no Estado de São Paulo, incluindo primatas (Brachyteles arachnoides), Artiodactyla (Mazama americana e Tayassu pecari), Carnivora (Leopardus pardalis, Leopardus tigrinus e Puma concolor) e Perissodactyla (Tapirus terrestris). Com base em numa extrapolação da riqueza de espécies (First order jackknife) nós prevemos que existem entre 19 e 32 espécies de mamíferos de médio e grande porte no Núcleo. Nosso Mammal Priority Index classificou o Núcleo Caraguatatuba como uma área de importância média para a conservação de mamíferos de médio e grande porte na Mata Atlântica. Combinado com o número e a diversidade de espécies registradas, nossos resultados demonstram que este Núcleo é uma área importante para a conservação de mamíferos no Estado.We applied complementary survey techniques to obtain a baseline species list of mid and large bodied mammals in Núcleo Caraguatatuba, Serra do Mar State park, Brazil. Between May and September 2011 we surveyed the community of mid and large bodied mammals using diurnal line transect census (212.4 km), camera-traps (223.2 camera-trap days) and track-stations (478 track-station days). A total of 18 species were recorded from 14 families in eight orders. We recorded the presence of seven species considered threatened in the State of São Paulo, including Primates (Brachyteles arachnoides), Artiodactyla (Mazama cf. americana and Tayassu pecari), Carnivora (Leopardus pardalis, Leopardus tigrinus and Puma concolor) and Perissodactyla (Tapirus terrestris). Based on extrapolated (First order jackknife) species richness estimates we predict that there are between 19 and 32 species of mid and large bodied mammals in the Núcleo. Our revised Mammal Priority Index ranked Núcleo Caraguatatuba as being of medium overall importance for the conservation of mid and large bodied mammals in the Atlantic Forest. Combined with the number and diversity of species recorded, our results demonstrate that this Núcleo is an important area for mammal conservation

Rugosity-based regional modeling of hard-bottom habitat

Systematic conservation planning is most often directed at the representation and protection of marine biodiversity. However, direct observation and sampling of marine biodiversity is extremely time consuming and expensive. Due to these constraints, marine conservation planners have sought proxies for marine biodiversity to use in their models. Hardbottom habitats support high levels of biodiversity and are frequently used as a surrogate for it in marine spatial planning. Rugosity (i.e. the roughness of the seafloor) is an indicator of hard-bottom habitat. In the present study, we expand on previous analyses of the relationship between rugosity and hard-bottom and create the first data-driven regional rugosity model to predict hard-bottom habitat. We used logistic regression to create an empirical model and compare it to other pre-formulated definitions of rugosity with receiver operator characteristic curves. Our model performed better than all other models and was able to correctly predict the presence or absence of hard-bottom habitat with ∼70% accuracy. This model offers a fast and inexpensive alternative to more traditional survey methods, and should be of value to regional conservation planners and fisheries managers as an initial predictor of hard-bottom habitat. By testing this model with low-resolution (90 m) bathymetry data, we demonstrate that this type of information may be used in marine conservation plans in regions such as developing countries, where high-resolution data is not currently available. Further, our model offers a proxy for marine habitat diversity in non-coastal areas, an underrepresented sector in marine conservation planning

Network analysis of sea turtle movements and connectivity: A tool for conservation prioritization

Aim: Understanding the spatial ecology of animal movements is a critical element in conserving long-lived, highly mobile marine species. Analyzing networks developed from movements of six sea turtle species reveals marine connectivity and can help prioritize conservation efforts. Location: Global. Methods: We collated telemetry data from 1235 individuals and reviewed the literature to determine our dataset's representativeness. We used the telemetry data to develop spatial networks at different scales to examine areas, connections, and their geographic arrangement. We used graph theory metrics to compare networks across regions and species and to identify the role of important areas and connections. Results: Relevant literature and citations for data used in this study had very little overlap. Network analysis showed that sampling effort influenced network structure, and the arrangement of areas and connections for most networks was complex. However, important areas and connections identified by graph theory metrics can be different than areas of high data density. For the global network, marine regions in the Mediterranean had high closeness, while links with high betweenness among marine regions in the South Atlantic were critical for maintaining connectivity. Comparisons among species-specific networks showed that functional connectivity was related to movement ecology, resulting in networks composed of different areas and links. Main conclusions: Network analysis identified the structure and functional connectivity of the sea turtles in our sample at multiple scales. These network characteristics could help guide the coordination of management strategies for wide-ranging animals throughout their geographic extent. Most networks had complex structures that can contribute to greater robustness but may be more difficult to manage changes when compared to simpler forms. Area-based conservation measures would benefit sea turtle populations when directed toward areas with high closeness dominating network function. Promoting seascape connectivity of links with high betweenness would decrease network vulnerability. © 2022 The Authors. Diversity and Distributions published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Geospatial approaches to support pelagic conservation planning and adaptive management

Place-based management in the open ocean faces unique challenges in delineating boundaries around temporally and spatially dynamic systems that span broad geographic scales and multiple management jurisdictions, especially in the ‘high seas’. Geospatial technologies are critical for the successful design of pelagic conservation areas, because they provide information on the spatially and temporally dynamic oceanographic features responsible for driving species distribution and abundance in the open ocean, the movements of protected species, and the spatial patterns of distribution of potential threats. Nevertheless, there are major challenges to implementing these geospatial approaches in the open ocean. This Theme Section seeks to bridge the gap between geospatial science and marine conservation by discussing the use of innovative approaches to support effective marine conservation planning strategies for pelagic ecosystems. We highlight the results of this collection of contributions in 3 main sections: (1) conceptual advances in pelagic conservation; (2) novel information technologies and methodologies; and (3) case studies in the California Current and Pacific Ocean

A regional analysis of coastal and domestic fishing effort in the wider Caribbean

Although regulated fishing effort is relatively well documented for fisheries in developed states, developing countries are dominated by artisanal fisheries that are characterized by large numbers of small boats, fishing in dispersed and remote locations. These factors make quantifying artisanal fishing effort difficult. In this study, we examined the distribution and density of fishing effort across a region dominated by coastal, artisanal fisheries: the wider Caribbean. We used generalized linear regression models to predict missing data needed to compute fishing effort metrics and to explain variance in average boat length of a fishery and the number of small-scale boats in a given country. Clear intra-regional differences between mainland and island fisheries, and between northern and southern Caribbean fisheries, are evident in the results. To map artisanal fisheries based on the minimal data available, we created a free, automated Fishing Effort Envelope Tool (FEET). Through the use of this tool, we mapped all fisheries in the Caribbean to the extent possible given current data. Further, this mapping process also allowed us to identify hotspots of high density coastal fishing and data gaps that may mask areas of even higher fishing pressure. The potential ecological consequences of the scale of artisanal fishing are profound, and have greater implications for developing regions worldwide