Gonzáles-Andrés Cristina, F M Lopes Priscila, Cortés Jorge, Sánchez-Lizaso José Luis, Pennino Maria Grazia
Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain.
Statistical Modeling Ecology Group (SMEG), Departament d'Estadística i Investigació Operativa, Universitat de València. Valencia, Spain.
PLoS One. 2016 Dec 14;11(12):e0168212. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168212. eCollection 2016.
Information on the distribution and habitat preferences of ecologically and commercially important species is essential for their management and protection. This is especially important as climate change, pollution, and overfishing change the structure and functioning of pelagic ecosystems. In this study, we used Bayesian hierarchical spatial-temporal models to map the Essential Fish Habitats of the Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) in the waters around Isla del Coco National Park, Pacific Costa Rica, based on independent underwater observations from 1993 to 2013. We assessed if observed changes in the distribution and abundance of this species are related with habitat characteristics, fishing intensity or more extreme climatic events, including the El Niño Southern Oscillation, and changes on the average sea surface temperature. Yellowfin tuna showed a decreasing abundance trend in the sampled period, whereas higher abundances were found in shallow and warmer waters, with high concentration of chlorophyll-a, and in surrounding seamounts. In addition, El Niño Southern Oscillation events did not seem to affect Yellowfin tuna distribution and abundance. Understanding the habitat preferences of this species, using approaches as the one developed here, may help design integrated programs for more efficient management of vulnerable species.
了解具有生态和商业重要性的物种的分布及栖息地偏好对于它们的管理和保护至关重要。随着气候变化、污染和过度捕捞改变了中上层生态系统的结构和功能，这一点尤为重要。在本研究中，我们基于1993年至2013年的独立水下观测数据，使用贝叶斯分层时空模型绘制了太平洋哥斯达黎加科科斯岛国家公园周边水域黄鳍金枪鱼（Thunnus albacares）的重要鱼类栖息地。我们评估了该物种观测到的分布和丰度变化是否与栖息地特征、捕捞强度或更极端的气候事件（包括厄尔尼诺南方涛动）以及平均海表面温度变化有关。在采样期间，黄鳍金枪鱼的丰度呈下降趋势，而在较浅、较温暖、叶绿素a浓度高的水域以及周边海山中发现了较高的丰度。此外，厄尔尼诺南方涛动事件似乎并未影响黄鳍金枪鱼的分布和丰度。采用此处开发的方法了解该物种的栖息地偏好，可能有助于设计综合计划，以便更有效地管理易危物种。
