Walker-Milne Natasha, Elliott Sophie Anne Marie, Wright Peter J, Bailey David Mark
School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Fordingbridge, UK.
R Soc Open Sci. 2025 Sep 10;12(9):250705. doi: 10.1098/rsos.250705. eCollection 2025 Sep.
Availability of juvenile fish habitat provision can impact recruitment. This study focused on identifying which environmental variables characterize the juvenile habitats of three commercially important gadoid species: Atlantic cod (), haddock () and whiting (). Stereo baited remote underwater video surveys were conducted in the South Arran Marine Protected Area between 2013 and 2019 to collect presence/absence data on juvenile gadoids (>20 mm <120 mm) and demersal and epibenthic communities. Data were analysed using binomial generalized additive mixed models. The results revealed spatial segregation among species, each favouring distinct habitats. Predictive modelling suggests a substantial increase in presence probability from 0.25 to 0.75 as the inverse Simpson's diversity index increases, suggesting that biodiversity appears to be associated with species distribution. Boundary regions between seabed types were associated with variation in species distribution, underlining the importance of seascape heterogeneity. This study underscores the importance of conserving and restoring benthic and epibenthic biodiversity across spatially heterogeneous landscapes. Consequently, reducing benthic pressures could promote early survival for these species, thereby supporting broader ecosystem health and fisheries management goals.
幼鱼栖息地的可利用性会影响补充量。本研究着重于确定哪些环境变量可表征三种具有重要商业价值的鳕科鱼类幼鱼栖息地的特征：大西洋鳕鱼（）、黑线鳕（）和牙鳕（）。2013年至2019年期间，在南阿伦海洋保护区进行了立体诱饵远程水下视频调查，以收集有关幼鳕（>20毫米<120毫米）以及底栖和浅海底层群落的存在/不存在数据。使用二项式广义相加混合模型对数据进行了分析。结果揭示了物种间的空间隔离，每种物种都偏好不同的栖息地。预测模型表明，随着反向辛普森多样性指数的增加，出现概率从0.25大幅增加到0.75，这表明生物多样性似乎与物种分布相关。海床类型之间的边界区域与物种分布的变化相关，突显了海景异质性的重要性。本研究强调了在空间异质景观中保护和恢复底栖和浅海底层生物多样性的重要性。因此，减轻底栖压力可促进这些物种的早期生存，从而支持更广泛的生态系统健康和渔业管理目标。
