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  1. Organisms utilize suitable habitat patches wherein they optimize fitness. For marine megafauna such as cetaceans, foraging is generally the explanation for their utilization distribution. However, an explicit link between cetaceans' distribution and spatio-temporal pattern of food resource is usually lacking.
  2. The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis; VU listed in the IUCN Red List) inhabits the coastal waters from south-east China to eastern India. Seasonal distribution of the humpback dolphin was explored in the northern Beibu Gulf, China. Sightings of the humpback dolphin were systematically collected at monthly intervals from 2012 winter till 2018 spring and used to derive distribution patterns from kernel density estimates. Satellite remotely sensed net primary productivity (NPP) and bathymetry were used to present oceanographic characteristics in the study region.
  3. Seasonal variations were observed in oceanographic characteristics and spatial distribution of the humpback dolphin. Although the core distribution area of the humpback dolphin showed seasonal expansion and contraction, it had consistently higher NPP and shallower depth than the survey range throughout the seasons.
  4. Our findings indicate a clear profile of these two oceanographic characteristics (i.e. NPP and bathymetry) in the humpback dolphin's core distribution area. Food resource utilization could play an important role in the humpback dolphin's distribution within the study site. The seasonal dynamics imply that not only food abundance, but also efficiency in accessing/capturing the prey may affect distribution of the humpback dolphin.
  5. In the study site, human activities that can change regional topography and productivity of the coastal water through land reclamation, dredging, sand mining and bottom trawling, should be mitigated, regulated or avoided. Proactive conservation should incorporate catchment management of the main rivers to address potential sediment and nutrient load into the estuary to protect local habitat configuration in terms of NPP and bathymetry.
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  1. The coast of Fujian Province is a key area for the Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis), but the characteristics of their preferred habitats are poorly defined.
  2. The species distribution model, MaxEnt, was used to predict suitable habitat distributions of humpback dolphins in Fujian, China. The model indicated that the distance to the coastline (63.5% contribution), chlorophyll‐a levels (20.2%) and the bathymetry (15.6%) were important predictors of humpback dolphin habitats.
  3. The model predicted 2,043.96 km2 of highly suitable habitat that was concentrated in five areas. Four are known to be within the area of the current distribution of humpback dolphins; Putian was identified as a new area with suitable habitat, however, it is unclear if dolphins are present.
  4. The predicted locations of suitable humpback dolphin habitats provided in this study should be the focus of future research and nature reserve designs.
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  1. Place‐based management can be an effective conservation tool to protect cetaceans from anthropogenic pressures. The spatial use of the world's second largest population of the threatened Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) is not well‐documented, which makes it challenging to designate protected areas for this population.
  2. To address this knowledge gap and to test the efficacy of an existing dolphin protected area (Zhanjiang Leizhou Bay Municipal Humpback Dolphin Nature Reserve, ZLBMHDNR), boat‐based surveys were conducted to document dolphin occurrence from 2015 to 2018, covering an area of 1221 km2 in the eastern waters off Zhanjiang, China. In total, 253 dolphin group sightings were obtained during 174 survey days.
  3. Spatial analysis showed that humpback dolphins aggregated in three core‐use areas with higher sighting density within the survey area. Furthermore, intermediate‐use and broad‐use areas were identified that could be essential for the movements of humpback dolphins among these core‐use areas.
  4. The spatial usage of humpback dolphins was compared inside and outside the ZLBMHDNR. Results suggest that the ZLBMHDNR is insufficient to encompass a significant portion of dolphin habitat. The ZLBMHDNR (21 km2) is not large enough, and thus it should be expanded for effective place‐based conservation management in this region.
  5. For developing a protected area network, important dolphin habitats identified in this study should be protected as a single management unit. Additionally, mitigation of anthropogenic pressures is needed to be taken into consideration as conservation initiatives in the study area.
  6. This study provides support for a more science‐informed protected area network, and highlights the necessity of implementing place‐based conservation and management for the world's second largest humpback dolphin population.
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  1. Protecting critical habitats of the Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphin, Sousa chinensis, is a hot topic of discussion for marine biodiversity conservation in China and many Southeast Asian countries. In practice, sound habitat protection action (HPA) planning often suffers from information gaps in macroscopic habitat configurations and changes in the habitat conditions of humpback dolphins.
  2. Recent publications in the journal Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (AQC) have served to advance humpback dolphin conservation in Chinese waters by resolving such habitat configurations and indicating significant changes in distribution patterns and habitat characteristics under intense coastal anthropogenic activity.
  3. We highlight an integrative research framework to investigate habitat configuration and long‐term habitat changes when planning a holistic HPA programme for humpback dolphins. When constructing habitat configuration baselines, field surveys should be designed and conducted in a systematic manner to ensure survey efforts cover diverse environments equally, in either a spatially stratified or gridded pattern, to minimize potential spatial sampling biases. Long‐term habitat changes can be revealed by comparing satellite images from different decades. Changes in habitat preferences and habitat characteristics can be explored through questionnaire surveys on local ecological knowledge, associating historical occurrences with coastline features and projecting historical habitat configuration by species distribution modelling exercises.
  4. A lack of good communication and sharing of information between research and management sectors can still be an obstacle to the implementation of sound conservation practices, however, even though there is robust scientific evidence to fill knowledge gaps in distribution and habitat baselines. We have addressed the need to establish a mechanism to improve and streamline information sharing between research teams, management sectors, and stakeholder groups.
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  1. Identification, protection and enhancement of essential habitats are priority issues for management and restoration of exploited species. The shores utilized by Asian horseshoe crabs as nurseries were surveyed and the coastal habitat characteristics were described in the northern Beibu Gulf of China. Regression models were applied to explore species‐habitat relationships.
  2. Fourteen and ten nursery sites were identified for Tachypleus tridentatus and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda populations, respectively. Xiacun and Jinhaiwan in the eastern region of the northern Beibu Gulf were the essential nurseries for T. tridentatus, whereas Shanxin and Jiaodong in the western part were the primary nursery shores for C. rotundicauda. These shores supported high densities (4–6 individuals/100 m2) of juvenile horseshoe crab populations.
  3. Mangrove and seagrass coverage area, coupled with sediment physico‐chemical parameters, particularly grain size, and the environmental heterogeneity of nursery habitats explained the distribution pattern of juvenile populations. Most juvenile populations were found along the outer fringe of mangroves in the small shallow estuary, particularly near outflows of tidal creeks with generally higher chlorophyll a and organic carbon contents. The distribution of high‐density juvenile populations of both species also overlapped with areas of seagrass patches.
  4. These findings highlight the importance of mangroves and seagrasses in the nursery habitat use of Asian horseshoe crabs. Preserving the estuarine habitats with these vegetation types and identifying the high‐use nursery sites should be prioritised in China and other Asian places to conserve the declining Asian horseshoe crab populations.
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  1. Based on optimal foraging theory, animals are expected to maximize foraging benefits whilst minimizing risks. Despite risking being subjected to anthropogenic impacts such as water contamination, marine traffic, and underwater noise, estuaries have been identified as the preferred habitat of the Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis, IPHD). However, it remains unclear why this vulnerable species favours such risky habitats.
  2. Here, an exploratory case study in Zhanjiang estuary, China, was conducted to test the hypothesis that IPHDs select estuarine habitats as a trade‐off that maximizes foraging opportunities whilst minimizing the risk of mortality.
  3. The results showed that IPHDs accept greater mortality risks for higher food rewards but select habitats with lower risks when food rewards are similar between two locations.
  4. Although this type of information is important for underpinning models for individual dolphins, its principal role is to show environmental protection agencies why IPHDs favour estuaries despite the increased mortality risks.
  5. Habitat conservation plans should carefully consider prey stocks, possibly through the presence of marine protected areas near estuaries, as local overfishing may lead vulnerable cetacean populations to take greater risks.
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  1. The paucity of baseline data on coastal cetaceans due to a lack of research in developing countries frequently precludes assessment of their status and informed management actions for conservation.
  2. This study provides the first abundance estimates of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, Irrawaddy dolphins, and Indo-Pacific finless porpoises in the coastal waters of Matang, Peninsular Malaysia.
  3. Boat-based surveys covering 1,152 km2 of coastal waters with 4,108 km of survey effort were conducted between 2013 and 2016 to collect data for line transect analysis of Irrawaddy dolphins and finless porpoises. Photo-identification data of humpback dolphins were concurrently collected for mark–recapture analysis.
  4. Estimates of abundance from four sampling strata totalled 763 Irrawaddy dolphins (CV = 13%, 95% confidence interval (CI) [588, 990]) and 600 Indo-Pacific finless porpoises (CV = 27%, 95% CI [354, 1,016]).
  5. The annual abundance estimates of humpback dolphins ranged between 171 (95% CI [148, 208]) in 2014–2015 and 81 (95% CI [67, 98]) in 2015–2016, likely due to the presence of offshore individuals that moved in and out of the study area. The estuarine strata were inhabited by 68 (95% CI [63, 73]) inshore humpback dolphins in 2013–2014 to 87 (95% CI [78, 97]) dolphins in 2014–2015.
  6. As an International Union for Conservation of Nature important marine mammal area, the productive coastal waters of Matang are shown to support a high density of small coastal cetaceans, and the results serve as an important baseline for future studies to identify population trends for conservation management plans.
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  • 1. Numbering no more than 100 individuals and facing many threats, the geographically isolated Eastern Taiwan Strait population of Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) is in peril. The estuarine and coastal waters of central‐western Taiwan have historically provided prime habitat for these dolphins, but environmental conditions today bear little resemblance to what they were in the past.
  • 2. The humpback dolphins must share their habitat with thousands of fishing vessels and numerous factories built upon thousands of hectares of reclaimed land.
  • 3. They are exposed to chemicals and sewage released from adjacent terrestrial activities. Noise and disturbance associated with construction, vessel traffic and military activities are features of everyday life for these animals.
  • 4. Measures to slow the pace of habitat deterioration and reduce the many risks to the dolphins are urgently needed. As one practical step in this direction, this paper describes the habitat needs of these small cetaceans so that decision makers will be better equipped to define ‘priority habitat’ and implement much needed protection measures under the terms of local legislation.
  • 5. The preferred habitat of these dolphins in Taiwan consists of shallow (<30 m), near‐shore marine waters with regular freshwater inputs.
  • 6. For such a small, isolated and threatened population, ‘priority habitat’ should not be limited to areas of particularly intensive dolphin use or high dolphin density, but rather it should encompass the entire area where the animals have been observed (their current ‘habitat’), as well as additional coastal areas with similar bio‐physical features (‘suitable habitat’). Such a precautionary approach is warranted because the loss of only a few individuals could have serious population‐level consequences.
  • 7. While conventional socio‐economic analysis might suggest that implementing protection measures over an area stretching ~350 km north–south along Taiwan's west coast and ~3 km out to sea would be too ‘costly’, the loss of this charismatic species from Taiwan's waters would send a troubling message regarding our collective ability to reconcile human activities with environmental sustainability. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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