Exploring the biodiversity of cetacean communities along the western North Atlantic Ocean shelf-break

Haver, Samara; Corkeron, Peter; DeAngelis, Annamaria; Baumann-Pickering, Simone; Cholewiak, Danielle; Davis, Genevieve; Frasier, Kaitlin; Posdaljian, Natalie; Kadifa, Macey; Solsona-Berga, Alba; Westell, Annabel; Van Parijs, Sofie

doi:10.1098/rsos.241658

i

Exploring the biodiversity of cetacean communities along the western North Atlantic Ocean shelf-break

2025
By Haver, Samara ; Corkeron, Peter ; DeAngelis, Annamaria ; ...
Series: PMEL contribution no. 5947

Details

Journal Title:

Royal Society Open Science
Personal Author:

Haver, Samara ; Corkeron, Peter ; DeAngelis, Annamaria ; Baumann-Pickering, Simone ; Cholewiak, Danielle ; Davis, Genevieve ; Frasier, Kaitlin ; Posdaljian, Natalie ; Kadifa, Macey ; Solsona-Berga, Alba ; Westell, Annabel ; Van Parijs, Sofie
NOAA Program & Office:

NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) ; OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; CIMERS (Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resources Studies) ; NEFSC (Northeast Fisheries Science Center) ; PMEL (Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory)
Description:

Declining biodiversity is a global issue that encompasses reduced species abundance and changing distributions. Observing community groups can reveal spatial patterns and identify shifts in presence over time, providing information to support conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is a tool for observing ocean environments, and coupled with species-specific detectors and classifiers can provide information about cetacean communities. This study analysed data collected by 10 PAM recorders deployed along the western North Atlantic shelf break between April 2016 and June 2019. Relative acoustic presence of 13 specific cetacean species and a grouped category for delphinid species was evaluated using biodiversity metrics to compare dissimilarity of community composition across the sampling locations. In all years, presence of Gervais’ beaked whale (Mesoplodon europaeus) was the primary distinguishing factor in grouping sites, while detections of other beaked whale species were of secondary importance, followed by other odontocetes. The presence of mysticetes also varied by site and season, and co-occurrence comparisons revealed distinctive communities at each site. This study highlights the significance of identifying beaked whales to species rather than grouping them, providing insights into the dynamics of cetacean populations to inform management and conservation of these important species.
Source:

Royal Society Open Science, 12(7)
Series:

PMEL contribution no. 5947
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.241658
ISSN:

2054-5703
Format:

pdf
Publisher:

The Royal Society
Document Type:

Journal Article
License:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rights Information:

CC BY
Compliance:

Submitted
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha-512:6b55f2eb27962c3e6f6f80c1b5757fc61c4d0790af3342293dc63da85d6270ee1ed443dcb432ca7ae079fb5670a43a745fdfd108ed7a6c4422498f7b07c51f1a
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/72347/noaa_72347_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 7.86 MB ]

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