Improving sightings-derived residency estimation for whale shark aggregations: A novel metric applied to a global data set
The world’s largest extant fish, the whale shark Rhincodon typus, is one of the most-studied species of sharks globally. The discovery of predictable aggregation sites where these animals gather seasonally or are sighted year-round – most of which are coastal and juvenile-dominated – has allowed for...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.775691/full |
| _version_ | 1828287066224459776 |
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| author | Gonzalo Araujo Gonzalo Araujo Gonzalo Araujo Ariana Agustines Steffen S. Bach Jesse E. M. Cochran Emilio de la Parra-Galván Rafael de la Parra-Venegas Stella Diamant Stella Diamant Alistair Dove Steve Fox Rachel T. Graham Sofia M. Green Jonathan R. Green Royale S. Hardenstine Alex Hearn Alex Hearn Mahardika R. Himawan Rhys Hobbs Jason Holmberg Ibrahim Shameel Mohammed Y. Jaidah Mohammed Y. Jaidah Jessica Labaja Savi Leblond Christine G. Legaspi Rossana Maguiño Kirsty Magson Stacia D. Marcoux Travis M. Marcoux Sarah Anne Marley Sarah Anne Marley Meynard Matalobos Alejandra Mendoza Joni A. Miranda Brad M. Norman Brad M. Norman Cameron T. Perry Simon J. Pierce Alessandro Ponzo Clare E. M. Prebble Dení Ramírez-Macías Richard Rees Katie E. Reeve-Arnold Samantha D. Reynolds Samantha D. Reynolds David P. Robinson David P. Robinson Christoph A. Rohner David Rowat Sally Snow Abraham Vázquez-Haikin Alex M. Watts Alex M. Watts |
| author_facet | Gonzalo Araujo Gonzalo Araujo Gonzalo Araujo Ariana Agustines Steffen S. Bach Jesse E. M. Cochran Emilio de la Parra-Galván Rafael de la Parra-Venegas Stella Diamant Stella Diamant Alistair Dove Steve Fox Rachel T. Graham Sofia M. Green Jonathan R. Green Royale S. Hardenstine Alex Hearn Alex Hearn Mahardika R. Himawan Rhys Hobbs Jason Holmberg Ibrahim Shameel Mohammed Y. Jaidah Mohammed Y. Jaidah Jessica Labaja Savi Leblond Christine G. Legaspi Rossana Maguiño Kirsty Magson Stacia D. Marcoux Travis M. Marcoux Sarah Anne Marley Sarah Anne Marley Meynard Matalobos Alejandra Mendoza Joni A. Miranda Brad M. Norman Brad M. Norman Cameron T. Perry Simon J. Pierce Alessandro Ponzo Clare E. M. Prebble Dení Ramírez-Macías Richard Rees Katie E. Reeve-Arnold Samantha D. Reynolds Samantha D. Reynolds David P. Robinson David P. Robinson Christoph A. Rohner David Rowat Sally Snow Abraham Vázquez-Haikin Alex M. Watts Alex M. Watts |
| author_sort | Gonzalo Araujo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The world’s largest extant fish, the whale shark Rhincodon typus, is one of the most-studied species of sharks globally. The discovery of predictable aggregation sites where these animals gather seasonally or are sighted year-round – most of which are coastal and juvenile-dominated – has allowed for a rapid expansion of research on this species. The most common method for studying whale sharks at these sites is photographic identification (photo-ID). This technique allows for long-term individual-based data to be collected which can, in turn, be used to evaluate population structure, build population models, identify long-distance movements, and assess philopatry and other population dynamics. Lagged identification rate (LIR) models have fewer underlying assumptions than more traditional capture mark recapture approaches, making them more broadly applicable to marine taxa, especially far-ranging megafauna species like whale sharks. However, the increased flexibility comes at a cost. Parameter estimations based on LIR can be difficult to interpret and may not be comparable between areas with different sampling regimes. Using a unique data-set from the Philippines with ~8 years of nearly continuous survey effort, we were able to derive a metric for converting LIR residency estimates into more intuitive days-per-year units. We applied this metric to 25 different sites allowing for the first quantitatively-meaningful comparison of sightings-derived residence among the world’s whale shark aggregations. We validated these results against the only three published acoustic residence metrics (falling within the ranges established by these earlier works in all cases). The results were then used to understand residency behaviours exhibited by the sharks at each site. The adjusted residency metric is an improvement to LIR-based population modelling, already one of the most widely used tools for describing whale shark aggregations. The standardised methods presented here can serve as a valuable tool for assessing residency patterns of whale sharks, which is crucial for tailored conservation action, and can cautiously be tested in other taxa. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T09:43:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c319d24b3dce425aab4804b4d61a8ef6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T09:43:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-c319d24b3dce425aab4804b4d61a8ef62022-12-22T02:51:52ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452022-07-01910.3389/fmars.2022.775691775691Improving sightings-derived residency estimation for whale shark aggregations: A novel metric applied to a global data setGonzalo Araujo0Gonzalo Araujo1Gonzalo Araujo2Ariana Agustines3Steffen S. Bach4Jesse E. M. Cochran5Emilio de la Parra-Galván6Rafael de la Parra-Venegas7Stella Diamant8Stella Diamant9Alistair Dove10Steve Fox11Rachel T. Graham12Sofia M. Green13Jonathan R. Green14Royale S. Hardenstine15Alex Hearn16Alex Hearn17Mahardika R. Himawan18Rhys Hobbs19Jason Holmberg20Ibrahim Shameel21Mohammed Y. Jaidah22Mohammed Y. Jaidah23Jessica Labaja24Savi Leblond25Christine G. Legaspi26Rossana Maguiño27Kirsty Magson28Stacia D. Marcoux29Travis M. Marcoux30Sarah Anne Marley31Sarah Anne Marley32Meynard Matalobos33Alejandra Mendoza34Joni A. Miranda35Brad M. Norman36Brad M. Norman37Cameron T. Perry38Simon J. Pierce39Alessandro Ponzo40Clare E. M. Prebble41Dení Ramírez-Macías42Richard Rees43Katie E. Reeve-Arnold44Samantha D. Reynolds45Samantha D. Reynolds46David P. Robinson47David P. Robinson48Christoph A. Rohner49David Rowat50Sally Snow51Abraham Vázquez-Haikin52Alex M. Watts53Alex M. Watts54Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines, Jagna, PhilippinesInstitute of Marine Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United KingdomMarine Research and Conservation Foundation, Somerset, United KingdomLarge Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines, Jagna, PhilippinesQatar Whale Shark Research Project, Doha, QatarRed Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi ArabiaCh’ooj Ajauil Asociación Civil (AC), Cancuín, MexicoCh’ooj Ajauil Asociación Civil (AC), Cancuín, MexicoMadagascar Whale Shark Project, Nosy Be, MadagascarMarine Megafauna Foundation, Truckee, CA, United StatesResearch and Conservation Department, Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta GA, United States0Utila Whale Shark Research, Utila, Honduras1MarAlliance, Ciudad del Saber, Panama City, Panama2Galapagos Whale Shark Project, Galapagos, Ecuador2Galapagos Whale Shark Project, Galapagos, EcuadorRed Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia3Galapagos Science Center, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador4MigraMar, Olema, CA, United States5Fisheries and Marine Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mataram, Mataram, Indonesia6Foreign Commonwealth Office, St. Helena Government, St. Helena, United Kingdom7Wild Me, Portland, OR, United States8Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme, Yorkshire, United KingdomQatar Whale Shark Research Project, Doha, Qatar9Qatar Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Doha, QatarLarge Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines, Jagna, Philippines0Marine Conservation Society, Victoria, SeychellesLarge Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines, Jagna, Philippines1ecOceanica, Lima, Peru2Koh Tao Whale Sharks, Koh Tao, Thailand3Hawai'i Uncharted Research Collective, Kailua-Kona, HI, United States3Hawai'i Uncharted Research Collective, Kailua-Kona, HI, United StatesInstitute of Marine Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom4Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Aberdeen, United Kingdom5World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines, Quezon City, Philippines1ecOceanica, Lima, PeruLarge Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines, Jagna, Philippines6ECOCEAN Inc., Perth, WA, Australia7Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia8School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United StatesMarine Megafauna Foundation, Truckee, CA, United StatesLarge Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines, Jagna, PhilippinesMarine Megafauna Foundation, Truckee, CA, United States9Whale Shark Mexico, Conexiones Terramar Asociación Civil (AC), Centro La Paz, La Paz, Mexico8Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme, Yorkshire, United Kingdom0All Out Africa Marine Research Centre, Inhambane, Mozambique6ECOCEAN Inc., Perth, WA, Australia1Franklin Ecolab, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, AustraliaQatar Whale Shark Research Project, Doha, Qatar2Sundive Research, Byron Bay, NSW, AustraliaMarine Megafauna Foundation, Truckee, CA, United States0Marine Conservation Society, Victoria, SeychellesLarge Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines, Jagna, Philippines3Grupo de Monitoreo Comunitario Pejesapo, Baja California Sur, MexicoMarine Megafauna Foundation, Truckee, CA, United States4Ecological Genetics and Conservation Laboratory, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United KingdomThe world’s largest extant fish, the whale shark Rhincodon typus, is one of the most-studied species of sharks globally. The discovery of predictable aggregation sites where these animals gather seasonally or are sighted year-round – most of which are coastal and juvenile-dominated – has allowed for a rapid expansion of research on this species. The most common method for studying whale sharks at these sites is photographic identification (photo-ID). This technique allows for long-term individual-based data to be collected which can, in turn, be used to evaluate population structure, build population models, identify long-distance movements, and assess philopatry and other population dynamics. Lagged identification rate (LIR) models have fewer underlying assumptions than more traditional capture mark recapture approaches, making them more broadly applicable to marine taxa, especially far-ranging megafauna species like whale sharks. However, the increased flexibility comes at a cost. Parameter estimations based on LIR can be difficult to interpret and may not be comparable between areas with different sampling regimes. Using a unique data-set from the Philippines with ~8 years of nearly continuous survey effort, we were able to derive a metric for converting LIR residency estimates into more intuitive days-per-year units. We applied this metric to 25 different sites allowing for the first quantitatively-meaningful comparison of sightings-derived residence among the world’s whale shark aggregations. We validated these results against the only three published acoustic residence metrics (falling within the ranges established by these earlier works in all cases). The results were then used to understand residency behaviours exhibited by the sharks at each site. The adjusted residency metric is an improvement to LIR-based population modelling, already one of the most widely used tools for describing whale shark aggregations. The standardised methods presented here can serve as a valuable tool for assessing residency patterns of whale sharks, which is crucial for tailored conservation action, and can cautiously be tested in other taxa.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.775691/fulllagged identification rateRhincodon typusphoto-IDmovement ecologycollaborative |
| spellingShingle | Gonzalo Araujo Gonzalo Araujo Gonzalo Araujo Ariana Agustines Steffen S. Bach Jesse E. M. Cochran Emilio de la Parra-Galván Rafael de la Parra-Venegas Stella Diamant Stella Diamant Alistair Dove Steve Fox Rachel T. Graham Sofia M. Green Jonathan R. Green Royale S. Hardenstine Alex Hearn Alex Hearn Mahardika R. Himawan Rhys Hobbs Jason Holmberg Ibrahim Shameel Mohammed Y. Jaidah Mohammed Y. Jaidah Jessica Labaja Savi Leblond Christine G. Legaspi Rossana Maguiño Kirsty Magson Stacia D. Marcoux Travis M. Marcoux Sarah Anne Marley Sarah Anne Marley Meynard Matalobos Alejandra Mendoza Joni A. Miranda Brad M. Norman Brad M. Norman Cameron T. Perry Simon J. Pierce Alessandro Ponzo Clare E. M. Prebble Dení Ramírez-Macías Richard Rees Katie E. Reeve-Arnold Samantha D. Reynolds Samantha D. Reynolds David P. Robinson David P. Robinson Christoph A. Rohner David Rowat Sally Snow Abraham Vázquez-Haikin Alex M. Watts Alex M. Watts Improving sightings-derived residency estimation for whale shark aggregations: A novel metric applied to a global data set Frontiers in Marine Science lagged identification rate Rhincodon typus photo-ID movement ecology collaborative |
| title | Improving sightings-derived residency estimation for whale shark aggregations: A novel metric applied to a global data set |
| title_full | Improving sightings-derived residency estimation for whale shark aggregations: A novel metric applied to a global data set |
| title_fullStr | Improving sightings-derived residency estimation for whale shark aggregations: A novel metric applied to a global data set |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improving sightings-derived residency estimation for whale shark aggregations: A novel metric applied to a global data set |
| title_short | Improving sightings-derived residency estimation for whale shark aggregations: A novel metric applied to a global data set |
| title_sort | improving sightings derived residency estimation for whale shark aggregations a novel metric applied to a global data set |
| topic | lagged identification rate Rhincodon typus photo-ID movement ecology collaborative |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.775691/full |
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