Seasonal changes characterise the shark and ray assemblages in a subtropical shallow sandy habitat in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa
Understanding how environmental drivers influence shark and ray spatial and temporal patterns can provide crucial knowledge for their evidence-based protection and long-term monitoring. However, information on which drivers of variation are most important for elasmobranch communities on soft sedimen...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2023-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/15636.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797418086417039360 |
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| author | Jessica A. Ferreira Julie A. Alberts Grant Smith Anthony T.F. Bernard Mário J. Pereira Lauren De Vos |
| author_facet | Jessica A. Ferreira Julie A. Alberts Grant Smith Anthony T.F. Bernard Mário J. Pereira Lauren De Vos |
| author_sort | Jessica A. Ferreira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Understanding how environmental drivers influence shark and ray spatial and temporal patterns can provide crucial knowledge for their evidence-based protection and long-term monitoring. However, information on which drivers of variation are most important for elasmobranch communities on soft sediments is limited. Using baited remote underwater stereo-video systems (stereo-BRUVs), we investigated how seasonal and environmental variables affected the elasmobranchs of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park marine protected area (MPA) in South Africa (SA). In total, 11 species were identified from 48 sites between 12 m and 33 m water depth in a sandy habitat. While species richness was similar across seasons, the total abundance of elasmobranchs recorded was higher in winter than summer. The species assemblage composition varied significantly between seasons, with the Human’s whaler shark Carcharhinus humani prevalent in summer and the Critically Endangered whitespotted wedgefish Rhynchobatus djiddensis more abundant during winter. Most species were sighted throughout the entire depth range, but rays were more common in shallower waters (< 25 m depth), while C. humani and R. djiddensis were more common in the deeper depth zone of this study. This research provides baseline information about this previously unexplored sandy habitat for elasmobranchs in a site of regional and global significance. Records of species of conservation concern in the sampling area highlight the importance of protecting sand environments within an MPA. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:28:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fb8f629f91ea4a1b9ab1647d35bd0b76 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:28:26Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb8f629f91ea4a1b9ab1647d35bd0b762023-12-03T11:17:18ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592023-07-0111e1563610.7717/peerj.15636Seasonal changes characterise the shark and ray assemblages in a subtropical shallow sandy habitat in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South AfricaJessica A. Ferreira0Julie A. Alberts1Grant Smith2Anthony T.F. Bernard3Mário J. Pereira4Lauren De Vos5Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, PortugalUnaffiliated, Tampa, FL, United States of AmericaSharklife Conservation Group, Sodwana Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaDepartment of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Makhanda, Eastern Cape, South AfricaDepartamento de Biologia & CESAM (Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies), Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, PortugalSave Our Seas Foundation, Geneva, SwitzerlandUnderstanding how environmental drivers influence shark and ray spatial and temporal patterns can provide crucial knowledge for their evidence-based protection and long-term monitoring. However, information on which drivers of variation are most important for elasmobranch communities on soft sediments is limited. Using baited remote underwater stereo-video systems (stereo-BRUVs), we investigated how seasonal and environmental variables affected the elasmobranchs of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park marine protected area (MPA) in South Africa (SA). In total, 11 species were identified from 48 sites between 12 m and 33 m water depth in a sandy habitat. While species richness was similar across seasons, the total abundance of elasmobranchs recorded was higher in winter than summer. The species assemblage composition varied significantly between seasons, with the Human’s whaler shark Carcharhinus humani prevalent in summer and the Critically Endangered whitespotted wedgefish Rhynchobatus djiddensis more abundant during winter. Most species were sighted throughout the entire depth range, but rays were more common in shallower waters (< 25 m depth), while C. humani and R. djiddensis were more common in the deeper depth zone of this study. This research provides baseline information about this previously unexplored sandy habitat for elasmobranchs in a site of regional and global significance. Records of species of conservation concern in the sampling area highlight the importance of protecting sand environments within an MPA.https://peerj.com/articles/15636.pdfElasmobranchsSpecies diversityRelative abundanceSandy habitatEnvironmental driversSeasonality |
| spellingShingle | Jessica A. Ferreira Julie A. Alberts Grant Smith Anthony T.F. Bernard Mário J. Pereira Lauren De Vos Seasonal changes characterise the shark and ray assemblages in a subtropical shallow sandy habitat in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa PeerJ Elasmobranchs Species diversity Relative abundance Sandy habitat Environmental drivers Seasonality |
| title | Seasonal changes characterise the shark and ray assemblages in a subtropical shallow sandy habitat in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa |
| title_full | Seasonal changes characterise the shark and ray assemblages in a subtropical shallow sandy habitat in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Seasonal changes characterise the shark and ray assemblages in a subtropical shallow sandy habitat in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seasonal changes characterise the shark and ray assemblages in a subtropical shallow sandy habitat in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa |
| title_short | Seasonal changes characterise the shark and ray assemblages in a subtropical shallow sandy habitat in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa |
| title_sort | seasonal changes characterise the shark and ray assemblages in a subtropical shallow sandy habitat in the isimangaliso wetland park south africa |
| topic | Elasmobranchs Species diversity Relative abundance Sandy habitat Environmental drivers Seasonality |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/15636.pdf |
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