scholarly journals Successful Long-Distance Breeding Range Expansion of a Top Marine Predator

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert William Henry ◽  
Scott A. Shaffer ◽  
Michelle Antolos ◽  
María Félix-Lizárraga ◽  
David G. Foley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Range Expansion ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Boundary Current ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Breeding Range

Little is known about the effects of large-scale breeding range expansions on the ecology of top marine predators. We examined the effects of a recent range expansion on the breeding and foraging ecology of Laysan albatrosses (Phoebastria immutabilis). Laysan albatrosses expanded from historical breeding colonies in the Central Pacific Ocean to the Eastern Pacific Ocean around central Baja California, Mexico, leading to a 4,000-km shift from colonies located adjacent to the productive transition zone in the Central Pacific to colonies embedded within the eastern boundary current upwelling system of the Eastern Pacific California Current. We use electronic tagging and remote sensing data to examine the consequences of this range expansion on at-sea distribution, habitat use, foraging habitat characteristics, and foraging behavior at sea by comparing birds from historic and nascent colonies. We found the expansion resulted in distinct at-sea segregation and differential access to novel oceanographic habitats. Birds from the new Eastern Pacific colony on Guadalupe Island, Mexico have reduced ranges, foraging trip lengths and durations, and spend more time on the water compared to birds breeding in the Central Pacific on Tern Island, United States. Impacts of the range expansion to the post-breeding season were less pronounced where birds maintained some at-sea segregation but utilized similar habitat and environmental variables. These differences have likely benefited the Eastern Pacific colony which has significantly greater reproductive output and population growth rates. Laysan albatrosses have the plasticity to adapt to distinctly different oceanographic habitats and also provide insight on the potential consequences of range shifts to marine organisms.

scholarly journals Understanding large-scale, long-term larval connectivity patterns: The case of the Northern Line Islands in the Central Pacific Ocean

PLoS ONE ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. e0182681
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Mari ◽  
Luca Bonaventura ◽  
Andrea Storto ◽  
Paco Melià ◽  
Marino Gatto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Central Pacific Ocean ◽  
Larval Connectivity ◽  
Connectivity Patterns ◽  
Line Islands

Lessons learned from implementing three, large-scale tuna tagging programmes in the western and central Pacific Ocean

2015 ◽  
Vol 163 ◽  
pp. 23-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Leroy ◽  
Simon Nicol ◽  
Antony Lewis ◽  
John Hampton ◽  
Dale Kolody ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Central Pacific Ocean

scholarly journals Dolphinfish Movements in the Eastern Pacific Ocean of Mexico Using Conventional and Electronic Tags

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Perle ◽  
Stephanie Snyder ◽  
Wessley Merten ◽  
Melinda Simmons ◽  
Justina Dacey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Fork Length ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Predatory Fish ◽  
Eastern Pacific Ocean ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Early Maturation ◽  
Isothermal Layer ◽  
Electronic Tags

Abstract Background Dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus , are fast-swimming, predatory fish that exhibit fast growth and early maturation. It is an important and potentially renewable recreational and commercial resource throughout their global subtropical to tropical range. While understanding habitat utilization and migratory behavior in these wide-ranging fish is critical to proper regional and international fisheries management, studies have historically relied heavily upon fisheries reported data. This study uses tagging data to explore the vertical and horizontal movements of dolphinfish, focusing on two regions in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) - west coast of Baja California Peninsula (WBC) and Oaxaca (OAX) coasts of Mexico. Results Adult dolphinfish (fork length 66 cm - 129 cm) were tagged with conventional (n = 132 tags) and electronic tags (n = 30 tags, miniPAT) between 2010 and 2014. Total recapture rate was 3.7%, and greater for males (5.1%) than females (2.4%). Twenty of 30 deployed electronic tags reported, but all did so before the programmed release date, with days at liberty ranging from 3 to 74 (mean = 42 d). Fish remained within their tagging region with the exception of one fish tagged in WBC which exhibited a large southerly displacement, and one fish tagged in OAX which was recovered to the north. Latitudinal (N-S) and longitudinal (E-W) extents of fish movements increased with days at liberty. In general, fish remained near the surface with short excursions below the isothermal layer but larger OAX fish inhabiting warm waters (sea surface temperatures (SST) > ~26 °C) spent more time below the isothermal layer than smaller fish inhabiting colder waters in WBC (SST > ~22 °C). Conclusions This study examines the dynamics of the vertical and horizontal movements of dolphinfish. These movements evoke questions about the size-structure of the dolphinfish’s realized thermal niche, its population stock structure, and its spatiotemporal connectivity patterns in the multinational EPO. Longer tag deployments could show larger displacements and observed differences in orientation of seasonal displacement patterns suggest such long-distance movements would provide opportunities for reproductive mixing through trans-national migrations.

scholarly journals Pacific Decadal Oscillation and recent oxygen decline in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olaf Duteil ◽  
Andreas Oschlies ◽  
Claus W. Böning
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Pacific Decadal Oscillation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Positive Phase ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Eastern Pacific Ocean ◽  
Large Scale Circulation ◽  
Diffusive Processes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The impact of the positive and negative phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) on the extension of the poorly oxygenated regions of the eastern Pacific ocean has been assessed using a coupled ocean circulation-biogeochemical model. We show that during a typical PDO positive phase the volume of the suboxic regions expands by 7 % in 50 years due to a slow-down of the large scale circulation related with the decrease of the intensity of the trade winds. The oxygen levels are mostly constrained by advective processes between 10° N and 10° S while the diffusive processes are dominant poleward of 10°: in a typical PDO positive phase the sluggish equatorial current system provides less oxygen into the eastern equatorial part of the basin while the oxygen transport by diffusive processes significantly decreases south of 10° S. The region located north of 10° N displays less sensitivity to the phase of the PDO as the local upwelling-related processes play a dominant role compared to the large scale circulation in setting the oxygen concentration. Our study suggests that the prevailing PDO positive conditions since 1975 may explain a significant part of the current deoxygenation occurring in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

scholarly journals Can seafloor voltage cables be used to study large-scale circulation? An investigation in the Pacific Ocean

Ocean Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 383-392
Author(s):  
Jakub Velímský ◽  
Neesha R. Schnepf ◽  
Manoj C. Nair ◽  
Natalie P. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Flow Velocity ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Large Scale Circulation ◽  
Numerical Predictions ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Pacific Ocean

Abstract. Marine electromagnetic (EM) signals largely depend on three factors: flow velocity, Earth's main magnetic field, and seawater's electrical conductivity (which depends on the local temperature and salinity). Because of this, there has been recent interest in using marine EM signals to monitor and study ocean circulation. Our study utilizes voltage data from retired seafloor telecommunication cables in the Pacific Ocean to examine whether such cables could be used to monitor circulation velocity or transport on large oceanic scales. We process the cable data to isolate the seasonal and monthly variations and then evaluate the correlation between the processed data and numerical predictions of the electric field induced by an estimate of ocean circulation. We find that the correlation between cable voltage data and numerical predictions strongly depends on both the strength and coherence of the model velocities flowing across the cable, the local EM environment, as well as the length of the cable. The cable within the Kuroshio Current had good correlation between data and predictions, whereas two of the cables in the Eastern Pacific Gyre – a region with both low flow speeds and interfering velocity directions across the cable – did not have any clear correlation between data and predictions. Meanwhile, a third cable also located in the Eastern Pacific Gyre showed good correlation between data and predictions – although the cable is very long and the speeds were low, it was located in a region of coherent flow velocity across the cable. While much improvement is needed before utilizing seafloor voltage cables to study and monitor oceanic circulation across wide regions, we believe that with additional work, the answer to the question of whether or not seafloor voltage cables can be used to study large-scale circulation may eventually be yes.

Can seafloor voltage cables be used to study large scale transport? An investigation in the Pacific Ocean.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neesha Schnepf ◽  
Manoj Nair ◽  
Jakub Velimsky ◽  
Natalie Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Clear Correlation ◽  
Numerical Predictions ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
Oceanic Transport

<p>Marine electromagnetic (EM) signals largely depend on three factors: oceanic transport (i.e., depth-integrated flow), the local main magnetic field, and the local seawater conductivity (which depends on the local temperature and salinity). Thus, there is interest in using seafloor telecommunication cables to isolate marine EM signals and study ocean processes because these cables measure voltage differences between their two ends. Data from such cables can provide information on the depth-integrated transport occurring in the water column above the cable. However, these time-varying data are a superposition of all EM fields present at the observatory, no matter what source or process created the field. The main challenge in using such submarine voltage cables to study ocean circulation is properly isolating its signal.</p><p> </p><p>Our study utilizes voltage data from retired seaoor telecommunication cables in the Pacific Ocean to examine whether such cables could be used to monitor transport on large-oceanic scales. We process the cable data to isolate the seasonal and monthly variations, and evaluate the correlation between the processed data and numerical predictions of the electric field induced by ocean circulation. We find that the correlation between cable voltage data and numerical predictions strongly depends on both the strength and coherence of the transport owing across the cable. The cable within the Kuroshio Current had the highest correlation between data and predictions, whereas two of the cables in the Eastern Pacific gyre (a region with both low transport values and interfering transport signals across the cable) did not have any clear correlation between data and predictions. Meanwhile, a third cable also located in the Eastern Pacific gyre did have correlation between data and predictions, because although the transport values were low, it was located in a region of coherent transport flow across the cable. While much improvement is needed before utilizing seafloor voltage cables to study and monitor oceanic transport across wide oceanic areas, we believe that the answer to our title's questions is yes: seafloor voltage cables can eventually be used to study large-scale transport.</p>

scholarly journals Pacific Decadal Oscillation and recent oxygen decline in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (23) ◽  
pp. 7111-7126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olaf Duteil ◽  
Andreas Oschlies ◽  
Claus W. Böning
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Pacific Decadal Oscillation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Positive Phase ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Eastern Pacific Ocean ◽  
Large Scale Circulation ◽  
Diffusive Processes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The impact of the positive and negative phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) on the extension of the poorly oxygenated regions of the eastern Pacific Ocean was assessed using a coupled ocean circulation–biogeochemical model. We show that during a “typical” PDO-positive phase the volume of the suboxic regions expands by 7 % over 50 years due to a slowdown of the large-scale circulation related to the decrease in the intensity of the trade winds. Changes in oxygen levels are mostly controlled by advective processes between 10∘ N and 10∘ S, whereas diffusive processes are dominant poleward of 10∘: in a “typical” PDO-positive phase the sluggish equatorial current system provides less oxygen to the eastern equatorial part of the basin while the oxygen transport by diffusive processes significantly decreases south of 10∘ S. The suboxic region located north of 10∘ N displays less sensitivity to the phase of the PDO as the local upwelling-related processes play a dominant role compared to the large-scale circulation in setting the oxygen concentration. Our study suggests that the prevailing PDO-positive conditions since 1975 may explain a significant part of the current deoxygenation occurring in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

scholarly journals Concentration of a widespread breeding population in a few critically important nonbreeding areas: Migratory connectivity in the Prothonotary Warbler

The Condor ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M Tonra ◽  
Michael T Hallworth ◽  
Than J Boves ◽  
Jessie Reese ◽  
Lesley P Bulluck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Annual Cycle ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Migratory Connectivity ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Breeding Range ◽  
Migratory Routes ◽  
Prothonotary Warbler

Abstract One of the greatest challenges to informed conservation of migratory animals is elucidating spatiotemporal variation in distributions. Without such information, it is impossible to understand full-annual-cycle ecology and effectively implement conservation actions that address where and when populations are most limited. We deployed and recovered light-level geolocators (n = 34) at 6 breeding sites in North America across the breeding range of a declining long-distance migratory bird, the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea). We sought to determine migratory routes, stopover location and duration, and the location of overwintering grounds. We found that the species exhibits a large-scale, east‒west split in migratory routes and weak migratory connectivity across its range. Specifically, almost all individuals, regardless of breeding origin, overlapped in their estimated wintering location in northern Colombia, in an area 20% the size of the breeding range. Additionally, most of the individuals across all breeding locations concentrated in well-defined stopover locations in Central America while en route to Colombia. Although error inherent in light-level geolocation cannot be fully ruled out, surprisingly much of the estimated wintering area included inland areas even though the Prothonotary Warbler is considered a specialist on coastal mangroves in winter. Based on these results, conservation efforts directed at very specific nonbreeding geographical areas will potentially have benefits across most of the breeding population. Our findings highlight the importance of using modern technologies to validate assumptions about little-studied portions of a species’ annual cycle, and the need to distribute sampling across its range.

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