Variation in occupancy and habitat use of Mobula alfredi at a major aggregation site

L. I. E. Couturier; P. Newman; F. R. A. Jaine; M. B. Bennett; W. N. Venables; E. F. Cagua; K. A. Townsend; S. J. Weeks; A. J. Richardson

doi:10.3354/meps12610

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MEPS 599:125-145 (2018) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12610

Variation in occupancy and habitat use of Mobula alfredi at a major aggregation site

L. I. E. Couturier^1,2,*, P. Newman^2,3, F. R. A. Jaine^2,4,5, M. B. Bennett^2,6, W. N. Venables⁷, E. F. Cagua⁸, K. A. Townsend^2,6,9, S. J. Weeks^2,10, A. J. Richardson^2,7,11

¹Laboratoire des Sciences de l’Environnement Marin (UMR 6539 LEMAR 1, IRD, UBO, CNRS, Ifremer), Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, rue Dumont d’Urville, 29280 Plouzané, France
²Project Manta, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
³Atlas of Living Australia, CSIRO National Collections and Marine Infrastructure, Docklands, Melbourne VIC 3008, Australia
⁴Sydney Institute of Marine Science, 19 Chowder Bay Road, Mosman, NSW 2088, Australia
⁵Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
⁶School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
⁷CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Queensland BioSciences Precinct (QBP), St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
⁸Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
⁹School of Science and Engineering, University of Sunshine Coast, Fraser Coast, QLD 4655, Australia
¹⁰Biophysical Oceanography Group, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
¹¹Centre for Applications in Natural Resource Mathematics, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia

*Corresponding author: lydie.couturier@outlook.com

ABSTRACT: Understanding variations in habitat use through time contributes to identification of habitats critical for species survival. Here we used passive acoustic telemetry to examine the residency and site fidelity patterns of the reef manta ray Mobula alfredi at Lady Elliot Island (LEI), a key aggregation site in eastern Australia. Six acoustic receivers were moored around LEI between 2009 and 2012, and 34 acoustic transmitters were deployed on manta rays. All tagged animals returned to this site within their recording period, with some individuals visiting the area for up to 23 consecutive days. Using a set of mixed effect models, we analysed the hourly visitation patterns of manta rays in relation to temporal and environmental variables. Diel phase and sea temperature showed the strongest effects on the presence of manta rays, with weaker effects detected for wind direction, wind speed and moon illumination. Individuals occupied LEI habitat mostly during daylight hours and in calm weather conditions, which may be linked with behavioural thermoregulation, social interactions and cleaning activities. Their absence at night may be related to foraging strategies in deeper offshore waters. The effect of sea temperature reflects the greater seasonal occurrence of manta rays at LEI in winter, when temperatures are coolest, potentially in response to regional food availability. The high degree of manta ray site fidelity at aggregation sites underscores the importance of these areas as key daytime habitats for the species. We suggest that conservation measures should prioritise the protection of coastal aggregation habitats from overexploitation and degradation.

KEY WORDS: Acoustic telemetry · Site fidelity · Residency · Generalised linear mixed models · Elasmobranch · Conservation

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Cite this article as: Couturier LIE, Newman P, Jaine FRA, Bennett MB and others (2018) Variation in occupancy and habitat use of Mobula alfredi at a major aggregation site. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 599:125-145. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12610

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MEPS 599:125-145 (2018) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12610

Variation in occupancy and habitat use of Mobula alfredi at a major aggregation site

L. I. E. Couturier1,2,*, P. Newman2,3, F. R. A. Jaine2,4,5, M. B. Bennett2,6, W. N. Venables7, E. F. Cagua8, K. A. Townsend2,6,9, S. J. Weeks2,10, A. J. Richardson2,7,11

L. I. E. Couturier^1,2,*, P. Newman^2,3, F. R. A. Jaine^2,4,5, M. B. Bennett^2,6, W. N. Venables⁷, E. F. Cagua⁸, K. A. Townsend^2,6,9, S. J. Weeks^2,10, A. J. Richardson^2,7,11