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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 58(7)

Biophysical correlates of relative abundances of marine megafauna at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

Jai C. Sleeman A G , Mark G. Meekan B , Steven G. Wilson C , Curt K. S. Jenner D , Micheline N. Jenner D , Guy S. Boggs A , Craig C. Steinberg E and Corey J. A. Bradshaw F
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A GIS and Remote Sensing Group, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT 0909, Australia.

B Australian Institute of Marine Science, P.O. Box 40197, Casuarina MC, NT 0811, Australia.

C Hubbs–SeaWorld Research Institute, 2595 Ingraham Street, San Diego, CA 92109, USA.

D Centre for Whale Research (Western Australia) Inc., P.O. Box 1622, Fremantle, WA 6160, Australia.

E Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville, Qld 4810, Australia.

F School for Environmental Research, Institute of Advanced Studies, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT 0909, Australia.

G Corresponding author. Email: jai.sleeman@cdu.edu.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 58(7) 608-623 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF06213
Submitted: 8 November 2006  Accepted: 28 May 2007   Published: 27 July 2007

Abstract

Changes in the relative abundance of marine megafauna (whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, manta rays, dugongs) from aerial survey sightings in the waters adjacent to Ningaloo Reef between June 2000 and April 2002 are described. Generalised linear models were used to explore relationships between different trophic guilds of animals (based on animal sighting biomass estimates) and biophysical features of the oceanscape that were likely to indicate foraging habitats (regions of primary/secondary production) including sea surface temperature (SST), SST gradient, chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), bathymetry (BTH) and bathymetry gradient (BTHg). Relative biomass of krill feeders (i.e. minke whales, whale sharks, manta rays) were related to SST, Chl-a and bathymetry (model [AICc] weight = 0.45) and the model combining these variables explained a relatively large amount (32.3%) of the variation in relative biomass. Relative biomass of fish/cephalopod feeders (dolphins, sharks) were weakly correlated with changes in SST, whereas that of other invertebrate/macroalgal feeders (turtles, dugong) was weakly correlated with changes in steepness of the shelf (bathymetry gradient). Our results indicate that biophysical variables describe only a small proportion of the variance in the relative abundance and biomass of marine megafauna at Ningaloo reef.

Additional keywords: aerial surveys, chlorophyll-a, marine megafauna, Ningaloo Reef, sea surface temperature.


Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Woodside Energy Ltd, for authorising the use of the aerial survey data originally collected for the WA-271-P Field Development Environmental Impact Statement. We thank the Australian Institute of Marine Science for providing the Milyering weather station data, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for the remotely sensed ocean colour and SST data, AVISO for altimetry data and National Oceans Office of Australia for bathymetry data. We thank three anonymous reviewers for helpful comments to improve the manuscript.


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