It is critical that tools for assessing potential environmental impacts are, amongst other things... more It is critical that tools for assessing potential environmental impacts are, amongst other things, fit to reduce uncertainty and provide sufficient confidence to permit decision. To address collision risk between marine mammals and tidal energy devices a simulation-based approach was developed to create a robust system that can adapt to any typical scenario and include novel device designs and ecological parameters. The approach here makes use of an open-source game-engine, Blender, to simulate a tidal energy device, the animal, and its movement in 3D to calculate collision probabilities. This free-to-use software offers an economical solution, however, the complexity of simulating a 3D environment, and adapting game-design software for the purposes of environmental questions poses challenges such as the time required for simulations to complete and the computing power required (e.g. number of CPU cores). The aim of this current study was to streamline the simulation-based approach ...
Dames and Moore assessed the environmental impacts associated with development of 37 projects pla... more Dames and Moore assessed the environmental impacts associated with development of 37 projects planned or conceived for Commencement Bay study area. Elements of the natural and human environments assessed for each project included fish, invertebrates, birds, water quality, sediment quality, wetlands, land and water use, noise, and recreational, historic, archaeological, and aesthetic resources. Baseline data against which project impacts were assessed were developed from the COBS I effort and other studies performed in the study area.
AimConservation management of vulnerable species requires detailed knowledge of their spatial and... more AimConservation management of vulnerable species requires detailed knowledge of their spatial and temporal distribution patterns. Within this context, species distribution modelling (SDM) can provide insights into the spatial ecology of rarely encountered species and is used here to explore the distribution pattern of ocean sunfishes (Mola mola and M. ramsayi). Both species are prone to high levels of bycatch and are classified respectively as Globally Vulnerable and Not Assessed by the IUCN; although their overall range and drivers of distribution remain poorly defined. Here, we constructed suitable habitat models for Mola spp. on a global scale and considered how these change seasonally to provide a much needed baseline for future management.LocationGlobal.MethodsSighting records collected between 2000 and 2015 were used to build SDMs and provided the first global overview of sunfish seasonal distribution. Post hoc analyses provided a quantitative assessment of seasonal changes in...
Evidence is presented from publicly available remotely operated vehicle (ROV) footage that sugges... more Evidence is presented from publicly available remotely operated vehicle (ROV) footage that suggests deep-water ranging in ocean sunfishes (family Molidae) is more common than typically thought, including a new maximum depth recorded for the southern sunfish Mola ramsayi.
... Cartamil, DP & Lowe, CG, 2004. Diel movement patterns of ocean sun¢sh Mola mola o¡ southe... more ... Cartamil, DP & Lowe, CG, 2004. Diel movement patterns of ocean sun¢sh Mola mola o¡ southern California. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 166, 245^253. ... Microsatellites from the world's heaviest bony ¢sh, the giant Mola mola. Molecular Ecology Notes, 3, 247^249. ...
Fish-jellyfish interactions are important factors contributing to fish stock success. Jellyfish c... more Fish-jellyfish interactions are important factors contributing to fish stock success. Jellyfish can compete with fish for food resources, or feed on fish eggs and larvae, which works to reduce survivorship and recruitment of fish species. However, jellyfish also provide habitat and space for developing larval and juvenile fish which use their hosts as means of protection from predators and feeding opportunities, helping to reduce fish mortality and increase recruitment. Yet, relatively little is known about the evolutionary dynamics and drivers of such associations which would allow for their more effective incorporation into ecosystem models. Here, we found that jellyfish association is a probable adaptive anti-predator strategy for juvenile fish, more likely to evolve in benthic (fish living on the sea floor), benthopelagic (fish living just above the bottom of the seafloor) and reef-associating species than those adapted to other marine habitats. We also found that jellyfish association likely preceded the evolution of a benthic, benthopelagic and reef-associating lifestyle rather than its evolutionary consequence, as we originally hypothesised. Considering over two thirds of the associating fish identified here are of economic importance, and the wide-scale occurrence and diversity of species involved, it is clear the formation of fish-jellyfish associations is an important but complex process in relation to the success of fish stocks globally
Long-distance migrations by marine vertebrates are often triggered by pronounced environmental cu... more Long-distance migrations by marine vertebrates are often triggered by pronounced environmental cues. For the endangered basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus), seasonal changes in water temperature are frequently proposed as a cue for aggregation within (and dispersal from) coastal hotspots. The inference is that such movements reflect year-round occupancy within a given thermal ‘envelope’. However, the marked variance in timing, direction and depth of dispersal movements hint at a more nuanced explanation for basking sharks. Here, using data from pop-off archival transmitters deployed on individuals in Irish waters, we explored whether autumnal decreases in water temperature triggered departure from coastal habitats and how depth and location shaped the sharks’ realised thermal environment over time. Temperature was not an apparent driver of dispersal from coastal seas, and variance in daily temperature ranges reflected occupancy of different habitats; coastal mixed/stratified and offs...
It is critical that tools for assessing potential environmental impacts are, amongst other things... more It is critical that tools for assessing potential environmental impacts are, amongst other things, fit to reduce uncertainty and provide sufficient confidence to permit decision. To address collision risk between marine mammals and tidal energy devices a simulation-based approach was developed to create a robust system that can adapt to any typical scenario and include novel device designs and ecological parameters. The approach here makes use of an open-source game-engine, Blender, to simulate a tidal energy device, the animal, and its movement in 3D to calculate collision probabilities. This free-to-use software offers an economical solution, however, the complexity of simulating a 3D environment, and adapting game-design software for the purposes of environmental questions poses challenges such as the time required for simulations to complete and the computing power required (e.g. number of CPU cores). The aim of this current study was to streamline the simulation-based approach ...
Dames and Moore assessed the environmental impacts associated with development of 37 projects pla... more Dames and Moore assessed the environmental impacts associated with development of 37 projects planned or conceived for Commencement Bay study area. Elements of the natural and human environments assessed for each project included fish, invertebrates, birds, water quality, sediment quality, wetlands, land and water use, noise, and recreational, historic, archaeological, and aesthetic resources. Baseline data against which project impacts were assessed were developed from the COBS I effort and other studies performed in the study area.
AimConservation management of vulnerable species requires detailed knowledge of their spatial and... more AimConservation management of vulnerable species requires detailed knowledge of their spatial and temporal distribution patterns. Within this context, species distribution modelling (SDM) can provide insights into the spatial ecology of rarely encountered species and is used here to explore the distribution pattern of ocean sunfishes (Mola mola and M. ramsayi). Both species are prone to high levels of bycatch and are classified respectively as Globally Vulnerable and Not Assessed by the IUCN; although their overall range and drivers of distribution remain poorly defined. Here, we constructed suitable habitat models for Mola spp. on a global scale and considered how these change seasonally to provide a much needed baseline for future management.LocationGlobal.MethodsSighting records collected between 2000 and 2015 were used to build SDMs and provided the first global overview of sunfish seasonal distribution. Post hoc analyses provided a quantitative assessment of seasonal changes in...
Evidence is presented from publicly available remotely operated vehicle (ROV) footage that sugges... more Evidence is presented from publicly available remotely operated vehicle (ROV) footage that suggests deep-water ranging in ocean sunfishes (family Molidae) is more common than typically thought, including a new maximum depth recorded for the southern sunfish Mola ramsayi.
... Cartamil, DP & Lowe, CG, 2004. Diel movement patterns of ocean sun¢sh Mola mola o¡ southe... more ... Cartamil, DP & Lowe, CG, 2004. Diel movement patterns of ocean sun¢sh Mola mola o¡ southern California. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 166, 245^253. ... Microsatellites from the world's heaviest bony ¢sh, the giant Mola mola. Molecular Ecology Notes, 3, 247^249. ...
Fish-jellyfish interactions are important factors contributing to fish stock success. Jellyfish c... more Fish-jellyfish interactions are important factors contributing to fish stock success. Jellyfish can compete with fish for food resources, or feed on fish eggs and larvae, which works to reduce survivorship and recruitment of fish species. However, jellyfish also provide habitat and space for developing larval and juvenile fish which use their hosts as means of protection from predators and feeding opportunities, helping to reduce fish mortality and increase recruitment. Yet, relatively little is known about the evolutionary dynamics and drivers of such associations which would allow for their more effective incorporation into ecosystem models. Here, we found that jellyfish association is a probable adaptive anti-predator strategy for juvenile fish, more likely to evolve in benthic (fish living on the sea floor), benthopelagic (fish living just above the bottom of the seafloor) and reef-associating species than those adapted to other marine habitats. We also found that jellyfish association likely preceded the evolution of a benthic, benthopelagic and reef-associating lifestyle rather than its evolutionary consequence, as we originally hypothesised. Considering over two thirds of the associating fish identified here are of economic importance, and the wide-scale occurrence and diversity of species involved, it is clear the formation of fish-jellyfish associations is an important but complex process in relation to the success of fish stocks globally
Long-distance migrations by marine vertebrates are often triggered by pronounced environmental cu... more Long-distance migrations by marine vertebrates are often triggered by pronounced environmental cues. For the endangered basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus), seasonal changes in water temperature are frequently proposed as a cue for aggregation within (and dispersal from) coastal hotspots. The inference is that such movements reflect year-round occupancy within a given thermal ‘envelope’. However, the marked variance in timing, direction and depth of dispersal movements hint at a more nuanced explanation for basking sharks. Here, using data from pop-off archival transmitters deployed on individuals in Irish waters, we explored whether autumnal decreases in water temperature triggered departure from coastal habitats and how depth and location shaped the sharks’ realised thermal environment over time. Temperature was not an apparent driver of dispersal from coastal seas, and variance in daily temperature ranges reflected occupancy of different habitats; coastal mixed/stratified and offs...
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