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Convergence of marine megafauna movement patterns in coastal and open oceans

Convergence of marine megafauna movement patterns in coastal and open oceans
Convergence of marine megafauna movement patterns in coastal and open oceans

The extent of increasing anthropogenic impacts on large marine vertebrates partly depends on the animals' movement patterns. Effective conservation requires identification of the key drivers of movement including intrinsic properties and extrinsic constraints associated with the dynamic nature of the environments the animals inhabit. However, the relative importance of intrinsic versus extrinsic factors remains elusive. We analyze a global dataset of ∼2.8 million locations from <2, 600 tracked individuals across 50 marine vertebrates evolutionarily separated by millions of years and using different locomotion modes (fly, swim, walk/paddle). Strikingly, movement patterns show a remarkable convergence, being strongly conserved across species and independent of body length and mass, despite these traits ranging over 10 orders of magnitude among the species studied. This represents a fundamental difference between marine and terrestrial vertebrates not previously identified, likely linked to the reduced costs of locomotion in water. Movement patterns were primarily explained by the interaction between species-specific traits and the habitat(s) they move through, resulting in complex movement patternswhenmoving close to coasts compared with more predictable patterns when moving in open oceans. This distinct difference may be associated with greater complexity within coastal microhabitats, highlighting a critical role of preferred habitat in shaping marine vertebrate global movements. Efforts to develop understanding of the characteristics of vertebrate movement should consider the habitat(s) through which they move to identify how movement patterns will alter with forecasted severe ocean changes, such as reduced Arctic sea ice cover, sea level rise, and declining oxygen content.

Displacements, Global satellite tracking, Probability density function, Root-mean-square, Turning angles
0027-8424
3072-3077
Sequeira, A.M.M.
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Rodríguez, J.P.
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Eguíluz, V.M.
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Harcourt, R.
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Hindell, M.
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Sims, D.W.
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Costa, D.P.
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Fernández-Gracia, J.
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Ferreira, L.C.
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Bailleul, F.
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Berumen, M.L.
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Braun, C.D.
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Burns, J.
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Caley, M.J.
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Campbell, R.
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Carmichael, R.H.
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Friedlaender, A.
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Goebel, M.E.
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Guinet, C.
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Hamer, D.
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Hammerschlag, N.
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Hammill, M.
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Page, B.
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Queiroz, N.
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Robinson, P.W.
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Shaffer, S.A.
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Shivji, M.
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Skomal, G.B.
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Thorrold, S.R.
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Villegas-Amtmann, S.
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Weise, M.
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Wetherbee, B.
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Wienecke, B.
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Thums, M.
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Sequeira, A.M.M.
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Rodríguez, J.P.
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Eguíluz, V.M.
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Harcourt, R.
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Hindell, M.
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Sims, D.W.
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Duarte, C.M.
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Costa, D.P.
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Fernández-Gracia, J.
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Ferreira, L.C.
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Hays, G.C.
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Heupel, M.R.
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Meekan, M.G.
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Aven, A.
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Bailleul, F.
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Baylis, A.M.M.
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Braun, C.D.
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Burns, J.
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Caley, M.J.
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Campbell, R.
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Carmichael, R.H.
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Clua, E.
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Einoder, L.D.
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Friedlaender, A.
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Goebel, M.E.
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Goldsworthy, S.D.
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Guinet, C.
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Gunn, J.
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Hamer, D.
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Hammerschlag, N.
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Hammill, M.
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Hückstädt, L.A.
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Humphries, N.E.
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Lea, M.A.
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Lowther, A.
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Page, B.
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Queiroz, N.
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Robinson, P.W.
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Shaffer, S.A.
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Shivji, M.
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Thorrold, S.R.
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Villegas-Amtmann, S.
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Weise, M.
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Wells, R.
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Wetherbee, B.
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Wiebkin, A.
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Wienecke, B.
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Thums, M.
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Sequeira, A.M.M., Rodríguez, J.P., Eguíluz, V.M., Harcourt, R., Hindell, M., Sims, D.W., Duarte, C.M., Costa, D.P., Fernández-Gracia, J., Ferreira, L.C., Hays, G.C., Heupel, M.R., Meekan, M.G., Aven, A., Bailleul, F., Baylis, A.M.M., Berumen, M.L., Braun, C.D., Burns, J., Caley, M.J., Campbell, R., Carmichael, R.H., Clua, E., Einoder, L.D., Friedlaender, A., Goebel, M.E., Goldsworthy, S.D., Guinet, C., Gunn, J., Hamer, D., Hammerschlag, N., Hammill, M., Hückstädt, L.A., Humphries, N.E., Lea, M.A., Lowther, A., Mackay, A., McHuron, E., McKenzie, J., McLeay, L., McMahon, C.R., Mengersen, K., Muelbert, M.M.C., Pagano, A.M., Page, B., Queiroz, N., Robinson, P.W., Shaffer, S.A., Shivji, M., Skomal, G.B., Thorrold, S.R., Villegas-Amtmann, S., Weise, M., Wells, R., Wetherbee, B., Wiebkin, A., Wienecke, B. and Thums, M. (2018) Convergence of marine megafauna movement patterns in coastal and open oceans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115 (12), 3072-3077. (doi:10.1073/pnas.1716137115).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The extent of increasing anthropogenic impacts on large marine vertebrates partly depends on the animals' movement patterns. Effective conservation requires identification of the key drivers of movement including intrinsic properties and extrinsic constraints associated with the dynamic nature of the environments the animals inhabit. However, the relative importance of intrinsic versus extrinsic factors remains elusive. We analyze a global dataset of ∼2.8 million locations from <2, 600 tracked individuals across 50 marine vertebrates evolutionarily separated by millions of years and using different locomotion modes (fly, swim, walk/paddle). Strikingly, movement patterns show a remarkable convergence, being strongly conserved across species and independent of body length and mass, despite these traits ranging over 10 orders of magnitude among the species studied. This represents a fundamental difference between marine and terrestrial vertebrates not previously identified, likely linked to the reduced costs of locomotion in water. Movement patterns were primarily explained by the interaction between species-specific traits and the habitat(s) they move through, resulting in complex movement patternswhenmoving close to coasts compared with more predictable patterns when moving in open oceans. This distinct difference may be associated with greater complexity within coastal microhabitats, highlighting a critical role of preferred habitat in shaping marine vertebrate global movements. Efforts to develop understanding of the characteristics of vertebrate movement should consider the habitat(s) through which they move to identify how movement patterns will alter with forecasted severe ocean changes, such as reduced Arctic sea ice cover, sea level rise, and declining oxygen content.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 9 January 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 26 February 2018
Published date: 20 March 2018
Keywords: Displacements, Global satellite tracking, Probability density function, Root-mean-square, Turning angles

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 422504
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/422504
ISSN: 0027-8424
PURE UUID: 9b49567f-3e1e-4baf-9497-0ed46d528076
ORCID for D.W. Sims: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0916-7363

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 24 Jul 2018 16:31
Last modified: 19 Jun 2024 01:44

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Contributors

Author: A.M.M. Sequeira
Author: J.P. Rodríguez
Author: V.M. Eguíluz
Author: R. Harcourt
Author: M. Hindell
Author: D.W. Sims ORCID iD
Author: C.M. Duarte
Author: D.P. Costa
Author: J. Fernández-Gracia
Author: L.C. Ferreira
Author: G.C. Hays
Author: M.R. Heupel
Author: M.G. Meekan
Author: A. Aven
Author: F. Bailleul
Author: A.M.M. Baylis
Author: M.L. Berumen
Author: C.D. Braun
Author: J. Burns
Author: M.J. Caley
Author: R. Campbell
Author: R.H. Carmichael
Author: E. Clua
Author: L.D. Einoder
Author: A. Friedlaender
Author: M.E. Goebel
Author: S.D. Goldsworthy
Author: C. Guinet
Author: J. Gunn
Author: D. Hamer
Author: N. Hammerschlag
Author: M. Hammill
Author: L.A. Hückstädt
Author: N.E. Humphries
Author: M.A. Lea
Author: A. Lowther
Author: A. Mackay
Author: E. McHuron
Author: J. McKenzie
Author: L. McLeay
Author: C.R. McMahon
Author: K. Mengersen
Author: M.M.C. Muelbert
Author: A.M. Pagano
Author: B. Page
Author: N. Queiroz
Author: P.W. Robinson
Author: S.A. Shaffer
Author: M. Shivji
Author: G.B. Skomal
Author: S.R. Thorrold
Author: S. Villegas-Amtmann
Author: M. Weise
Author: R. Wells
Author: B. Wetherbee
Author: A. Wiebkin
Author: B. Wienecke
Author: M. Thums

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