Predictive modeling of suitable habitats for threatened marine invertebrates and implications for conservation assessment in Brazil

Magris, Rafael A.; Déstro, G. F. G.

Abstracts

Spatial analysis and modeling tools were employed to predict suitable habitat distribution for threatened marine invertebrates and estimate the overlap between highly suitable areas for these species and the Brazilian marine protected areas (MPAs). Records of the occurrence of species were obtained from the collections included in the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS-Brazil), with additional records culled from the literature. The distribution data of 16 out of 33 threatened species, with at least ten occurrences in the available records, were selected for modeling by Maxent algorithm (Maximum Entropy Modeling) based on environmental variables (temperature, salinity, bathymetry and their derivatives). The resulting maps were filtered with a fixed threshold of 0.5 (to distinguish only the highly suitable areas) and superimposed on MPA digital maps. The algorithm produced reasonable predictions of the species' potential distributions, showing that the patterns predicted by the model are largely consistent with current knowledge of the species. The distribution of the highly suitable areas showed little overlapping with Brazilian MPAs. This study showed how the habitat suitability for threatened species can be assessed using GIS applications and modeling tools.

Threatened species; Marine protected areas; Maxent; Conservation

Neste estudo foram utilizadas análises espaciais e ferramentas de modelagem para predizer a distribuição dos hábitats adequados aos invertebrados marinhos ameaçados e estimar a sobreposição destas áreas em relação às áreas marinhas protegidas existentes. Registros de ocorrência das espécies foram obtidos das coleções incluídas no Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS-Brasil) e de dados provenientes da literatura. Dados de distribuição de 16 das 33 espécies ameaçadas, com pelo menos 10 registros de ocorrência, foram selecionados para modelagem utilizando o algoritmo Maxent (Maximum Entropy Modeling) e variáveis ambientais (temperatura, salinidade, batimetria e derivados). Os mapas resultantes foram filtrados para obtenção de áreas altamente adequadas, através de um limiar de corte de 0.5, e sobrepostos com o mapa digital de áreas protegidas. O algoritmo apresentou modelos de predição satisfatórios, mostrando que os padrões previstos no modelo são coerentes com o conhecimento atual sobre as espécies. A distribuição das áreas altamente adequadas mostrou baixa sobreposição com as áreas protegidas brasileiras. Este estudo indicou como a adequabilidade de hábitats para espécies ameaçadas pode ser realizada, utilizando aplicações em SIG e ferramentas de modelagem.

Espécies ameaçadas; Áreas marinhas protegidas; Maxent; Conservação

AMARAL, A. C. Z.; JABLONSKI, S. Conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity in Brazil. Conserv. Biol.,, v. 19, n. 3, p. 625-631, 2005.
ANDERSON, R. P.; MARTÍNEZ-MEYER, E. Modeling species' geographic distributions for preliminary conservation assessments: an implementation with the spiny pocket mice (Heteromys) of Ecuador. Biol. Conserv., v. 116, p. 167- 179, 2004.
BERTZKY, M.; STOLL-KLEEMANN, S. Multi-level discrepancies with sharing data on protected areas: What we have and what we need for the global village. J. environ. Mgmt, v. 90, p. 8-24, 2009.
BEST, B. D.; HALPIN, P. N.; FUJIOKA, E.; READ, A. J.; QIAN, S. S.; HAZEN, L. J.; SCHICK, R. S. Geospatial web services within a scientific workflow: Predicting marine mammal habitats in a dynamic environment. Ecol.Inform., v. 2, n. 3, p. 210-223, 2007.
BIGG, G. R.; CUNNINGHAM, C. W.; OTTERSEN, G.; POGSON, G. H.; WADLEY, M. R.; WILLIAMSON, P. Ice-age survival of Atlantic cod: agreement between palaeoecology models and genetics. Proc. biol. sci. / R. Soc., v. 275, p. 163-173, 2008.
BRUNER, A. G.; GULLISON, R. E.; RICE, R. E.; FONSECA, G. A. B. Effectiveness of parks in protecting tropical biodiversity. Science, v. 291, p. 125-128, 2001.
COSTA, K. G.; NALESSO, R. C. Effect of mussel farming on macrobenthic community structure in Southeastern Brazil. Aquacult.int., v. 258, p. 656-663, 2006.
EDGAR, G. J.; LANGHAMMER, P. F.; ALLEN, G.; BROOKS, T. M.; BRODIE, J.; CROSSE, W.; DE SILVA, N.; FISHPOOL, L. D. C.; FOSTER, M. N.; KNOX, D. H.; MCCOSKER, J. E.; MCMANUS, R.; MILLAR, A. J. K.; MUGO, R. Key biodiversity areas as globally significant target sites for the conservation of marine biological diversity. . Aquat. Conserv., mar. freshw. Ecosyst, v. 18, p. 969-983, 2008.
ENGLER, R.; GUISAN, A.; RECHSTEINER, L. An improved approach for predicting the distribution of rare and endangered species from occurrence and pseudo-absence data. J. appl. Ecol., v. 41, p. 263-274, 2004.
ENTRAMBASAGUAS, L.; PÉREZ-RUZAFA, A.; GARCÍA-CHARTON, J. A.; STOBART, B.; BACALLADO, J. J. Abundance, spatial distribution and habitat relationships of echinoderms in the Cabo Verde Archipelago (eastern Atlantic). Mar. Freshwat. Res., v. 59, p. 477-488, 2008.
FABRI, M. C.; GALÉRON, J.; LAROUR, M.; MAUDIRE, G. Combining the Biocean database for deep-sea benthic data with the online Ocean Biogeographic Information System. Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser., v. 316, p.215-224, 2006.
FLEISCHER, D.; SCHABER, M.; PIEPENBURG, D. Atlantic snake pipefish (Entelurus aequoreus) extends its northward distribution range to Svalbard (Arctic Ocean). Polar Biol., v. 30, n. 10, p. 1359-1362, 2007.
GASPARINI, J. L.; FLOETER, S. R. The shore fishes of Trindade Island, western South Atlantic. J. nat. Hist., v. 35, p. 1639-1659, 2001.
GASTON, K. J. Species richness: measure and measurement. In: GASTON, K. J. (Ed.). Biodiversity: a biology of numbers and difference. Oxford: Blackwell Science, 1996. p. 77–113.
HALPERN, B. S.; WALBRIDGE, S.; SELKOE, K. A.; KAPPEL, C. V.; MICHELI, F.; D'AGROSA, C.; BRUNO, J. F.; CASEY, K.S.; EBERT, C.; FOX, H. E.; FUJITA, R.; HEINEMANN, D.; LENIHAN, H. S.; MADIN, E. M. P.; PERRY, M. T.; SELIG, E. R.; SPALDING, M.; STENECK, R.; WATSON, R. A global Map of human impact on marine ecosystems. Science, v. 319, p. 948-952, 2008.
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IUCN. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: version 3.1 Gland and Cambridge: IUCN Species Survival Commission, 2001. 32 p.
JOYEUX, J. C.; FLOETER, S. R.; FERREIRA, C. E. L.; GASPARINI, J. L. Biogeography of tropical reef fishes: the South Atlantic puzzle. J. Biogeogr., v. 28, p. 831-841, 2001.
LANGHAMMER, P. F.; BAKARR, M. I.; BENNUN, L. A.; BROOKS, T. M.; CLAY, R. P.; DARWALL, W.; DE SILVA, N.; EDGAR, G. J.; EKEN, G.; FISHPOOL, L. D. C.; FONSECA, G. A. B. D.; FOSTER, M. N.; KNOX, D. H.; MATIKU, P.; RADFORD, E. A.; RODRIGUES, A. S. L.; SALAMAN, P.; SECHREST, W.; TORDOFF, A. W. Identification and gap analysis of key biodiversity areas: targets for comprehensive protected area systems Switzerland, 2007. (IUCN Best Practice Protected Areas Guidelines, nº 15).
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MACPHERSON, E. Species range size distributions for some marine taxa in the Atlantic Ocean. Effect of latitude and depth. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. Lond, v. 80, p. 437-455, 2003.
MMA – MINISTÉRIO DO MEIO AMBIENTE. Livro vermelho da fauna brasileira ameaçada de extinção v. 1. Brasília, DF,2008. 511 p.(Biodiversidade, 19.
MILLENNIUM ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT. Ecosystems and human well-being: Synthesis Washington, DC: Island Press, 2005.160 p.
NEUMANN-LEITÃO, S.; SANT'ANNA, E. M. E.; GUSMÃO, L. M. O.; NASCIMENTO-VIEIRA, D. A.; PARANAGUÁ, M. N.; SCHWAMBORN, R. Diversity and distribution of the mesozooplankton in the tropical Southwestern Atlantic. J. Plank. Res., v.30, p. 795-805, 2008.
OJEDA-MARTÍNEZ, C.; CASALDUERO, F.G.; BAYLE-SEMPERE, J.T.; CEBRIÁN, C.B.; VALLE, C.; SANCHEZ-LIZASO, J.L.; FORCADA, A.; SANCHEZ-JEREZ, P.; MARTÍN-SOSA, P.; FALCÓN, J.M.; SALAS, F.; GRAZIANO, M.; CHEMELLO, R.; STOBART, B.; CARTAGENA, P.; PÉREZ-RUZAFA, A.; VANDEPERRE, F.; ROCHEL, E.; PLANES, S.; BRITO, A. A conceptual framework for the integral management of marine protected areas. Ocean coast. Mgmt, v. 52, n. 2, p. 89-101, 2009.
PÉREZ-RUZAFA, A.; MARCOS, C.; GARCÍA-CHARTON, J.A.; SALAS, F. European marine protected areas (MPAs) as tools for fisheries management and conservation. J. Nat. Conserv., v.16, p. 187-192, 2008.
PHILLIPS, S.T.; ANDERSON, R.P.; SCHAPIRE, R.E. Maximum entropy modeling of species geographic distributions. Ecol. Model., v. 190, p. 231-259, 2006.
PHILLIPS, S.T.; DUDÍK, M. Modeling of species distributions with Maxent: new extensions and a comprehensive evaluation. Ecography, v. 31, p. 161–175, 2008.
ROTENBERRY, J. T.; PRESTON, K. L.; KNICK, S. T. GIS-based niche modeling for mapping species' habitat. Ecology, v. 87, n. 6, p. 1458-1464, 2006.
STRAMMA, L.; IKEDA, Y.; PETERSON, R. G. Geostrophic transport in the Brazil Current region north of 20º S. Deep-Sea Res., v. 37, p. 1875-1886, 1990.
TITTENSOR, D. P.; BACO, A. R.; BREWIN, P. E.; CLARCK, M. R.; CONSALVEY, M.; HALL-SPENCER, J.; ROWDEN, A. A.; SCHLACHER, T.; STOCKS. K. I.; ROGERS, A. D. Predicting global habitat suitability for stony corals on seamounts. J. Biogeogr., v. 36, n. 6, p.1111-1128, 2009.
UNEP. Report on the Sixth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (UNEP/CBD/COP/6/20/Part2) 2002. Available from: http://www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/cop/cop-06/official/cop-06-20-part2-en.pdf Accessed: 12 March, 2009.
VERBRUGGEN, H.; TYBERGHEIN, L.; PAULY, K.; VLAEMINCK, C.; VAN NIEUWENHUYZE, K.; KOOISTRA, W.H.C.F.; LELIAERT, F.; DE CLERCK, O. Macroecology meets macroevolution: evolutionary niche dynamics in the seaweed Halimeda. Global Ecol. Biogeog., v. 18 (3), p.392-404, 2009.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
14 Feb 2011
Date of issue
2010

History

Received
04 June 2009
Reviewed
22 June 2010
Accepted
26 Oct 2010

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

[1] AMARAL, A. C. Z.; JABLONSKI, S. Conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity in Brazil. Conserv. Biol.,, v. 19, n. 3, p. 625-631, 2005.

[2] ANDERSON, R. P.; MARTÍNEZ-MEYER, E. Modeling species' geographic distributions for preliminary conservation assessments: an implementation with the spiny pocket mice (Heteromys) of Ecuador. Biol. Conserv., v. 116, p. 167- 179, 2004.

[3] BERTZKY, M.; STOLL-KLEEMANN, S. Multi-level discrepancies with sharing data on protected areas: What we have and what we need for the global village. J. environ. Mgmt, v. 90, p. 8-24, 2009.

[4] BEST, B. D.; HALPIN, P. N.; FUJIOKA, E.; READ, A. J.; QIAN, S. S.; HAZEN, L. J.; SCHICK, R. S. Geospatial web services within a scientific workflow: Predicting marine mammal habitats in a dynamic environment. Ecol.Inform., v. 2, n. 3, p. 210-223, 2007.

[5] BIGG, G. R.; CUNNINGHAM, C. W.; OTTERSEN, G.; POGSON, G. H.; WADLEY, M. R.; WILLIAMSON, P. Ice-age survival of Atlantic cod: agreement between palaeoecology models and genetics. Proc. biol. sci. / R. Soc., v. 275, p. 163-173, 2008.

[6] BRUNER, A. G.; GULLISON, R. E.; RICE, R. E.; FONSECA, G. A. B. Effectiveness of parks in protecting tropical biodiversity. Science, v. 291, p. 125-128, 2001.

[7] COSTA, K. G.; NALESSO, R. C. Effect of mussel farming on macrobenthic community structure in Southeastern Brazil. Aquacult.int., v. 258, p. 656-663, 2006.

[8] EDGAR, G. J.; LANGHAMMER, P. F.; ALLEN, G.; BROOKS, T. M.; BRODIE, J.; CROSSE, W.; DE SILVA, N.; FISHPOOL, L. D. C.; FOSTER, M. N.; KNOX, D. H.; MCCOSKER, J. E.; MCMANUS, R.; MILLAR, A. J. K.; MUGO, R. Key biodiversity areas as globally significant target sites for the conservation of marine biological diversity. . Aquat. Conserv., mar. freshw. Ecosyst, v. 18, p. 969-983, 2008.

[9] ENGLER, R.; GUISAN, A.; RECHSTEINER, L. An improved approach for predicting the distribution of rare and endangered species from occurrence and pseudo-absence data. J. appl. Ecol., v. 41, p. 263-274, 2004.

[10] ENTRAMBASAGUAS, L.; PÉREZ-RUZAFA, A.; GARCÍA-CHARTON, J. A.; STOBART, B.; BACALLADO, J. J. Abundance, spatial distribution and habitat relationships of echinoderms in the Cabo Verde Archipelago (eastern Atlantic). Mar. Freshwat. Res., v. 59, p. 477-488, 2008.

[11] FABRI, M. C.; GALÉRON, J.; LAROUR, M.; MAUDIRE, G. Combining the Biocean database for deep-sea benthic data with the online Ocean Biogeographic Information System. Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser., v. 316, p.215-224, 2006.

[12] FLEISCHER, D.; SCHABER, M.; PIEPENBURG, D. Atlantic snake pipefish (Entelurus aequoreus) extends its northward distribution range to Svalbard (Arctic Ocean). Polar Biol., v. 30, n. 10, p. 1359-1362, 2007.

[13] GASPARINI, J. L.; FLOETER, S. R. The shore fishes of Trindade Island, western South Atlantic. J. nat. Hist., v. 35, p. 1639-1659, 2001.

[14] GASTON, K. J. Species richness: measure and measurement. In: GASTON, K. J. (Ed.). Biodiversity: a biology of numbers and difference. Oxford: Blackwell Science, 1996. p. 77–113.

[15] HALPERN, B. S.; WALBRIDGE, S.; SELKOE, K. A.; KAPPEL, C. V.; MICHELI, F.; D'AGROSA, C.; BRUNO, J. F.; CASEY, K.S.; EBERT, C.; FOX, H. E.; FUJITA, R.; HEINEMANN, D.; LENIHAN, H. S.; MADIN, E. M. P.; PERRY, M. T.; SELIG, E. R.; SPALDING, M.; STENECK, R.; WATSON, R. A global Map of human impact on marine ecosystems. Science, v. 319, p. 948-952, 2008.

[16] HARRIS, P. T.; WHITEWAY, T. High seas marine protected areas: Benthic environmental conservation priorities from a GIS analysis of global ocean biophysical data. Ocean coast. Mngmt, v. 52, n. 1, p. 22-38, 2009.

[17] IUCN. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: version 3.1 Gland and Cambridge: IUCN Species Survival Commission, 2001. 32 p.

[18] JOYEUX, J. C.; FLOETER, S. R.; FERREIRA, C. E. L.; GASPARINI, J. L. Biogeography of tropical reef fishes: the South Atlantic puzzle. J. Biogeogr., v. 28, p. 831-841, 2001.

[19] LANGHAMMER, P. F.; BAKARR, M. I.; BENNUN, L. A.; BROOKS, T. M.; CLAY, R. P.; DARWALL, W.; DE SILVA, N.; EDGAR, G. J.; EKEN, G.; FISHPOOL, L. D. C.; FONSECA, G. A. B. D.; FOSTER, M. N.; KNOX, D. H.; MATIKU, P.; RADFORD, E. A.; RODRIGUES, A. S. L.; SALAMAN, P.; SECHREST, W.; TORDOFF, A. W. Identification and gap analysis of key biodiversity areas: targets for comprehensive protected area systems Switzerland, 2007. (IUCN Best Practice Protected Areas Guidelines, nº 15).

[20] LEO, F. C.; PIRES-VANIN, A. M. S. Benthic megafauna communities under the influence of the South Atlantic Central Water intrusion onto the Brazilian SE shelf: a comparison between an upwelling and non-upwelling ecosystem. J. mar. Syst., v. 60, p. 268-284, 2006.

[21] MACPHERSON, E. Species range size distributions for some marine taxa in the Atlantic Ocean. Effect of latitude and depth. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. Lond, v. 80, p. 437-455, 2003.

[22] MMA – MINISTÉRIO DO MEIO AMBIENTE. Livro vermelho da fauna brasileira ameaçada de extinção v. 1. Brasília, DF,2008. 511 p.(Biodiversidade, 19.

[23] MILLENNIUM ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT. Ecosystems and human well-being: Synthesis Washington, DC: Island Press, 2005.160 p.

[24] NEUMANN-LEITÃO, S.; SANT'ANNA, E. M. E.; GUSMÃO, L. M. O.; NASCIMENTO-VIEIRA, D. A.; PARANAGUÁ, M. N.; SCHWAMBORN, R. Diversity and distribution of the mesozooplankton in the tropical Southwestern Atlantic. J. Plank. Res., v.30, p. 795-805, 2008.

[25] OJEDA-MARTÍNEZ, C.; CASALDUERO, F.G.; BAYLE-SEMPERE, J.T.; CEBRIÁN, C.B.; VALLE, C.; SANCHEZ-LIZASO, J.L.; FORCADA, A.; SANCHEZ-JEREZ, P.; MARTÍN-SOSA, P.; FALCÓN, J.M.; SALAS, F.; GRAZIANO, M.; CHEMELLO, R.; STOBART, B.; CARTAGENA, P.; PÉREZ-RUZAFA, A.; VANDEPERRE, F.; ROCHEL, E.; PLANES, S.; BRITO, A. A conceptual framework for the integral management of marine protected areas. Ocean coast. Mgmt, v. 52, n. 2, p. 89-101, 2009.

[26] PÉREZ-RUZAFA, A.; MARCOS, C.; GARCÍA-CHARTON, J.A.; SALAS, F. European marine protected areas (MPAs) as tools for fisheries management and conservation. J. Nat. Conserv., v.16, p. 187-192, 2008.

[27] PHILLIPS, S.T.; ANDERSON, R.P.; SCHAPIRE, R.E. Maximum entropy modeling of species geographic distributions. Ecol. Model., v. 190, p. 231-259, 2006.

[28] PHILLIPS, S.T.; DUDÍK, M. Modeling of species distributions with Maxent: new extensions and a comprehensive evaluation. Ecography, v. 31, p. 161–175, 2008.

[29] ROTENBERRY, J. T.; PRESTON, K. L.; KNICK, S. T. GIS-based niche modeling for mapping species' habitat. Ecology, v. 87, n. 6, p. 1458-1464, 2006.

[30] STRAMMA, L.; IKEDA, Y.; PETERSON, R. G. Geostrophic transport in the Brazil Current region north of 20º S. Deep-Sea Res., v. 37, p. 1875-1886, 1990.

[31] TITTENSOR, D. P.; BACO, A. R.; BREWIN, P. E.; CLARCK, M. R.; CONSALVEY, M.; HALL-SPENCER, J.; ROWDEN, A. A.; SCHLACHER, T.; STOCKS. K. I.; ROGERS, A. D. Predicting global habitat suitability for stony corals on seamounts. J. Biogeogr., v. 36, n. 6, p.1111-1128, 2009.

[32] UNEP. Report on the Sixth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (UNEP/CBD/COP/6/20/Part2) 2002. Available from: http://www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/cop/cop-06/official/cop-06-20-part2-en.pdf Accessed: 12 March, 2009.

[33] VERBRUGGEN, H.; TYBERGHEIN, L.; PAULY, K.; VLAEMINCK, C.; VAN NIEUWENHUYZE, K.; KOOISTRA, W.H.C.F.; LELIAERT, F.; DE CLERCK, O. Macroecology meets macroevolution: evolutionary niche dynamics in the seaweed Halimeda. Global Ecol. Biogeog., v. 18 (3), p.392-404, 2009.