Spatial and temporal variation in the effects of climatic variables on Dugong calf production
Article
Article Title | Spatial and temporal variation in the effects of climatic variables on Dugong calf production |
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ERA Journal ID | 39745 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Fuentes, Mariana M. P. B. (Author), Delean, Steven (Author), Grayson, Jillian (Author), Lavender, Sally (Author), Logan, Murray (Author) and Marsh, Helene (Author) |
Journal Title | PLoS One |
Journal Citation | 11 (6), pp. 1-14 |
Article Number | e0155675 |
Number of Pages | 14 |
Year | 2016 |
Publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
Place of Publication | United States |
ISSN | 1932-6203 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0155675 |
Abstract | Knowledge of the relationships between environmental forcing and demographic parameters is important for predicting responses from climatic changes and to manage populations effectively. We explore the relationships between the proportion of sea cows (Dugong dugon) classified as calves and four climatic drivers (rainfall anomaly, Southern Oscillation El Niño Index [SOI], NINO 3.4 sea surface temperature index, and number of tropical cyclones) at a range of spatially distinct locations in Queensland, Australia, a region with relatively high dugong density. Dugong and calf data were obtained from standardized aerial surveys conducted along the study region. A range of lagged versions of each of the focal climatic drivers (1 to 4 years) were included in a global model containing the proportion of calves in each population crossed with each of the lagged versions of the climatic drivers to explore relationships. The relative influence of each predictor was estimated via Gibbs variable selection. The relationships between the proportion of dependent calves and the climatic drivers varied spatially and temporally, with climatic drivers influencing calf counts at sub-regional scales. Thus we recommend that the assessment of and management response to indirect climatic threats on dugongs should also occur at sub-regional scales. © 2016 Fuentes et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
Keywords | rain; adult; Australia; climate change; Dugongs; environmental change; environmental factor; environmental management; environmental temperature |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 410402. Environmental assessment and monitoring |
370201. Climate change processes | |
410404. Environmental management | |
Byline Affiliations | James Cook University |
University of Adelaide | |
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia | |
Australian Institute of Marine Science, Australia | |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q51xz/spatial-and-temporal-variation-in-the-effects-of-climatic-variables-on-dugong-calf-production
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