3D ecological niche models outperform 2D in predicting coelacanth (Latimeria spp.) habitat

IF 2.8 2区生物学 Q1 MARINE & FRESHWATER BIOLOGY

Frontiers in Marine Science Pub Date : 2025-03-06 DOI:10.3389/fmars.2025.1521474

Emmaline Sheahan, Hannah Owens, Robert Guralnick, Gavin Naylor

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

IntroductionDiscoveries of coelacanth populations off the East African coast and in the Indo-Pacific warrant an analysis of their potential distributions, but the necessary tools to model and project their distributions in 3 dimensions are lacking.MethodsUsing occurrence records for the West Indian ocean coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, we produced 3D and 2D maximum entropy ecological niche models and projected them into the habitat of the Indonesian coelacanth, Latimeria menadoensis. We gauged each model’s success by how well it could predict L. menadoensis presences recorded from submersible observations.ResultsWhile the 2D model omitted 33% of occurrences at the most forgiving threshold, the 3D model successfully predicted all occurrences, regardless of threshold level.DiscussionIncorporating depth results in improved model accuracy when predicting coelacanth habitat, and projecting into 3 dimensions can give us insights as to where to target future sampling. This 3D modelling framework can help us better understand how marine species are distributed by depth and allow for more targeted conservation management.

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来源期刊

Frontiers in Marine Science Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Aquatic Science

CiteScore

5.10

自引率

16.20%

发文量

2443

审稿时长

14 weeks

期刊介绍： Frontiers in Marine Science publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research that advances our understanding of all aspects of the environment, biology, ecosystem functioning and human interactions with the oceans. Field Chief Editor Carlos M. Duarte at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal is supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international researchers. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, policy makers and the public worldwide. With the human population predicted to reach 9 billion people by 2050, it is clear that traditional land resources will not suffice to meet the demand for food or energy, required to support high-quality livelihoods. As a result, the oceans are emerging as a source of untapped assets, with new innovative industries, such as aquaculture, marine biotechnology, marine energy and deep-sea mining growing rapidly under a new era characterized by rapid growth of a blue, ocean-based economy. The sustainability of the blue economy is closely dependent on our knowledge about how to mitigate the impacts of the multiple pressures on the ocean ecosystem associated with the increased scale and diversification of industry operations in the ocean and global human pressures on the environment. Therefore, Frontiers in Marine Science particularly welcomes the communication of research outcomes addressing ocean-based solutions for the emerging challenges, including improved forecasting and observational capacities, understanding biodiversity and ecosystem problems, locally and globally, effective management strategies to maintain ocean health, and an improved capacity to sustainably derive resources from the oceans.