1. Shark and ray community structure in a turbid, nearshore coral reef habitat
- Author
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Conrad W. Speed, Samantha Andrzejaczek, Sarah Martinez, Mark G. Meekan, and Arthur Yon
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,geography ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Ecology ,biology ,Carcharhinus melanopterus ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Coral reef ,Aquatic Science ,Oceanography ,biology.organism_classification ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Fishery ,Common species ,Habitat ,Abundance (ecology) ,Threatened species ,Marine protected area ,Nebrius ferrugineus ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
The coastline of northern Australia may be a refuge for elasmobranchs threatened or extirpated from much of their former ranges across South-East Asia. In this study, we used baited remote underwater video stations to survey the abundance, size and assemblage of elasmobranchs in the Cobourg Marine Park in northern Australia. Two sites were sampled inside the park and one site was sampled outside the park, covering two management zones: open and partially protected. During the austral summer, 85 individuals of 12 species of elasmobranch were observed over 12 days. No significant differences were observed among sites in either size or abundance for common species. Videos were dominated by Carcharhinus melanopterus (relative abundance±s.d., 0.29±0.90h–1), Nebrius ferrugineus (0.03±0.24h–1) and Urogymnus granulatus (0.08±0.28h–1), which comprised >81% of all individuals. Environmental variables had no measurable effect on the abundance of elasmobranchs. The abundance and diversity of elasmobranchs in Cobourg Marine Park is high compared with other similar turbid, inshore areas of northern Australia. The large number of juveniles observed in our surveys also suggests the possibility of a nursery area.
- Published
- 2020