rattray-waveexposure-2015.pdf (10.48 MB)
Wave exposure as a predictor of benthic habitat distribution on high energy temperate reefs
journal contribution
posted on 2015-02-01, 00:00 authored by Alex RattrayAlex Rattray, Daniel IerodiaconouDaniel Ierodiaconou, T WomersleyThe new found ability to measure physical attributes of the marine environment at high resolution across broad spatial scales has driven the rapid evolution of benthic habitat mapping as a field in its own right. Improvement of the resolution and ecological validity of seafloor habitat distribution models has, for the most part, paralleled developments in
new generations of acoustic survey tools such as multibeam echosounders. While sonar methods have been well demonstrated to provide useful proxies of the relatively static geophysical patterns that reflect distribution of benthic species and assemblages, the spatially and temporally variable influence of hydrodynamic energy on habitat distribution have been less well studied. Here we investigate the role of wave exposure on patterns of distribution of near-shore benthic habitats. A high resolution spectral wave model was developed for a 624km2 site along Cape Otway, a major coastal feature of western
Victoria, Australia. Comparison of habitat classifications implemented using the Random Forests algorithm established that significantly more accurate estimations of habitat distribution were obtained by including a fine-scale numerical wave model, extended to the seabed using linear wave theory, than by using depth and seafloor morphology
information alone. Variable importance measures and map interpretation indicated that the spatial variation in wave-induced bottom orbital velocity was most influential in discriminating habitat classes containing the canopy forming kelp Ecklonia radiata, a foundation kelp species that affects biodiversity and ecological functioning on shallow
reefs across temperate Australasia.We demonstrate that hydrodynamic models reflecting key environmental drivers on wave-exposed coastlines are important in accurately defining distributions of benthic habitats. This study highlights the suitability of exposure measures
for predictive habitat modeling on wave-exposed coastlines and provides a basis for continuing work relating patterns of biological distribution to remotely-sensed patterns of the physical environment.
new generations of acoustic survey tools such as multibeam echosounders. While sonar methods have been well demonstrated to provide useful proxies of the relatively static geophysical patterns that reflect distribution of benthic species and assemblages, the spatially and temporally variable influence of hydrodynamic energy on habitat distribution have been less well studied. Here we investigate the role of wave exposure on patterns of distribution of near-shore benthic habitats. A high resolution spectral wave model was developed for a 624km2 site along Cape Otway, a major coastal feature of western
Victoria, Australia. Comparison of habitat classifications implemented using the Random Forests algorithm established that significantly more accurate estimations of habitat distribution were obtained by including a fine-scale numerical wave model, extended to the seabed using linear wave theory, than by using depth and seafloor morphology
information alone. Variable importance measures and map interpretation indicated that the spatial variation in wave-induced bottom orbital velocity was most influential in discriminating habitat classes containing the canopy forming kelp Ecklonia radiata, a foundation kelp species that affects biodiversity and ecological functioning on shallow
reefs across temperate Australasia.We demonstrate that hydrodynamic models reflecting key environmental drivers on wave-exposed coastlines are important in accurately defining distributions of benthic habitats. This study highlights the suitability of exposure measures
for predictive habitat modeling on wave-exposed coastlines and provides a basis for continuing work relating patterns of biological distribution to remotely-sensed patterns of the physical environment.
History
Journal
Frontiers in Marine ScienceVolume
2Pagination
1 - 15Publisher
Frontiers Research FoundationLocation
Lausanne, SwitzerlandPublisher DOI
eISSN
2296-7745Language
engPublication classification
C Journal article; C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2015, The AuthorsUsage metrics
Keywords
habitat mappingmultibeam sonarremote sensinghydrodynamic modelingvideo surveyrandom forestsScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineEnvironmental SciencesMarine & Freshwater BiologyEnvironmental Sciences & EcologyMARINE MACROALGAL COMMUNITIESAUSTRALIAN CONTINENTAL-SHELFCLASSIFICATIONCANOPYDYNAMICSASSEMBLAGESDISTURBANCELANDSCAPESMORPHOLOGYPATTERNSOceanographyEcology
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC