Manta and devil ray aggregations: conservation challenges and developments in the field

Frontiers in Marine Science

Marine Science

Donald A. Croll¹  Kelly M. Zilliacus¹  Rogelio González−Armas²  Felipe Galván−Magaña²  Marta D. Palacios³  Abel Trejo-Ramírez⁴  Nerea Lezama-Ochoa⁵  Melissa R. Cronin⁶  Guy M. W. Stevens⁷  Joshua D. Stewart⁸  Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara⁹ 

[1] Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States;Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, La Paz, BCS, Mexico;Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, La Paz, BCS, Mexico;Mobula Conservation, La Paz, BCS, Mexico;Pelagios Kakunja A.C, La Paz, BCS, Mexico;The Manta Trust, Corscombe, Dorset, United Kingdom;Mobula Conservation, La Paz, BCS, Mexico;Mobula Conservation, La Paz, BCS, Mexico;The Manta Trust, Corscombe, Dorset, United Kingdom;Institute of Marine Science, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States;Mobula Conservation, La Paz, BCS, Mexico;The Manta Trust, Corscombe, Dorset, United Kingdom;Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States;The Manta Trust, Corscombe, Dorset, United Kingdom;The Manta Trust, Corscombe, Dorset, United Kingdom;Ocean Ecology Lab, Marine Mammal Institute, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife & Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, United States;The Manta Trust, Corscombe, Dorset, United Kingdom;Tethys Research Institute, Milan, Italy;

关键词: mobula;    grouping behavior;    elasmobranch;    social group;    management;    feeding;    courtship and mating;    cleaning;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmars.2023.1148234

 received in 2023-01-19, accepted in 2023-03-31,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Manta and devil rays (mobulids) are filter feeding elasmobranchs with extreme K-selective life histories found circumglobally from temperate to tropical waters. Their vulnerability to fisheries exploitation, bycatch, boat collisions, entanglement and unregulated tourism is exacerbated by their aggregative behavior. Studies have identified aggregation sites around the world for all nine mobulid species, with these groupings varying from a few individuals to thousands. However, the terminology used to define these aggregations and the drivers underpinning them remain unclear, hindering the development of effective management and conservation strategies. Here, we analyze aggregation behavior for mobulid species, providing consistent definitions for grouping events and summarizing the existing research on drivers and environmental factors triggering these events. We find that aggregation behaviors facilitate socializing and key life history functions in mobulids, including feeding, courtship and mating, predation avoidance, cleaning, and thermoregulation. Conservation threats and management mitigation opportunities associated with aggregations sites include fisheries, tourism, spatial protection, and climate change. Finally, we highlight knowledge gaps for future research prioritization and developments in the field for the identification of aggregation sites, the study of aggregation size and demographics and the functions and timing of aggregations.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Palacios, Stewart, Croll, Cronin, Trejo-Ramírez, Stevens, Lezama-Ochoa, Zilliacus, González−Armas, Notarbartolo di Sciara and Galván−Magaña