Journal Articles

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915

Browse

Has files: YesSubject: search.filters.subject.citizen science

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni) occurrence and foraging behaviour along the east coast of Australia
    (Taylor and Francis Group, 2024-10-09) Pirotta V; Cagnazzi D; Dixon B; Millar S; Millar J; Pickering G; Butcher PA; Stockin KA; Peters KJ
    Despite their global occurrence in warm-temperate waters and their suspected non-migratory lifestyle, Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni spp.) are considered the least-known large baleen whale species. In Australian waters, information on their distribution, ecology and behaviour is scarce. This study documents Bryde’s whale occurrence and foraging behaviours along the Australian East Coast using opportunistic citizen science sightings via drone aerial photography, vessel and land-based observations. We observed foraging in both shallow (seafloor visible, beach and breaking waves present) and deep waters. We observed a range of foraging behaviours including lunge feeding (exhibited by individual whales and in pairs), sub-surface and surface skim feeding (shallow waters only) and described multispecies associations. We describe a potentially novel feeding behaviour in shallow waters, where Bryde’s whales are feeding directly within or behind the surf break (shallow water surf feeding). We quantify the presence of mother-calf pairs in Australian waters, highlighting the use of these waters for potential calving. This study provides insights into Bryde’s whale occurrence and foraging behaviour in both shallow and deep waters of eastern Australia.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Introduced alien, range extension or just visiting? Combining citizen science observations and expert knowledge to classify range dynamics of marine fishes
    (1/07/2021) Middleton I; Aguirre JD; Trnski T; Francis M; Duffy C; Liggins L
    Aim: Despite the unprecedented rate of species redistribution during the Anthropocene, there are few monitoring programmes at the appropriate spatial and temporal scale to detect distributional change of marine species and to infer climate- versus human-mediated drivers of change. Here, we present an approach that combines citizen science with expert knowledge to classify out-of-range occurrences for marine fishes as potential range extensions or human-mediated dispersal events. Innovation: Our stepwise approach includes decision trees, scoring and matrices to classify citizen science observations of species occurrences and to provide a measure of confidence and validation using expert knowledge. Our method draws on peer-reviewed literature, knowledge of the species (e.g. contributing to its detectability, and potential to raft with, or foul, man-made structures or debris) and information obtained from citizen science observations (e.g. life stage, number of individuals). Using a case study of suspected out-of-range marine fishes in Aotearoa New Zealand, we demonstrate our approach to defining species’ ranges, assigning confidence to these definitions and considering the species detectability to overcome the data deficiencies that currently hinder monitoring the range dynamics of these species. Our classification of citizen science observations revealed that six of ten species had out-of-range occurrences; one of these was classified as an extralimital vagrant, four species had potentially extended their ranges and one species occurrence was likely due to human-mediated dispersal. Conclusion: The case study of marine fishes in New Zealand validates our approach combining citizen science observations with expert knowledge to infer species range dynamics in real time. Our stepwise approach helps to identify data deficiencies important in informing scientific inferences and management actions and can be refined to suit other data sources, taxonomic groups, geographic settings or extended with new steps and existing tools.