Diversity of deep-water cetaceans and primary productivity

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Abstract

Recently, it has been suggested that mammal diversity both on land and in the sea is controlled by patterns of primary productivity. Here we tested the hypotheses that large-scale patterns of marine mammal diversity are linked to primary productivity, sea surface temperature (SST) or a combination of these 2 factors. We used a consistently sampled sightings database of deep-water cetaceans in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, along with in situ SST measurements and 3 satellite-derived productivity measures matched spatially and temporally to available sightings. Cetacean genus richness peaked in regions of high primary productivity (>1000 to 1500 mg C m-2 d -1), but most of this effect is captured by optimal SST in those same regions. Our results show that the best-supported, explanatory models of cetacean diversity included SST, while the addition of satellitederived measures of productivity did not improve predictive capacity. Marine mammal richness globally peaks around 40°N and S, and may result more directly from optimal SST at these latitudes rather than high oceanic productivity. © Inter-Research 2010 · www.int-res.com.

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APA

Whitehead, H., O’Brien, K., & Worm, B. (2010). Diversity of deep-water cetaceans and primary productivity. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 408, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08619

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