Predicting habitat suitability of filter-feeder communities in a shallow marine environment, New Zealand

Highlights

• Potential suitable habitats for filter-feeders are evaluated in Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui and Tory Channel/Kura Te Au.
• Seabed mapping, oceanographic modelling, hydrographic and sedimentary processes and biological observations were integrated.
• Results showed that suitable filter-feeder habitat is restricted to sheltered and quiet areas, up to ~200 m off the coast.
• We demonstrated that a multidisciplinary approach is crucial to predict the spatial distribution of benthic communities.
• Further investigations on disturbance-recovery dynamics together with added mātauranga and historical knowledge is needed.

Keywords

Habitat suitability maps, Seabed geomorphology, Near-bottom currents, Turbidity, Suspended sediment concentration, Filter-feeder communities, Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui and Tory Channel/Kura Te Au,
Benthic habitat restoration