• Academic publication

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

Ribó M, Macdonald H, Watson SJ, Hillman JR, Strachan LJ, Thrush SF, Mountjoy JJ, Hadfield MG & Lamarche G (August 2021). Marine Environmental Research, 163: 105218

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