Browsing by Author "Mallevoue, Gauthier de"
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- Prediction factors for Manta rays´ (Manta birostris) attendance to cleaning stations in Cabo Blanco´s natural reserve, Pacific coast of Costa RicaPublication . Mallevoue, Gauthier de; Serrão, EsterCleaning stations have great importance for manta rays, they are necessary for these organisms to stay clean and healthy. It is then critical to understand better these micro-ecosystems and the species that cohabit in those sites. This knowledge is important, first to be able to predict the presence of various species, and second to enhance management and conservation practices by understanding their behaviour better. This study aimed to discover if it is possible to predict the presence of manta rays at cleaning stations based on environmental variables. This targets specifically Manta birostris, which belongs to the Mobulidae family, in the Cabo Blanco natural reserve, at two sites: “el Secreto”, and “Isla Cabo Blanco”. To understand better which factors drive the presence or absence of M. birostris at these cleaning stations, acoustic arrays are used to detect the presence of the individuals. In total 22 mantas have been tagged, all of them at “el Secreto”, and 6 manta rays were detected at both sites. Several environmental factors were included in the model such as Chlorophyll a concentration ([Chla]), Sea Surface Temperature (SST), Cloud cover, percentage of the moon illuminated, tides and tidal coefficient, but also the time of the day and the total detections per month. Those factors were compared, and their correlations were tested in order to identify whether they can be used to predict manta ray visitation. Throughout the study, over 2000 detections have been reported. Some environmental factors such as “Cloud cover”, [Chla], “Tide” and “Percentage of the moon illuminated” did not show significant influence on the manta ray visitation whereas “Time of the day”, “SST” and “Tidal coefficient” are potentially significant, although not confirmed by the R² values. It was not possible to develop a significant predictive model for manta ray presence at cleaning stations with the variables available. This study contributed to identify the environmental factors that can potentially predict the manta ray abundance in cleaning stations and their behaviour. The data collected and the result of the study, even when no effects are significant, are useful for the understanding of M. birostris off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica within the Cabo Blanco Marine Managed Area, an important conservation area. Also, the understanding of this species’ behaviour contributes to enhancing the tourism activity (by increasing manta encounters) and leads to improve local economy and knowledge.