Habitat selection of a coastal shark species estimated from an autonomous underwater vehicle

摘要: Quantifying habitat selection in marine organisms is challenging because it diffi- cult to obtain species location information with multiple corresponding measurements. In the ocean, conditions vary on many spatiotemporal scales, which have important conse- quences for selection. While macroscale biotic and abiotic features influence seasonal movements (spatial scales of 100�1000 km), selectivity mesoscales (1�100 km) reflects an animal's response local environment. this study, we examined selec- tivity by pairing acoustic telemetry environmental parameters measured autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), demonstrate that migrating sand tiger sharks Carcharias taurus along East Coast USA did not randomly use coastal Of variables examined, found evidence suggest tigers were selecting their based distance shore, salinity, colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). Notably, temperature was predictive our study. We posit during migration, select specific mesoscale habitats may inform navi- gation or feeding behaviors. To knowledge, first empirical measure a organism using AUV. The applications method extend beyond tigers, will prove useful future studies com- bining situ observations animal observations.