Predicted habitat and areas of ecological significance shifts of top predators in the South Shetland Islands under climate changes
The South Shetland Islands, a critical area for primary productivity within the Southern Ocean, are significantly affected by global climate change. Seabirds and marine mammals, highly sensitive to ecological changes, are considered sentinel species within the ecosystem. Monitoring top predators and...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1554232/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850156341717368832 |
|---|---|
| author | Yufei Dai Yufei Dai Denghui Yan Yu Liu Yu Liu Mingding Zhong Minhao Gao Hao Cheng Wenhong Deng Fuxing Wu |
| author_facet | Yufei Dai Yufei Dai Denghui Yan Yu Liu Yu Liu Mingding Zhong Minhao Gao Hao Cheng Wenhong Deng Fuxing Wu |
| author_sort | Yufei Dai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The South Shetland Islands, a critical area for primary productivity within the Southern Ocean, are significantly affected by global climate change. Seabirds and marine mammals, highly sensitive to ecological changes, are considered sentinel species within the ecosystem. Monitoring top predators and identifying Areas of Ecological Significance (AES) are essential for enhancing biodiversity conservation effectiveness and addressing future climate changes. This study employed the MaxEnt model and Zonation method to predict the distribution of suitable habitats and AES for 14 top predators in the South Shetland Islands under current and future climate scenarios. Key findings include: 1) The spatial distribution of top predators in the South Shetland Islands is predominantly influenced by bathymetry, mixed layer thickness (Mlotst), and sea ice concentration (SIC). 2) The highly suitable habitats for the Gentoo Penguin (Pygoscelis papua), Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), and Light-mantled Albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata) are expected to decrease under various future scenarios. 3) The AES in the South Shetland Islands are predominantly concentrated along the southern coastal areas. 4) The AES on the western side of the islands are projected to undergo significant fluctuations, while those on the eastern side are likely to exhibit minor changes, with the central area remaining relatively stable. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cb042f561e4c48899cbdcd941b61941c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-cb042f561e4c48899cbdcd941b61941c2025-08-20T02:24:34ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452025-04-011210.3389/fmars.2025.15542321554232Predicted habitat and areas of ecological significance shifts of top predators in the South Shetland Islands under climate changesYufei Dai0Yufei Dai1Denghui Yan2Yu Liu3Yu Liu4Mingding Zhong5Minhao Gao6Hao Cheng7Wenhong Deng8Fuxing Wu9Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Ministry of Natural Resources, Shanghai, ChinaAntarctic Great Wall Ecology National Observation and Research Station, Polar Research Institute of China, Ministry of Natural Resources, Shanghai, ChinaMinistry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaMinistry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, ChinaKey Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Ministry of Natural Resources, Shanghai, ChinaKey Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Ministry of Natural Resources, Shanghai, ChinaKey Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Ministry of Natural Resources, Shanghai, ChinaMinistry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaThird Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, ChinaThe South Shetland Islands, a critical area for primary productivity within the Southern Ocean, are significantly affected by global climate change. Seabirds and marine mammals, highly sensitive to ecological changes, are considered sentinel species within the ecosystem. Monitoring top predators and identifying Areas of Ecological Significance (AES) are essential for enhancing biodiversity conservation effectiveness and addressing future climate changes. This study employed the MaxEnt model and Zonation method to predict the distribution of suitable habitats and AES for 14 top predators in the South Shetland Islands under current and future climate scenarios. Key findings include: 1) The spatial distribution of top predators in the South Shetland Islands is predominantly influenced by bathymetry, mixed layer thickness (Mlotst), and sea ice concentration (SIC). 2) The highly suitable habitats for the Gentoo Penguin (Pygoscelis papua), Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), and Light-mantled Albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata) are expected to decrease under various future scenarios. 3) The AES in the South Shetland Islands are predominantly concentrated along the southern coastal areas. 4) The AES on the western side of the islands are projected to undergo significant fluctuations, while those on the eastern side are likely to exhibit minor changes, with the central area remaining relatively stable.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1554232/fullSouth Shetland Islandclimate changetop predatorssuitable habitatAreas of Ecological Significance (AESs) |
| spellingShingle | Yufei Dai Yufei Dai Denghui Yan Yu Liu Yu Liu Mingding Zhong Minhao Gao Hao Cheng Wenhong Deng Fuxing Wu Predicted habitat and areas of ecological significance shifts of top predators in the South Shetland Islands under climate changes Frontiers in Marine Science South Shetland Island climate change top predators suitable habitat Areas of Ecological Significance (AESs) |
| title | Predicted habitat and areas of ecological significance shifts of top predators in the South Shetland Islands under climate changes |
| title_full | Predicted habitat and areas of ecological significance shifts of top predators in the South Shetland Islands under climate changes |
| title_fullStr | Predicted habitat and areas of ecological significance shifts of top predators in the South Shetland Islands under climate changes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Predicted habitat and areas of ecological significance shifts of top predators in the South Shetland Islands under climate changes |
| title_short | Predicted habitat and areas of ecological significance shifts of top predators in the South Shetland Islands under climate changes |
| title_sort | predicted habitat and areas of ecological significance shifts of top predators in the south shetland islands under climate changes |
| topic | South Shetland Island climate change top predators suitable habitat Areas of Ecological Significance (AESs) |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1554232/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yufeidai predictedhabitatandareasofecologicalsignificanceshiftsoftoppredatorsinthesouthshetlandislandsunderclimatechanges AT yufeidai predictedhabitatandareasofecologicalsignificanceshiftsoftoppredatorsinthesouthshetlandislandsunderclimatechanges AT denghuiyan predictedhabitatandareasofecologicalsignificanceshiftsoftoppredatorsinthesouthshetlandislandsunderclimatechanges AT yuliu predictedhabitatandareasofecologicalsignificanceshiftsoftoppredatorsinthesouthshetlandislandsunderclimatechanges AT yuliu predictedhabitatandareasofecologicalsignificanceshiftsoftoppredatorsinthesouthshetlandislandsunderclimatechanges AT mingdingzhong predictedhabitatandareasofecologicalsignificanceshiftsoftoppredatorsinthesouthshetlandislandsunderclimatechanges AT minhaogao predictedhabitatandareasofecologicalsignificanceshiftsoftoppredatorsinthesouthshetlandislandsunderclimatechanges AT haocheng predictedhabitatandareasofecologicalsignificanceshiftsoftoppredatorsinthesouthshetlandislandsunderclimatechanges AT wenhongdeng predictedhabitatandareasofecologicalsignificanceshiftsoftoppredatorsinthesouthshetlandislandsunderclimatechanges AT fuxingwu predictedhabitatandareasofecologicalsignificanceshiftsoftoppredatorsinthesouthshetlandislandsunderclimatechanges |