Natural and anthropogenic factors associated with the distribution of South American sea lion along the Atlantic coast |
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Authors: | Juan I Túnez Humberto L Cappozzo Marcelo H Cassini |
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Institution: | (1) Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Nacional de Luján, Rutas 5 y 7, Luján, Provincia de Buenos Aires, 6700, Argentina;(2) Estación Hidrobiológica de Puerto Quequén y Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’ (MACN-CONICET), Av. ángel Gallardo 470, Buenos Aires, C1405DJR, Argentina;(3) Fundación Organización PROFAUNA, Corrientes 1145, 4° piso, oficina 47, Buenos Aires, 1043, Argentina |
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Abstract: | The aim of this work was to analyse those characteristics of the Atlantic coast that are associated with distribution, abundance
and breeding activity of Otaria flavescens at three ecological scales. We followed a research strategy that consists in looking at the variables that are associated
with the pattern of distribution at regional and landscape scales, instead of following local population in time. We used
bibliographic data of censuses carried out between 1946 and 1997 and a Geographic Information System (GIS) to integrate information
proceeding from censuses and different environmental variables. At a regional scale, we found that the distribution of breeding
colonies did not vary in the period of time analysed and was associated with the pattern of occupation of the coast and the
tide width. There was a significant decrease in abundance between 1946 and 1997. In ‘north-central Patagonia’, the segment of coast with the highest number of sea lions in Argentina, distribution of colonies was associated with islands
availability and negatively correlated with places were anthropogenic disturbance was high. At a local scale, breeding colonies
were positive associated with slight slope coasts and negatively associated to rocky beaches. We identify those characteristics
of the coast associated with distribution of breeding colonies of O. flavescens, which operate at different ecological and temporal scales.
Handling editor: K. Martens |
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Keywords: | Environmental factors Otaria flavescens Distribution Abundance GIS |
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