Understanding how animals use the space in which they are distributed is important for guiding management decisions in conservation, especially where human disturbance can be spatially managed. Here we applied distribution modelling to examine common dolphin ( Delphinus sp.) habitat use in the Hauraki Gulf (36°S, 175°E), New Zealand. Given the known importance of the area for foraging and nursing, we assessed which variables affect Delphinus occurrence based on generalised additive models (GAMs), and modelled probability of encounter. Behavioural information was included to assess habitat use by feeding and nursing groups and determine whether persistent hotspots for such activities could be identified and meaningfully used as a spatial management tool. Using data collected from dedicated boat surveys during 2010–2012, depth and sea surface temperature (SST) were frequently identified as important variables. Overall, seasonal predictive occurrence maps for the larger population resembled predictive maps of feeding groups more than nursery groups, suggesting prey availability has important implications for the distribution of Delphinus in this region. In this case, static spatial exclusions would not be the best management option as the core areas of use identified for these activities were large and shifted temporally. It appears that at the scale examined, most of the Hauraki Gulf is important for feeding and nursing rather than specific smaller regions being used for these functions. In cases where static management is not the optimal tool, as suggested here for a highly mobile species, a dynamic approach requires more than a boundary line on a map.

中文翻译：

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栖息地使用建模表明静态空间排斥区是高度移动的海洋哺乳动物的非最佳管理工具

了解动物如何使用它们分布的空间对于指导保护中的管理决策很重要，特别是在可以空间管理人类干扰的情况下。在这里，我们应用分布模型来检查新西兰豪拉基湾（36°S，175°E）的普通海豚（Delphinus sp.）栖息地的使用情况。鉴于该地区觅食和护理的已知重要性，我们基于广义加性模型 (GAM) 和建模的遭遇概率评估了哪些变量会影响海豚的出现。行为信息被包括在内，以评估喂养和护理小组对栖息地的使用，并确定是否可以确定此类活动的持续热点并将其作为一种空间管理工具有意义地使用。使用从 2010-2012 年期间专门的船只调查收集的数据，深度和海面温度 (SST) 经常被确定为重要变量。总体而言，较大种群的季节性预测发生图更类似于饲养组的预测图，而不是育苗组，这表明猎物的可用性对该地区的海豚分布具有重要意义。在这种情况下，静态空间排除将不是最佳管理选项，因为为这些活动确定的核心使用区域很大且随时间推移而发生变化。看起来，在所考察的范围内，豪拉基湾的大部分地区对于喂养和护理很重要，而不是用于这些功能的特定较小区域。在静态管理不是最佳工具的情况下，正如此处针对高度流动的物种所建议的那样，动态方法需要的不仅仅是地图上的边界线。