Marc Fernandez
University of the Azores
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Publication
Featured researches published by Marc Fernandez.
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom | 2010
Lenin Oviedo; María Alejandra Esteves; Romina Acevedo; Noemi Silva; Jaime Bolaños-Jiménez; Ana Maria Quevedo; Marc Fernandez
The north-eastern coast of Venezuela hosts a high diversity of megafauna, particularly related with high productivity due to coastal upwelling. This area is mainly characterized by the existence of the primary fisheries in Venezuela, mostly supported by a great abundance of small pelagic species. This would explain why the area supports a wide range of marine top predators, including cetaceans. The current status of cetacean populations off north-eastern Venezuela is uncertain, mainly because research efforts have been very sparse. There are still many gaps of information in cetacean biology to establish a solid baseline that can be used for management decisions. Common dolphins (Delphinus spp.) are widely dispersed over the whole north-east basin, including waters off Araya and Paria Peninsula and around Margarita, Coche and Cubagua Islands. Areas of higher densities for Delphinus spp. coincide with the focal location of sardine fisheries and the most-active upwelling on the north-eastern coast. Therefore, a scheme of management should consider the areas of major productivity along the coast as potential critical habitat for the species. Further data collection is recommended, increasing aspects such as trophic ecology and the continuity of behavioural sampling, paired with systematic line transect estimation.
Journal of Mammalogy | 2018
Lenin Oviedo; Marc Fernandez; David Herra-Miranda; Juan Diego Pacheco-Polanco; Claudia Janetl Hernández-Camacho; David Aurioles-Gamboa
Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata) co-occur in Golfo Dulce, a fjord-like embayment located in the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. We evaluated if spatial overlap by these dolphin species is associated with similar environmental requirements. Presence-only models based on niche theory were constructed by contrasting a set of spatial locations with the responses of the target species to abiotic ecogeographical variables (EGVs: depth, slope, distance to rivers, distance to 200 m isobath, mean sea surface temperature, and variation in sea surface temperature). Models were cross-validated with levels of discrimination that ranged from acceptable to excellent based on the area under the curve assessment (T. truncatus, rainy season: 0.76, dry season: 0.83; S. attenuata, rainy season: 0.84, dry season: 0.89). Both dolphin species occur in Golfo Dulce year-round; the lack of seasonality documented previously was supported by the models. Species distribution models showed no spatial overlap, with differences in EGVs affecting their distribution (T. truncatus: distance to river + distance to 200 m isobath, S. attenuata: depth + sea surface temperature). We argue that the coexistence of both predators in Golfo Dulce is linked to habitat heterogeneity, where critical habitats are spatially differentiated. The lack of fine-scale spatial overlap, along with influential abiotic variables, highlights a process of coexistence for dolphins that are sympatric at the scale of Golfo Dulce, but within the Gulf there is fine-scale allopatry.
Journal of Biogeography | 2017
Marc Fernandez; Chris Yesson; Alexandre Gannier; Peter I. Miller; José M. N. Azevedo
Marine Mammal Science | 2015
Karin L. Hartman; Marc Fernandez; Anja Wittich; José M. N. Azevedo
Marine Ecology Progress Series | 2018
Marc Fernandez; Chris Yesson; A. Gannier; Peter I. Miller; José M. N. Azevedo
Jornadas "Ciência nos Açores - que futuro?" | 2013
Marc Fernandez; José M. N. Azevedo
Conhecer o Mar dos Açores III - Fórum científico de apoio à decisão | 2013
Karin L. Hartman; Marc Fernandez; José M. N. Azevedo
Conhecer o Mar dos Açores III - Fórum científico de apoio à decisão | 2013
Marc Fernandez; José M. N. Azevedo
27th Conference of the European Cetacean Society | 2013
Beatriz Oliveira; Marc Fernandez; José M. N. Azevedo
26th Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society | 2012
Marc Fernandez; Karin L. Hartman; José M. N. Azevedo