Dear
Colleagues,
My
co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of the following
article in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK:
Mariel T.I. ten Doeschate, Andrew
C. Brownlow, Nicholas J. Davison, and Paul M. Thompson
Dead useful; methods for quantifying baseline
variability in stranding rates to improve the ecological value of the strandings
record as a monitoring tool. JMBA. doi:10.1017/S0025315417000698
ABSTRACT: The ecological value of the stranding record is often challenged due to
the complexity in quantifying the biases associated with multiple components of
the stranding process. There are biological, physical and social aspects that
complicate the interpretation of stranding data particularly at a population
level. We show how examination of baseline variability in the historic
stranding record can provide useful insights into temporal trends and facilitate the
detection of unusual variability in stranding rates. Seasonal variability was examined using
harbour porpoise strandings between 1992 and 2014 on the east coast of
Scotland. Generalised Additive Mixed modelling revealed a strong seasonal
pattern, with numbers increasing from February towards a peak in April.
Profiling seasonality this way facilitates detection of unusual elevations in
stranding frequencies. With this study we aim to demonstrate that a described
baseline in strandings allows the detection of abnormalities at an early stage.
This methodology thereby provides means to quantify and partition the
variability associated with strandings data and is a useful first step towards
improving the stranding record as a management resource.
If you would like a PDF of this article or have
any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me on marielten.doeschate@sac.co.uk
or marieltdoeschate@gmail.com
Cheers,
Mariel ten Doeschate
Scottish Marine Animal Stranding
Scheme
SRUC Veterinary Services
Inverness IV2 4JZ
+44 (0) 7990513589
www.strandings.org