Item – Theses Canada

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OCLC number
1019496606
Author
Hamilton, Eleanor S. S.
Title
Effects of boat disturbance on Antillean manatee space use and foraging habitat.
Degree
M.S. -- Simon Fraser University, 2009
Publisher
Ottawa :Library and Archives Canada = Bibliothèque et Archives Canada,2014.
Description
microfiches
Notes
Includes bibliographical references.
Abstract
<?Pub Inc> Direct and indirect effects of boat traffic on Antillean manatees (' Trichechus manatus manatus') and their habitat were examined in Southern Lagoon, Belize. I used a GIS-based Ecological Niche Factor Analysis to test whether manatees trade resources for safety. There was some evidence for a shift away from abundant resources (i.e., seagrass) but not from a spatially limited one (i.e., warm refuge) near boats. Thus, warm-water availability appears to be the key driver of manatee habitat use. To determine whether boat-induced changes in manatee grazing led to indirect effects on seagrass, boat traffic was experimentally increased near open plots and caged plots which excluded manatees, and seagrass growth compared among treatment and control plots. However, seagrass growth was hampered by unusual weather, hence the results are equivocal. The importance of warm refuges for manatees in Belize has not previously been recognised and should be prioritised in future management strategies and tourism guidelines.
ISBN
9780499237040
0499237048