Stuart Negus

Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation

QMUL

QMUL

Understanding how animals are distributed when they aggregate at breeding and foraging sites provides important information on how populations might respond to environmental change, such as habitat loss or climatic variation. However, it is important to investigate how populations respond in a wider ecosystem context, as conspecifics or predatory species likely contribute to the movement and distribution of individuals.

Here, I will elucidate what factors drive the niche exploitation of sea turtles in relation to resources and competitors/predators at breeding and foraging sites in the Atlantic (Cape Verde) and Mediterranean (Greece), respectively. Specifically, I will: (i) determine the connectivity between immature and adult sea turtles using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), (ii) determine the community dynamics of marine fauna in a biodiversity hotspot during an sea turtle nesting season and (iii) determine the link between breeding and feeding grounds in sea turtle distribution through stable isotope analysis and UAV surveys. As the distribution of animals is influenced by conspecifics, other organisms and the environment, obtaining population and community level information could reveal changes to behaviours and interactions with our changing climate.

Identifying the drivers of marine population dynamics across regional scales enables the opportunity to predict where populations, currently unknown to science, can be found. Expanding to marine communities, my research will determine which species should be considered as an ‘umbrella species’ and act as a focus for future protective measures. Finally, the key characteristics identified that drive population and community dynamics across time and space will establish which key marine regions overlap with anthropogenic threats that act as an important source for the Mediterranean & Cape Verdean economies and culture.

Guillaume Gauche (Wolf in Motion) website: https://www.wolfinmotion.com/

• Centre of Public Engagement Large Grant – Dronespot – Queen Mary, University of London Centre for Public Engagement
• Centre of Public Engagement Large Grant – WildLive Streaming – Queen Mary, University of London Centre for Public Engagement

• Liam CD Dickson, Stuart RB Negus, Christophe Eizaguirre, Kostas Katselidas Gail Schofield (2022) Aerial Drone Surveys Reveal the Efficacy of a Protected Area Network for Marine Megafauna and the Value of Sea Turtles as Umbrella Species Drones DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6100291

UCL CBER Lunchbox Podcast Podcast. Contributors: Dr Jess Williams