Abstract
Any attempt to describe the spatial ecology of sharks and rays should consider the drivers responsible for movement. Research has shown fluctuations in the environment (abiotic factors) can trigger movement and changes in behaviour and habitat use for many elasmobranch species. Most studies to date have selectively focused on a small number of abiotic factors (i.e. temperature, salinity); however, other factors such as dissolved oxygen, tide, photoperiod, barometric pressure and pH have also been documented to act as drivers of movement in shark and ray species. Although usually examined individually, abiotic factors rarely act in isolation and often differ in their level of influence between species, sex, ontogenetic stage, season and geographic location. This paper reviews the role of abiotic factors as a driver of movement and changes in behaviour and habitat use in elasmobranchs. In the context of a changing climate, insight into how sharks and rays may respond to fluctuating environmental conditions projected under future scenarios is required.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ackerman JT, Kondratieff MC, Matern SA, Cech JJJ (2000) Tidal influence on spatial dynamics of leopard sharks, Triakis semifasciata, in Tomales Bay, California. Environ Biol Fishes 58(1):33–43
Anderson SD, Goldman KJ (2001) Temperature measurements from salmon sharks, Lamna ditropis, in Alaskan waters. Copeia 3:794–796
Andrews KS, Williams GD, Farrer D, Tolimieri N, Harvey CJ, Bargmann G, Levin PS (2009) Diel activity patterns of sixgill sharks, Hexanchus griseus: the ups and downs of an apex predator. Anim Behav 78:525–536
Andrews KS, Williams GD, Levin PS (2010) Seasonal and ontogenetic changes in movement patterns of sixgill sharks. PLoS One 5(9):e12549
Bascompte J, Melian CJ, Sala E (2005) Interaction strength combinations and the overfishing of a marine food web. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 102(15):5443–5447
Baum JK, Worm B (2009) Cascading top–down effects of changing oceanic predator abundances. J Anim Ecol 78(4):699–714
Bernal D, Carlson JK, Goldman KJ, Lowe CG (2012) Energetics, metabolism, and endothermy in sharks and rays. In: Carrier JC, Musick JA, Heithaus MR (eds) Biology of sharks and their relatives, 2nd edn. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 211–237
Campbell HA, Hewitt M, Watts ME, Peverell S, Franklin CE (2012) Short- and long-term movement patterns in the freshwater whipray (Himantura dalyensis) determined by the signal processing of passive acoustic telemetry data. Mar Freshw Res 63(4):341–350
Campos BR, Fish MA, Jones G, Riley RW, Allen PJ, Klimley PA, Cech JJ Jr, Kelly JT (2009) Movements of brown smoothhounds, Mustelus henlei, in Tomales Bay, California. Environ Biol Fishes 85(1):3–13
Carey FG, Scharold JV (1990) Movements of blue sharks (Prionace glauca) in depth and course. Mar Biol 106:329–342
Carlisle AB, Starr RM (2009) Habitat use, residency, and seasonal distribution of female leopard sharks Triakis semifasciata in Elkhorn Slough, California. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 380:213–228
Carlisle AB, Starr RM (2010) Tidal movements of female leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata) in Elkhorn Slough, California. Environ Biol Fishes 89(1):31–45
Carlson JK, Parsons GR (2001) The effects of hypoxia on three sympatric shark species: physiological and behavioral responses. Environ Biol Fishes 61(4):427–433
Carlson JK, Parsons GR (2003) Respiratory and hematological responses of the bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo, to acute changes in dissolved oxygen. J Exp Mar Bio Ecol 294:15–26
Cartamil DP, Vaudo JJ, Lowe CG, Wetherbee BM, Holland KN (2003) Diel movement patterns of the Hawaiian stingray, Dasyatis lata: implications for ecological interactions between sympatric elasmobranch species. Mar Biol 142(5):841–847
Cartamil D, Wegner NC, Aalbers S, Sepulveda CA, Baquero A, Graham JB (2010) Diel movement patterns and habitat preferences of the common thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus) in the Southern California Bight. Mar Freshw Res 61:596–604
Casterlin ME, Reynolds WW (1979) Shark thermoregulation. Comp Biochem Physiol A Physiol 64(3):451–453
Chin A, Kyne PM, Walker TI, McAuley RB (2010) An integrated risk assessment for climate change: analysing the vulnerability of sharks and rays on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Glob Chang Biol 16(7):1936–1953
Cohen JE (2003) Human population: the next half century. Science 302(5648):1172–1175
Cohen JE (2005) Human population grows up. Sci Am 293:48–55
Collins AB, Heupel MR, Motta PJ (2007) Residence and movement patterns of cownose rays Rhinoptera bonasus within a south-west Florida estuary. J Fish Biol 71(4):1159–1178
Collins AB, Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA (2008) Spatial distribution and long-term movement patterns of cownose rays Rhinoptera bonasus within an estuarine river. Estuaries Coast 31(6):1174–1183
Conner WH, Day JW, Baumann RH, Randall JM (1989) Influence of hurricanes on coastal ecosystems along the northern Gulf of Mexico. Wetl Ecol Manag 1(1):45–56
Conrath CL, Musick JA (2010) Residency, space use and movement patterns of juvenile sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus) within a Virginia summer nursery area. Mar Freshw Res 61:223–235
Craig J, Gillikin P, Magelnicki M, May L (2010) Habitat use of cownose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus) in a highly productive, hypoxic continental shelf ecosystem. Fish Oceanogr 19(4):301–317
Crawshaw LI (1977) Physiological and behavioral reactions of fishes to temperature change. J Fish Board Can 34(5):730–734
Curtis TH, Parkyn DC, Burgess GH (2013) Use of human-altered habitats by bull sharks in a Florida nursery area. Mar Coast Fish 5(1):28–38
Devlin M, Schaffelke B (2009) Spatial extent of riverine flood plumes and exposure of marine ecosystems in the Tully coastal region, Great Barrier Reef. Mar Freshw Res 60(11):1109–1122
Di Santo V, Bennett WA (2011) Is post-feeding thermotaxis advantageous in elasmobranch fishes? J Fish Biol 78:195–207
Dickson KA, Graham JB (2004) Evolution and consequences of endothermy in fishes. Physiol Biochem Zool 77(6):998–1018
Donley JM, Shadwick RE, Sepulveda CA, Syme DA (2007) Thermal dependence of contractile properties of the aerobic locomotor muscle in the leopard shark and shortfin mako shark. J Exp Biol 210(7):1194–1203
Drymon JM, Carassou L, Powers SP, Grace M, Dindo J, Dzwonkowski B (2013) Multiscale analysis of factors that affect the distribution of sharks throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico. Fish Bull 111(4):370–380
Dulvy NK, Metcalfe JD, Glanville J, Pawson MG, Reynolds JD (2000) Fishery stability, local extinctions, and shifts in community structure in skates. Conserv Biol 14(1):283–293
Dulvy NK, Fowler SL, Musick JA, Cavanagh RD, Kyne PM, Harrison LR, Carlson JK, Davidson LN, Fordham SV, Francis MP (2014) Extinction risk and conservation of the world’s sharks and rays. eLife 3:e00590
Dunbrack R, Zielinski R (2003) Seasonal and diurnal activity of sixgill sharks (Hexanchus griseus) on a shallow water reef in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia. Can J Zool 81(6):1107–1111
Economakis A, Lobel P (1998) Aggregation behavior of the grey reef shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos, at Johnston Atoll, Central Pacific Ocean. Environ Biol Fishes 51(2):129–139
Edgar GJ, Barrett NS, Graddon DJ, Last PR (2000) The conservation significance of estuaries: a classification of Tasmanian estuaries using ecological, physical and demographic attributes as a case study. Biol Conserv 92(3):383–397
Emanuel K (2005) Increasing destructiveness of tropical cyclones over the past 30 years. Nature 436(7051):686–688
Espinoza M, Farrugia TJ, Lowe CG (2011) Habitat use, movements and site fidelity of the gray smooth-hound shark (Mustelus californicus Gill 1863) in a newly restored southern California estuary. J Exp Mar Bio Ecol 401:63–74
Fabricius KE (2005) Effects of terrestrial runoff on the ecology of corals and coral reefs: review and synthesis. Mar Pollut Bull 50(2):125–146
Fangue NA, Bennett WA (2003) Thermal tolerance responses of laboratory-acclimated and seasonally acclimatized Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina. Copeia 2:315–325
Ferretti F, Myers RA, Serena F, Lotze HK (2008) Loss of large predatory sharks from the Mediterranean Sea. Conserv Biol 22(4):952–964
Francis MP (2013) Temporal and spatial patterns of habitat use by juveniles of a small coastal shark (Mustelus lenticulatus) in an estuarine nursery. PLoS One 8(2):e57021
Froeschke J, Stunz GW, Wildhaber ML (2010) Environmental influences on the occurrence of coastal sharks in estuarine waters. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 407:279–292
Fry FEJ (1971) The effect of environmental factors on the physiology of fish. In: Hoar WS, Randall DJ (eds) Fish physiology: environmental relations and behavior. Academic Press, New York, pp 1–98
Gelsleichter J, Manire CA, Szabo NJ, Cortes E, Carlson J, Lombardi-Carlson L (2005) Organochlorine concentrations in bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna tiburo) from four Florida estuaries. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 48(4):474–483
Gilliam D, Sullivan KM (1993) Diet and feeding habits of the southern stingray Dasyatis Americana in the central Bahamas. Bull Mar Sci 52(3):1007–1013
Goetze JS, Fullwood LAF (2013) Fiji’s largest marine reserve benefits reef sharks. Coral Reefs 32:121–125
Grubbs RD, Musick J (2007) Spatial delineation of summer nursery areas for juvenile sandbar sharks in Chesapeake Bay, Virginia. In: McCandless CT, Kohler NE, Jr. HLP (eds) Shark nursery grounds of the Gulf of Mexico and east coast waters of the United States, vol 50. Am Fish Soc Symp, Bethesda, MD, pp 87–108
Grubbs RD, Musick JA, Conrath CL, Romine JG (2005) Long-term movements, migration, and temporal delineation of a summer nursery for juvenile sandbar sharks in the Chesapeake Bay region. In: McCandless CT, Kohler NE, Jr. HLP (eds) Shark nursery grounds of the Gulf of Mexico and east coast waters of the United States, vol 50. Am Fish Soc Symp, Bethesda, MD, pp 63–86
Gruber SH, Nelson DR, Morrissey JF (1988) Patterns of activity and space utilization of lemon sharks, Negaprion brevirostris, in a shallow Bahamian lagoon. Bull Mar Sci 43(1):61–76
Guttridge TL, Gruber SH, Franks BR, Kessel ST, Gledhill KS, Uphill J, Krause J, Sims DW (2012) Deep danger: intra-specific predation risk influences habitat use and aggregation formation of juvenile lemon sharks Negaprion brevirostris. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 445:279–291
Hazen EL, Jorgensen S, Rykaczewski RR, Bograd SJ, Foley DG, Jonsen ID, Shaffer SA, Dunne JP, Costa DP, Crowder LB (2013) Predicted habitat shifts of Pacific top predators in a changing climate. Nat Clim Chang 3:234–238
Hazon N, Wells A, Pillans RD, Good JP, Gary Anderson W, Franklin CE (2003) Urea based osmoregulation and endocrine control in elasmobranch fish with special reference to euryhalinity. Comp Biochem Physiol B: Biochem Mol Biol 136(4):685–700
Heithaus MR (2001) The biology of tiger sharks, Galeocerdo cuvier, in Shark Bay, Western Australia: sex ratio, size distribution, diet, and seasonal changes in catch rates. Environ Biol Fishes 61:25–36
Heithaus MR, Dill LM, Marshall GJ, Buhleier B (2002) Habitat use and foraging behavior of tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) in a seagrass ecosystem. Mar Biol 140:237–248
Heithaus MR, Frid A, Wirsing AJ, Worm B (2008) Predicting ecological consequences of marine top predator declines. Trends Ecol Evol 23(4):202–210
Heithaus MR, Delius BK, Wirsing AJ, Dunphy-Daly MM (2009) Physical factors influencing the distribution of a top predator in a subtropical oligotrophic estuary. Limnol Oceanogr 54(2):472–482
Heupel MR (2007) Exiting Terra Ceia Bay: examination of cues stimulating migration from a summer nursery area. In: McCandless CT, Kohler NE Jr, HLP (eds) Shark nursery grounds of the Gulf of Mexico and east coast waters of the United States, vol 50. Am Fish Soc Symp, Bethesda, MD, pp 265–280
Heupel MR, Hueter RE (2002) Importance of prey density in relation to the movement patterns of juvenile blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) within a coastal nursery area. Mar Freshw Res 53(2):543–550
Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA (2008) Movement and distribution of young bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas in a variable estuarine environment. Aquat Biol 1:277–289
Heupel M, Simpfendorfer C (2014) Importance of environmental and biological drivers in the presence and space use of a reef-associated shark. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 496:47–57
Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA, Hueter RE (2003) Running before the storm: blacktip sharks respond to falling barometric pressure associated with Tropical Storm Gabrielle. J Fish Biol 63:1357–1363
Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA, Fitzpatrick R (2010) Large-scale movement and reef fidelity of grey reef sharks. PLoS One 5(3):5
Hight BV, Lowe CG (2007) Elevated body temperatures of adult female leopard sharks, Triakis semifasciata, while aggregating in shallow nearshore embayments: evidence for behavioral thermoregulation? J Exp Mar Bio Ecol 352(1):114–128
Hoegh-Guldberg O, Mumby PJ, Hooten AJ, Steneck RS, Greenfield P, Gomez E, Harvell CD, Sale PF, Edwards AJ, Caldeira K, Knowlton N, Eakin CM, Iglesias-Prieto R, Muthiga N, Bradbury RH, Dubi A, Hatziolos ME (2007) Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification. Science 318(5857):1737–1742
Hoisington G, Lowe CG (2005) Abundance and distribution of the round stingray, Urobatis halleri, near a heated effluent outfall. Mar Environ Res 60(4):437–453
Holbrook SJ, Schmitt RJ, Stephens JS (1997) Changes in an assemblage of temperate reef fishes associated with a climate shift. Ecol Appl 7(4):1299–1310
Hopkins TE, Cech JJ (2003) The influence of environmental variables on the distribution and abundance of three elasmobranchs in Tomales Bay, California. Environ Biol Fishes 66(3):279–291
Hutchings P, Haynes D, Goudkamp K, McCook L (2005) Catchment to Reef: water quality issues in the Great Barrier Reef Region—an overview of papers. Mar Pollut Bull 51(1–4):3–8
IPCC (2007) Climate change 2007: the physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Jaine FRA, Couturier LIE, Weeks S, Townsend KA, Bennett MB, Fiora K, Richardson AJ (2012) When giants turn up: sighting trends, environmental influences and habitat use of the manta ray Manta alfredi at a coral reef. PLoS One 7(10):e46170
Jennings DE, Gruber SH, Franks BR, Kessel ST, Robertson AL (2008) Effects of large-scale anthropogenic development on juvenile lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) populations of Bimini, Bahamas. Environ Biol Fish 83(4):369–377
Jirik KE, Lowe CG (2012) An elasmobranch maternity ward: female round stingrays Urobatis halleri use warm, restored estuarine habitat during gestation. J Fish Biol 80(5):1227–1245
Jorgensen SJ, Klimley AP, Muhlia-Melo AF (2009) Scalloped hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini, utilizes deep-water, hypoxic zone in the Gulf of California. J Fish Biol 74(7):1682–1687
Klimley AP (1987) The determinants of sexual segregation in the scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini. Environ Biol Fishes 18(1):27–40
Kneebone J, Chisholm J, Skomal GB (2012) Seasonal residency, habitat use, and site fidelity of juvenile sand tiger sharks Carcharias taurus in a Massachusetts estuary. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 471:165–181
Knip DM, Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA (2010) Sharks in nearshore environments: models, importance, and consequences. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 402:1–11
Knip DM, Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA, Tobin AJ, Moloney J (2011a) Ontogenetic shifts in movement and habitat use of juvenile pigeye sharks Carcharhinus amboinensis in a tropical nearshore region. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 425:233–246
Knip DM, Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA, Tobin AJ, Moloney J (2011b) Wet-season effects on the distribution of juvenile pigeye sharks, Carcharhinus amboinensis, in tropical nearshore waters. Mar Freshw Res 62(6):658–667
Last PR, White WT, Gledhill DC, Hobday AJ, Brown R, Edgar GJ, Pecl G (2011) Long-term shifts in abundance and distribution of a temperate fish fauna: a response to climate change and fishing practices. Glob Ecol Biogeogr 20(1):58–72
Lotze HK, Lenihan HS, Bourque BJ, Bradbury RH, Cooke RG, Kay MC, Kidwell SM, Kirby MX, Peterson CH, Jackson JBC (2006) Depletion, degradation, and recovery potential of estuaries and coastal seas. Science 312(5781):1806–1809
Mann KH (2000) Ecology of coastal waters: with implications for management, 2nd edn. Blackwell Science, Malden
Martin CS, Vaz S, Ellis JR, Lauria V, Coppin F, Carpentier A (2012) Modelled distributions of ten demersal elasmobranchs of the eastern English Channel in relation to the environment. J Exp Mar Bio Ecol 418:91–103
Matern SA, Cech JJ Jr, Hopkins TE (2000) Diel movements of bat rays, Myliobatis californica, in Tomales Bay, California: evidence for behavioural thermoregulation? Environ Biol Fishes 58:173–182
Matich P, Heithaus MR (2012) Effects of an extreme temperature event on the behavior and age structure of an estuarine top predator, Carcharhinus leucas. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 447:165–178
Medved RJ, Marshall JA (1983) Short-term movements of young sandbar sharks, Carcharhinus plumbeus (Pisces, Carcharhinidae). Bull Mar Sci 33(1):87–93
Montoya RV, Thorson TB (1982) The bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) and largetooth sawfish (Pristis perotteti) in Lake Bayano, a tropical man-made impoundment in Panama. Environ Biol Fishes 7(4):341–347
Mucientes GR, Queiroz N, Sousa LL, Tarroso P, Sims DW (2009) Sexual segregation of pelagic sharks and the potential threat from fisheries. Biol Lett 5(2):156–159
Munday PL, Jones GP, Sheaves M, Williams AJ, Goby G (2007) Vulnerability of fishes on the Great Barrier Reef to climate change. In: Johnson JE, Marshall PA (eds) Climate change and the Great Barrier Reef. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Australian Greenhouse Office, Australia, pp 357–391
Nelson DR, McKibben JN, Strong WR, Lowe CG, Sisneros JA, Schroeder DM, Lavenberg RJ (1997) An acoustic tracking of a megamouth shark, Megachasma pelagios: a crepuscular vertical migrator. Environ Biol Fishes 49(4):389–399
Nilsson GE, Renshaw GMC (2004) Hypoxic survival strategies in two fishes: extreme anoxia tolerance in the North European crucian carp and natural hypoxic preconditioning in a coral-reef shark. J Exp Biol 207(18):3131–3139
Nosal A, Cartamil D, Long J, Luhrmann M, Wegner N, Graham J (2013) Demography and movement patterns of leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata) aggregating near the head of a submarine canyon along the open coast of southern California, USA. Environ Biol Fish 96(7):865–878
Nosal A, Caillat A, Kisfaludy E, Royer M, Wegner N (2014) Aggregation behavior and seasonal philopatry in male and female leopard sharks Triakis semifasciata along the open coast of southern California, USA. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 499:157–175
Ortega LA, Heupel MR, Van Beynen P, Motta PJ (2009) Movement patterns and water quality preferences of juvenile bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) in a Florida estuary. Environ Biol Fishes 84(4):361–373
Pang PKT, Griffith RW, Atz JW (1977) Osmoregulation in elasmobranchs. Am Zool 17(2):365–377
Papastamatiou YP, Lowe CG, Caselle JE, Friedlander AM (2009) Scale-dependent effects of habitat on movements and path structure of reef sharks at a predator-dominated atoll. Ecology 90(4):996–1008
Parsons GR, Carlson JK (1998) Physiological and behavioral responses to hypoxia in the bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo: routine swimming and respiratory regulation. Fish Physiol Biochem 19:189–196
Parsons GR, Hoffmayer ER (2005) Seasonal changes in the distribution and relative abundance of the Atlantic sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon terraenovae in the North Central Gulf of Mexico. Copeia 4:914–920
Perry AL, Low PJ, Ellis JR, Reynolds JD (2005) Climate change and distribution shifts in marine fishes. Science 308:1912–1915
Polovina JJ, Abecassis M, Howell EA, Woodworth P (2009) Increases in the relative abundance of mid-trophic level fishes concurrent with declines in apex predators in the subtropical North Pacific, 1996–2006. Fish Bull 107(4):523–531
Poulakis GR, Stevens PW, Timmers AA, Wiley TR, Simpfendorfer CA (2011) Abiotic affinities and spatiotemporal distribution of the endangered smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata, in a south-western Florida nursery. Mar Freshw Res 62(10):1165–1177
Priede IG, Miller PI (2009) A basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) tracked by satellite together with simultaneous remote sensing II: new analysis reveals orientation to a thermal front. Fish Res 95(2–3):370–372
Rahmstorf S (2007) A semi-empirical approach to projecting future sea-level rise. Science 315(5810):368–370
Rechisky EL, Wetherbee BM (2003) Short-term movements of juvenile and neonate sandbar sharks, Carcharhinus plumbeus, on their nursery grounds in Delaware Bay. Environ Biol Fishes 68(2):113–128
Robbins RL (2007) Environmental variables affecting the sexual segregation of great white sharks Carcharodon carcharias at the Neptune Islands South Australia. J Fish Biol 70(5):1350–1364
Routley MH, Nilsson GE, Renshaw GMC (2002) Exposure to hypoxia primes the respiratory and metabolic responses of the epaulette shark to progressive hypoxia. Comp Biochem Physiol A: Mol Integr Physiol 131(2):313–321
Schaffelke B, Mellors J, Duke NC (2005) Water quality in the Great Barrier Reef region: responses of mangrove, seagrass and macroalgal communities. Mar Pollut Bull 51(1–4):279–296
Shepard ELC, Ahmed MZ, Southall EJ, Witt MJ, Metcalfe JD, Sims DW (2006) Diel and tidal rhythms in diving behaviour of pelagic sharks identified by signal processing of archival tagging data. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 328:205–213
Shepherd TD, Myers RA (2005) Direct and indirect fishery effects on small coastal elasmobranchs in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Ecol Lett 8(10):1095–1104
Simpfendorfer CA, Freitas GG, Wiley TR, Heupel MR (2005) Distribution and habitat partitioning of immature bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) in a southwest Florida estuary. Estuaries 28(1):78–85
Simpfendorfer CA, Yeiser BG, Wiley TR, Poulakis GR, Stevens PW, Heupel MR (2011) Environmental influences on the spatial ecology of juvenile smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata): results from acoustic monitoring. PLoS One 6(2):1–12
Sims DW (2005) Differences in habitat selection and reproductive strategies of male and female sharks. In: Ruckstuhl KE, Neuhaus P (eds) Sexual segregation in vertebrates: ecology of the two sexes. Cambridge University Press, New York, pp 127–147
Sims DW, Quayle VA (1998) Selective foraging behaviour of basking sharks on zooplankton in a small-scale front. Nature 393(6684):460–464
Sims DW, Wearmouth VJ, Southall EJ, Hill JM, Moore P, Rawlinson K, Hutchinson N, Budd GC, Righton D, Metcalfe J, Nash JP, Morritt D (2006) Hunt warm, rest cool: bioenergetic strategy underlying diel vertical migration of a benthic shark. J Anim Ecol 75(1):176–190
Smith JW, Merriner JV (1985) Food habits and feeding behavior of the cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus, in lower Chesapeake Bay. Estuaries 8(3):305–310
Smith JW, Merriner JV (1987) Age and growth, movements and distribution of the cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus, Chesapeake Bay. Estuaries 10(2):153–164
Snelson FF, Bradley WK (1978) Mortality of fishes due to cold on the east coast of Florida, January. Fla Sci 41(1):1–12
Speed CW, Meekan MG, Field IC, McMahon CR, Bradshaw CJA (2012) Heat-seeking sharks: support for behavioural thermoregulation in reef sharks. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 463:231–244
Speers-Roesch B, Brauner CJ, Farrell AP, Hickey AJ, Renshaw GM, Wang YS, Richards JG (2012) Hypoxia tolerance in elasmobranchs. II. Cardiovascular function and tissue metabolic responses during progressive and relative hypoxia exposures. J Exp Biol 215(1):103–114
Stevens JD, Bonfil R, Dulvy NK, Walker PA (2000) The effects of fishing on sharks, rays, and chimaeras (chondrichthyans), and the implications for marine ecosystems. ICES J Mar Sci 57(3):476–494
Thorson TB (1972) The status of the bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, in the Amazon River. Copeia 3:601–605
Thorson TB (1974) Occurence of the sawfish, Pristis perotteti, in the Amazon River, with notes on P. pectinatus. Copeia 2:560–564
Thums M, Meekan M, Stevens J, Wilson S, Polovina J (2013) Evidence for behavioural thermoregulation by the world’s largest fish. J R Soc Interface 10(78):20120477
Torres LG, Heithaus MR, Delius B (2006) Influence of teleost abundance on the distribution and abundance of sharks in Florida Bay, USA. Hydrobiologia 569(1):449–455
Ubeda AJ, Simpfendorfer CA, Heupel MR (2009) Movements of bonnetheads, Sphyrna tiburo, as a response to salinity change in a Florida estuary. Environ Biol Fishes 84:293–303
Udyawer V, Chin A, Knip D, Simpfendorfer CA, Heupel MR (2013) Variable response of coastal sharks to severe tropical storms: environmental cues and changes in space use. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 480:171–183
Vaudo JJ, Heithaus MR (2009) Spatiotemporal variability in a sandflat elasmobranch fauna in Shark Bay, Australia. Mar Biol 156(12):2579–2590
Vaudo JJ, Heithaus MR (2012) Diel and seasonal variation in the use of a nearshore sandflat by a ray community in a near pristine system. Mar Freshw Res 63:1077–1084
Wallman HL, Bennett WA (2006) Effects of parturition and feeding on thermal preference of Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina (Lesueur). Environ Biol Fishes 75:259–267
Wearmouth VJ, Sims DW (2008) Sexual segregation in marine fish, reptiles, birds and mammals: behaviour patterns, mechanisms and conservation implications. In: Sims DW (ed) Advances in marine biology, vol 54. Elsevier Academic Press, San Diego, pp 107–170
Webster PJ, Holland GJ, Curry JA, Chang HR (2005) Changes in tropical cyclone number, duration, and intensity in a warming environment. Science 309(5742):1844–1846
Werry JM, Lee SY, Lemckert CJ, Otway NM (2012) Natural or artificial? Habitat-use by the bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas. Plos One 7(11):e49796
Wetherbee BM, Rechisky EL (2000) Movement patterns of juvenile sandbar sharks on their nursery grounds in Delaware Bay. In: Eiler JH, Alcorn DJ, Neuman MR (eds) Biotelemetry 15: proceedings of the 15th international symposium on biotelemetry. International Society on Biotelemetry, Wagenigen, pp 91–98
Wetherbee BM, Gruber SH, Rosa RS (2007) Movement patterns of juvenile lemon sharks Negaprion brevirostris within Atol das Rocas, Brazil: a nursery characterized by tidal extremes. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 343:283–293
Whitty JM, Morgan DL, Peverell SC, Thorburn DC, Beatty SJ (2009) Ontogenetic depth partitioning by juvenile freshwater sawfish (Pristis microdon: Pristidae) in a riverine environment. Mar Freshw Res 60(4):306–316
Wise G, Mulvey JM, Renshaw GMC (1998) Hypoxia tolerance in the epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum). J Exp Zool 281(1):1–5
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schlaff, A.M., Heupel, M.R. & Simpfendorfer, C.A. Influence of environmental factors on shark and ray movement, behaviour and habitat use: a review. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries 24, 1089–1103 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-014-9364-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-014-9364-8