Receveur A. auteur aut IRD Allain V. auteur aut IRD Ménard Frédéric auteur aut IRD Lebourges Dhaussy Anne auteur aut IRD Laran S. auteur aut IRD Ravache A. auteur aut IRD Bourgeois K. auteur aut IRD Vidal Eric auteur aut IRD Hare S. R. auteur aut IRD Weimerskirch H. auteur aut IRD Borsa Philippe auteur aut IRD Menkès Christophe auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access Understanding the ecological mechanisms underpinning distribution patterns is vital in managing populations of mobile marine species. This study is a first step towards an integrated description of the habitats and spatial distributions of marine predators in the Natural Park of the Coral Sea, one of the world's largest marine-protected areas at about 1.3 million km(2), covering the entirety of New Caledonia's pelagic waters. The study aims to quantify the benefit of including a proxy for prey abundance in predator niche modelling, relative to other marine physical variables. Spatial distributions and relationships with environmental data were analysed using catch per unit of effort data for three fish species (albacore tuna, yellowfin tuna and dolphinfish), sightings collected from aerial surveys for three cetacean guilds (Delphininae, Globicephalinae and Ziphiidae) and foraging locations identified from bio-tracking for three seabird species (wedge-tailed shearwater, Tahiti petrel and red-footed booby). Predator distributions were modelled as a function of a static covariate (bathymetry), oceanographic covariates (sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a concentration and 20 degrees C-isotherm depth) and an acoustically derived micronekton preyscape covariate. While distributions were mostly linked to bathymetry for seabirds, and chlorophyll and temperature for fish and cetaceans, acoustically derived prey abundance proxies slightly improved distribution models for all fishes and seabirds except the Tahiti petrel, but not for the cetaceans. Predicted spatial distributions showed that pelagic habitats occupied by predator fishes did not spatially overlap. Finally, predicted habitats and the use of the preyscapes in predator habitat modelling were discussed. specialized Micronekton Acoustic niche modelling Coral Sea Natural Park cetacean seabird predator fish MER DE CORAIL 034 080 082 25 6 757-779 2022 1432-9840 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010082668 10.1007/s10021-021-00685-x 1432-9840 [F B010082668] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010082668 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/2021-09/010082668.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2021-09-17 2025-02-24 fdi:010082668 fre