DOI: 10.5061/dryad.fj6q5740p
title: The essential habitat role of a unique coastal inlet for a widely distributed apex predator

description: Essential habitats support specific functions for species, such as
 reproduction, feeding or refuge. For highly-mobile aquatic species,
 identifying essential habitats within the wider distribution range is
 central to understanding species ecology, and underpinning effective
 management plans. This study examined the movement and space use patterns
 of sevengill sharks (Notorynchus cepedianus) in Caleta Valdés, a unique
 coastal habitat in northern Patagonia, Argentina. Seasonal residency
 patterns of sharks were evident, with higher detectability in late spring
 and early summer and lower during autumn and winter. The overlap between
 the residency patterns of sharks and their prey, elephant seals, suggests
 that Caleta Valdés functions as a seasonal feeding aggregation site for N.
 cepedianus. The study also found sexual differences in movement behavior,
 with males performing abrupt departures from Caleta Valdés and showing
 increased roaming with the presence of more sharks, and maximum detection
 probability at high tide. These movements could be related to different
 feeding strategies between sexes or mate-searching behavior, suggesting
 that Caleta Valdés may also be essential for reproduction. Overall, this
 study highlights the importance of coastal sites as essential habitats for
 N. cepedianus and deepens our understanding of the ecological role of this
 apex predator in marine ecosystems.
description: Detection data were collected via passive acoustic telemetry
 using VEMCO instruments. Temperature and tidal data
 were downloaded from the web (see manuscript for sources).
 Shapefiles are self-produced and downloaded from the web (see
 manuscript and R code for sources).
description: All analyses were perfomed using open-access R programming
 software.
description: ## The essential habitat role of a unique coastal inlet for a widely
 distributed apex predator Access this dataset on Dryad
 https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.fj6q5740p ## Brief summary of dataset
 contents Detection data, temperature data, tidal data and shapelines
 needed to reproduce all the analyses: 1. Shapefiles for Study Area:
 "Caleta_marea_alta.shp" and "Caleta_marea_baja.shp"
 are shapefiles representing our study area under varying tide conditions.
 We created these using QGIS and satellite imagery to support specific
 analyses. "GSHHS_f_L1_SouthAmerica.shp" is the shapefile
 delineating the broader South American region for reference. 2. Tidal
 Data: "Comodoro_2019-10-01_2021-03-31.txt" contains tidal data
 obtained from the nearest gauge station for the specified time period. The
 contents are self-explanatory. 3. Astronomic Tidal Predictions:
 "MADRYN_prediccion_2015-2016.txt" and
 "MADRYN_prediccion_2019-2021.txt" provide astronomic tidal
 predictions for the respective time periods. The contents are
 self-explanatory. 4. Depth Data: "Data_loggers.csv" includes
 depth data collected from data loggers deployed in Caleta Valdés. This
 data is integral to our research. 5. Sea Surface Temperature Data:
 "sst_2019-2021.csv" contains sea surface temperature data
 sourced from AquaMODIS for the study area during the specified timeframe.
 The contents are self-explanatory. 6. Acoustic Receiver Data:
 "Detections.csv" serves as the primary dataset, encompassing all
 detection data from the acoustic receivers placed in Caleta Valdés. Most
 columns are self-explanatory, with the exception of "TL_cm,"
 which indicates the total length of individuals in centimeters. Receiver
 codes referenced in the paper figures can be found here. These data files
 are crucial for replicating our analyses and findings. Further details on
 their usage can be found in the manuscript and accompanying code. ##
 Code/Software For the complete details and scripts used in our analyses,
 you can access the R code and associated resources on our GitHub
 repository at the following URL:
 https://github.com/Agustindewy/Sevengill_shark_telemetry