Diving into the vertical dimension of elasmobranch movement ecology

Knowledge of the three-dimensional movement patterns of elasmobranchs is vital to understanding their ecological roles and exposure to anthropogenic pressures. To date, comparative studies among species at global scales have mostly focused on horizontal movements. Our study addresses the knowledge gap of vertical movements by compiling the first global synthesis of vertical habitat use by elasmobranchs from data obtained by deployment of 989 biotelemetry tags on 38 elasmobranch species. Elasmobranchs displayed high intra- and interspecific variability in vertical movement patterns. Significant vertical overlap was observed for many epipelagic elasmobranchs, indicating an increased likelihood to display spatial overlap, biologically interact, and share similar risk to anthropogenic threats that vary on a vertical gradient. We highlight the critical next steps towards incorporating vertical movement into global management and monitoring strategies for elasmobranchs, emphasising the need to address geographic and taxonomic biases in deployments and to concurrently consider both horizontal and vertical movements. | External Organisations Zoological Society of London Institute of Zoology; University of Leicester; University of Windsor; University of Queensland; University of Delaware; Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi; Flinders University; Lancaster University; Macquarie University; James Cook University (QLD); Wageningen University; Florida Atlantic University; Arizona State University; Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute; Marine Research and Conservation Foundation; Université de Montpellier; Rural Federal University of Pernambuco; Océanos Vivientes; Duke University; Bedford Institute of Oceanography; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Cape Eleuthera Institute; Department of Conservation (Ascension Island); Department of Primary Industries (New South Wales); Oregon State University; Aquarium des Lagons Nouvelle Caledonie; The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; France Energies Marines; South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity; University of California Santa Cruz; Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; Oceanographic and Fisheries Mauritanian Research Institute; NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center Environmental Research Division; University of Exeter; Dirección Nacional de Recursos Acuáticos; Georgia Aquarium; Department of Conservation (New Zealand); University of Auckland; Centre