Data underlying the publication: "Spatial dependency in abundance of Queen conch, Aliger gigas, in the Caribbean, indicates the importance of surveying deep-water distributions"

Evaluate how the spatial distribution of a heavily exploited marine gastropod (i.e., Queen conch) varies in response to a number of known biotic and abiotic variables within and between sites that vary in environmental conditions. A novel towed video system complemented belt transects to estimate adult queen conch densities throughout its depth range. Bayesian hierarchical spatial models (Integrated Nested Laplace approximations) modeled distribution patterns of adult conch and indicated that the general patchy distribution pattern and the lack of strong generic location over-crossing relationships between abiotic and biotic factors and adult conch abundance and distribution is likely to at least partly due to this spatial dependency and location-specific factors, that affect different parts of the conch life-history.

本研究旨在探究重度开发利用的海洋腹足类软体动物——女王凤凰螺（Queen conch）的空间分布，如何响应环境条件各异的样地内部及样地间的多种已知生物与非生物变量。研究采用新型拖曳式视频系统作为带状样带法的补充手段，对其分布深度范围内的成年女王凤凰螺种群密度进行估算。本研究采用集成嵌套拉普拉斯近似法（Integrated Nested Laplace approximations）的贝叶斯分层空间模型，对成年女王凤凰螺的分布格局开展建模分析。结果表明，成年个体普遍呈现斑块状分布格局，且生物与非生物因子与成年女王凤凰螺的丰度及分布之间未存在显著的普适性区位交叉关联；这一现象至少可部分归因于空间依赖性与位点特异性因素，此类因素会影响女王凤凰螺生活史的不同阶段。