Assessing synergistic habitat changes and interspecific relationships of small pelagic fish in the northwest Pacific Ocean

Aim: Small pelagic species constitute a critical component of fishery resources in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Understanding the interactions among interspecific relationships, environmental niches, and resource abundance is essential for developing science-based fisheries management. This study aims to investigate the differential habitat responses of small pelagic species in the Northwest Pacific to environmental factors, specifically evaluating the ecological interpretation of interspecific relationships through joint species distribution modeling.
Location: The northwest Pacific Ocean
Taxon: Japanese sardine; Chub mackerel; neon flying squid
Methods: This study examined three economically important small pelagic species from the northwest Pacific Ocean: Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus), chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus), and neon flying squid (Ommastrephes bartramii). Using a joint species distribution model (JSDM) and ecological niche theory, we integrated multiple envir..., , # Assessing Synergistic Habitat Changes and Interspecific Relationships of Small Pelagic Fish in the Northwest Pacific Ocean

## File Descriptions

### \"model_code.txt\"

Data and commented code for the reproduction of modeling. The distribution data of the three species is not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions. All environmental data and pseudo-absence data were provided in the \".xlsx\" files. 

### variable definitions

Sea Surface Temperature (SST): This variable indicates the temperature of the ocean’s surface water. It is an essential factor for studying species distribution and marine ecosystems.

Chlorophyll-a Concentration (CHL): This variable represents the amount of chlorophyll-a pigment in the water, which is an indicator of phytoplankton biomass. Phytoplankton are microscopic plants that form the base of the marine food web, making this measurement crucial for understanding marine productivity and ecosystem health.

Sea Surface Salinity (SSS): This vari...,