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Diversity
Special Issues
Ecology and Conservation of Marine Megafauna
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Ecology and Conservation of Marine Megafauna

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2024 | Viewed by 4848

Special Issue Editor

Dr. José Carlos Báez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Fuengirola, Corazón de María, 28002 Madrid, Spain
Interests: bycatch; climate variability; ecosystem approach; fisheries management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since ancient times, humans have been fascinated with the great creatures or “monsters” that populated the known seas (e.g., Homer’s Odyssey). However, there is still no clear consensus today for the definition of marine megafauna, although scientists do agree that they comprise all large-bodied organisms, and this usually includes mantas, sharks, sea turtles, seals, cetaceans, and seabirds—not only vertebrates, but also large invertebrates, or the largest species within their group. Nevertheless, there is unanimous scientific consensus regarding the fact that marine megafauna is in decline globally. Thus, concern for megafauna is increasing worldwide.

Many studies have highlighted the important ecological role of marine megafauna and their importance providing ecosystem services to humanity.

Thus, it is particularly important to understand the main factors involved in the decline of these species, such as bycatch, climate change or pollution, among other factors.

This Special Issue is focused on research, case studies, methodology improvement, and reviews that examine the issues of:

  • Bycatch (including methodology to reduce bycatch);
  • Conservation policy and priorities;
  • Ecological risk assessment;
  • Ecosystem approach;
  • Effects of climate change;
  • Handling techniques and good practices;
  • Population management;
  • Marine protected areas;
  • Migration, population monitoring, and tagging studies;
  • Modeling spatial distribution;
  • Local abundance;
  • Post-release survival estimation.

Dr. José Carlos Báez
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bycatch
  • climate variability
  • ecological risk assessment
  • ecosystem approach
  • conservation management
  • marine protected areas

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 7400 KiB  
Article
Haulout Patterns of Harbour Seal Colonies in the Norwegian Skagerrak, as Monitored through Time-Lapse Camera Surveys
by Elsa van Meurs, Even Moland, Arne Bjørge and Carla Freitas
Diversity 2024, 16(1), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16010038 - 05 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1684
Abstract
Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) are part of the Norwegian coastal ecosystem and can be observed on skerries, islands, and sandbanks along the coastline, sometimes in close proximity to inhabited areas. In this study, we used time-lapse camera surveys to monitor the [...] Read more.
Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) are part of the Norwegian coastal ecosystem and can be observed on skerries, islands, and sandbanks along the coastline, sometimes in close proximity to inhabited areas. In this study, we used time-lapse camera surveys to monitor the haulout patterns of harbour seals at two selected sites in the Norwegian Skagerrak, Lyngør and Østre Bolæren, over 12 and 4 months, respectively. The goal was to investigate how the number of seals hauling out on land varied seasonally and how it was influenced by environmental parameters (wind speed, air temperature, and water level), the time of the day, and anthropogenic disturbances. As expected, the number of seals hauled out increased with increasing air temperature and decreased with increasing wind speed and water level. Clear circadian patterns in the seal haulout behaviour were identified during autumn and winter when a significantly higher number of seals were observed on land at night. Moreover, haulout patterns showed significant seasonal variation, with a peak in haul outs being observed during the moulting season in August. Despite an expected high usage of land during the breeding season in early summer, the number of seals hauled out at the Lyngor study site was low during this period, especially during weekends and summer holidays, maybe due to increased disturbance from boats. This study provides valuable insights into the factors influencing the haulout behaviour of the species in the region and suggests possible effects of human disturbance on harbour seal behaviour in the area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology and Conservation of Marine Megafauna)
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Review

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20 pages, 2373 KiB  
Review
Tracing Patterns and Biodiversity Aspects of the Overlooked Skates and Rays (Subclass Elasmobranchii, Superorder Batoidea) in Greece
by Archontia Chatzispyrou and Constantin Koutsikopoulos
Diversity 2023, 15(1), 55; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15010055 - 03 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2336
Abstract
Species belonging to the superorder Batoidea have been poorly assessed due to the lack of information on their life history aspects and their limited economic value. This work presents an overview of skates and rays inhabiting the marine Greek waters and reports biodiversity [...] Read more.
Species belonging to the superorder Batoidea have been poorly assessed due to the lack of information on their life history aspects and their limited economic value. This work presents an overview of skates and rays inhabiting the marine Greek waters and reports biodiversity issues requiring resolution for conservation purposes. Overall, 30 species from nine families and 16 genera have been documented within the past 22 years, based on the available literature and technical reports from research surveys of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR). However, 28 species are currently confirmed, since the presence of two rajids has not been sufficiently demonstrated and hence is considered as doubtful. Recent changes in nomenclature allowed us to replace old with new names in four species on the Greek list; patterns in the frequency of occurrence were observed and species were assigned into five categories; and diversity and misidentification issues were reported by family. Although Greek waters are oligotrophic and not considered a biodiversity hot spot for elasmobranchs, a high number of batoid species is documented in the area; therefore, the need to reinforce knowledge on biological aspects of skates and rays, define their status and identify their main threats is essential. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology and Conservation of Marine Megafauna)
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