Marine Megafauna

JELICICH MR; BERÓN P; COPELLO S, ; DELLABIANCA NA; GARCÍA G; LABRADA-MARTAGÓN V, ; PASO VIOLA MN; PAZ JA, ; RICCIALDELLI L.; SAN MARTIN A. ; SECO PON JP.; TORRES MA, ; FAVERO M

Marine Biology: A Functional Approach to the Oceans and their Organisms

CRC Press

Lugar: Boca Raton; Año: 2022; p. 297 - 324

1. Marine megafauna, restricted in this chapter to seabirds, marine mammals and sea turtles, conform a group that mainly includes large vertebrates associated with the marine environment during the whole or a significant part of their life cycle.2. Marine megafauna is globally distributed, concentrating in hot spot areas. Even though biological features vary significantly among groups, many similarities can be found in their ecological roles and life history traits.3. Seabirds, marine mammals and marine turtles are mostly characterized by extreme life span, deferred maturity and slow growing rates. Most of the species within these groups perform seasonal movements or undertake large migrations.4. Evolution has led to a range of morphological and physiological adaptations within seabirds and marine mammals that enable them to exploit resources in coastal and oceanic areas in several ways. 5. The high heterogeneity of the environment that marine megafauna inhabit is reflected in a large diversification of diet and feeding tactics.6. Within marine megafauna, seabirds and marine mammals are considered top predators. All marine megafauna species play an important role in the maintenance of the ecosystem and are considered good environmental monitors integrating ecological variations occurring in marine ecosystems at different spatial and temporal scales.7. Marine megafauna has an important role as bio-vectors transporting nutrients across ecosystem boundaries, shaping the structure and function of coastal and inland sites, and favoring nutrient cycling.8. Several seabird, marine turtle and marine mammal populations have undergone and are currently facing declining trends. Marine megafauna is exposed to similar threats as bycatch, pollution, prey depletion, energy production and climate change, among others, and land-based threats as invasive alien species, human disturbance, habitat deterioration, and hunting, among others.9. Several international instruments have played quite an important role in improving conservation policies around the world. However, there is an urgent need to develop new technologies, apply emerging management paradigms, move the analysis to the field of big data, and promote collaborations as opportunities to improve marine megafauna conservation and sustainable management.