The Status of Marine Megafauna Research in Macaronesia: A Systematic Review
Marine megafauna serve valuable ecological and economical roles globally, yet, many species have experienced precipitous population declines. The significance of marine megafauna is particularly evident in Macaronesia, a complex of oceanic archipelagos in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. Macaronesian i...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.819581/full |
| _version_ | 1828859348975091712 |
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| author | Ashlie J. McIvor Ashlie J. McIvor Collin T. Williams Filipe Alves Filipe Alves Ana Dinis Ana Dinis Miguel P. Pais Miguel P. Pais João Canning-Clode João Canning-Clode |
| author_facet | Ashlie J. McIvor Ashlie J. McIvor Collin T. Williams Filipe Alves Filipe Alves Ana Dinis Ana Dinis Miguel P. Pais Miguel P. Pais João Canning-Clode João Canning-Clode |
| author_sort | Ashlie J. McIvor |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Marine megafauna serve valuable ecological and economical roles globally, yet, many species have experienced precipitous population declines. The significance of marine megafauna is particularly evident in Macaronesia, a complex of oceanic archipelagos in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. Macaronesian islands provide important habitats for marine megafauna species, in turn supporting considerable regional economic activity (e.g., ecotourism and fisheries). Despite this, concerted efforts to manage marine megafauna throughout Macaronesia have been limited. This systematic review provides the first description of the trends in marine megafauna research in this unique insular ecosystem, to provide a better understanding of taxa-specific research needs and future directions for conservation. We identified and validated 408 peer-reviewed publications until 2021 following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria. Literature was dominated by marine mammal research conducted in the northern archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, and Canary Islands) and marine turtle research conducted in Cabo Verde. Much less research focused on large-bodied fish, especially in Madeira and Canary Islands, leaving some of the most vulnerable species regionally data deficient. Research across scientific disciplines focused more on biological studies than management and policy, and anthropogenic impacts were quantified more frequently on mammals or turtles and less on fishes. By identifying gaps in our knowledge of megafauna in relation to threats faced by these organisms, we offer taxa-specific recommendations for future research direction. Although, overall our results indicate that determining population level connectivity should be a major research priority among many marine megafauna species as this information is vital to numerous management strategies, including marine protected areas. In this review, we present a basis of understanding of the current work in Macaronesia, highlighting critical data gaps that are urgently needed to guide the next steps toward establishing conservation priorities for marine megafauna in the region. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T02:16:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6f201a8adfd44c3cbcf6a00618512099 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T02:16:51Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-6f201a8adfd44c3cbcf6a006185120992022-12-22T00:02:51ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452022-03-01910.3389/fmars.2022.819581819581The Status of Marine Megafauna Research in Macaronesia: A Systematic ReviewAshlie J. McIvor0Ashlie J. McIvor1Collin T. Williams2Filipe Alves3Filipe Alves4Ana Dinis5Ana Dinis6Miguel P. Pais7Miguel P. Pais8João Canning-Clode9João Canning-Clode10MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Regional Agency for the Development of Research (ARDITI), Funchal, PortugalFaculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, PortugalRed Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi ArabiaMARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Regional Agency for the Development of Research (ARDITI), Funchal, PortugalOceanic Observatory of Madeira (OOM), Funchal, PortugalMARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Regional Agency for the Development of Research (ARDITI), Funchal, PortugalOceanic Observatory of Madeira (OOM), Funchal, PortugalMARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, PortugalDepartamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, PortugalMARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Regional Agency for the Development of Research (ARDITI), Funchal, PortugalSmithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, United StatesMarine megafauna serve valuable ecological and economical roles globally, yet, many species have experienced precipitous population declines. The significance of marine megafauna is particularly evident in Macaronesia, a complex of oceanic archipelagos in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. Macaronesian islands provide important habitats for marine megafauna species, in turn supporting considerable regional economic activity (e.g., ecotourism and fisheries). Despite this, concerted efforts to manage marine megafauna throughout Macaronesia have been limited. This systematic review provides the first description of the trends in marine megafauna research in this unique insular ecosystem, to provide a better understanding of taxa-specific research needs and future directions for conservation. We identified and validated 408 peer-reviewed publications until 2021 following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria. Literature was dominated by marine mammal research conducted in the northern archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, and Canary Islands) and marine turtle research conducted in Cabo Verde. Much less research focused on large-bodied fish, especially in Madeira and Canary Islands, leaving some of the most vulnerable species regionally data deficient. Research across scientific disciplines focused more on biological studies than management and policy, and anthropogenic impacts were quantified more frequently on mammals or turtles and less on fishes. By identifying gaps in our knowledge of megafauna in relation to threats faced by these organisms, we offer taxa-specific recommendations for future research direction. Although, overall our results indicate that determining population level connectivity should be a major research priority among many marine megafauna species as this information is vital to numerous management strategies, including marine protected areas. In this review, we present a basis of understanding of the current work in Macaronesia, highlighting critical data gaps that are urgently needed to guide the next steps toward establishing conservation priorities for marine megafauna in the region.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.819581/fullAtlanticinsular systemsmarine mammalsea turtleelasmobranchconservation |
| spellingShingle | Ashlie J. McIvor Ashlie J. McIvor Collin T. Williams Filipe Alves Filipe Alves Ana Dinis Ana Dinis Miguel P. Pais Miguel P. Pais João Canning-Clode João Canning-Clode The Status of Marine Megafauna Research in Macaronesia: A Systematic Review Frontiers in Marine Science Atlantic insular systems marine mammal sea turtle elasmobranch conservation |
| title | The Status of Marine Megafauna Research in Macaronesia: A Systematic Review |
| title_full | The Status of Marine Megafauna Research in Macaronesia: A Systematic Review |
| title_fullStr | The Status of Marine Megafauna Research in Macaronesia: A Systematic Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Status of Marine Megafauna Research in Macaronesia: A Systematic Review |
| title_short | The Status of Marine Megafauna Research in Macaronesia: A Systematic Review |
| title_sort | status of marine megafauna research in macaronesia a systematic review |
| topic | Atlantic insular systems marine mammal sea turtle elasmobranch conservation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.819581/full |
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