Description

An examination of how studying marine predators can identify changes in and help manage marine ecosystems. Seals, seabirds, whales and dolphins are at the top of marine food chains: studying their ecology can help identify and monitor changes in wider marine ecosystems. This book examines our current understanding of marine predator ecology and investigates how it can be used in management and conservation of marine habitats. Seals, seabirds, whales and dolphins are at the top of marine food chains: studying their ecology can help identify and monitor changes in wider marine ecosystems. This book examines our current understanding of marine predator ecology and investigates how it can be used in management and conservation of marine habitats. The sustainable exploitation of the marine environment depends upon our capacity to develop systems of management with predictable outcomes. Unfortunately, marine ecosystems are highly dynamic and this property could conflict with the objective of sustainable exploitation. This book investigates the theory that the population and behavioural dynamics of predators at the upper end of marine food chains can be used to assist with management. Since these species integrate the dynamics of marine ecosystems across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, they offer new sources of information that can be formally used in setting management objectives. This book examines the current advances in the understanding of the ecology of marine predators and will investigate how information from these species could be used in management. Preface; 1. Introduction I. L. Boyd, S. Wanless and C. J. Campheysen; 2. Effects of fisheries on ecosystems: just another top predator? Andrew W. Trites, Villy Christensen and Daniel Pauly; 3. Physical forcing in the southwest Atlantic: ecosystem control P. N. Trathan, E. J. Murphy, J. Forcada, J. P. Croxall, K. Reid and S. E. Thorpe; 4. The use of biologically meaningful oceanographic indices to separate the effects of climate and fisheries on seabird breeding success B. E. Scott, J. Sharples, S. Wanless, O. Ross, M. Frederiksen and F. Daunt; 5. Linking predator foraging behaviour and diet with variability in continental shelf ecosystems: grey seals of eastern Canada W. D. Bowen, C. A. Beck, S. J. Iverson, D. Austin, and J. I. McMillan; 6. Distribution and foraging interactions of seabirds and marine mammals in the North Sea: multi-species foraging assemblages and habitat-specific feeding strategies. C. J. Camphuysen, Beth Scott and Sarah Wanless; 7. Spatial and temporal variation in the diets of polar bears across the Canadian Arctic: indicators of changes in prey populations and environment Sara J. Iverson, Ian Stirling, and Shelley L. C. Lang; 8. Biophysical influences on seabird trophic assessments W. A. Montevecchi, S. Garthe and G. K. Davoren; 9. Consequences of prey distribution for the foraging behaviour of top predators Iain J Staniland, Phil Trathan and Anthony R. Martin; 10. Identifying drivers of change; did fisheries play a role in the spread of North Atlantic fulmars? Paul M. Thompson; 11. Monitoring predator-prey interactions using multiple predator species: the South Georgia experience J. P. Croxall; 12. Impacts of oceanography on the foraging dynamics of seabirds in the North Sea F. Daunt, S. Wanless, G. Peters, S. Benvenuti, J. Sharples, D. Grémillet and B. Scott; 13. Foraging energetics of North Sea birds confronted with fluctuating prey availability M. R.