Marine top predators as climate and ecosystem sentinels

Elliott L Hazen; Briana Abrahms; Stephanie Brodie; Gemma Carroll; Michael G Jacox; Matthew S Savoca; Kylie L Scales; William J Sydeman; Steven J Bograd

doi:10.1002/fee.2125

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Marine top predators as climate and ecosystem sentinels

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Marine top predators as climate and ecosystem sentinels

Elliott L Hazen, Briana Abrahms, Stephanie Brodie, Gemma Carroll, Michael G Jacox, Matthew S Savoca, Kylie L Scales, William J Sydeman and Steven J Bograd

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Vol.17(10), pp.565-574

2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2125

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Abstract

The rapid pace of environmental change in the Anthropocene necessitates the development of a new suite of tools for measuring ecosystem dynamics. Sentinel species can provide insight into ecosystem function, identify hidden risks to human health, and predict future change. As sentinels, marine apex (top) predators offer a unique perspective into ocean processes, given that they can move across ocean basins and amplify trophic information across multiple spatiotemporal scales. Because use of the terms "ecosystem sentinel" and "climate sentinel" has proliferated in the scientific literature, there is a need to identify the properties that make marine predators effective sentinels. We provide a clear definition of the term "sentinel", review the attributes of species identified as sentinels, and describe how a suite of such sentinels could strengthen our understanding and management of marine ecosystems. We contend that the use of marine predators as ecosystem sentinels will enable rapid response and adaptation to ecosystem variability and change.

Details

Title: Marine top predators as climate and ecosystem sentinels
Authors: Elliott L Hazen (Corresponding Author) - University of California-Santa Cruz, United States
Briana Abrahms (Author)
Stephanie Brodie (Author) - University of California-Santa Cruz, United States
Gemma Carroll (Author) - University of California-Santa Cruz, United States
Michael G Jacox (Author) - University of California-Santa Cruz, United States
Matthew S Savoca (Author) - Stanford University, United States
Kylie L Scales (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
William J Sydeman (Author) - Farralon Institute, United States
Steven J Bograd (Author) - University of California-Santa Cruz, United States
Publication details: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Vol.17(10), pp.565-574
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Date published: 2019
DOI: 10.1002/fee.2125
ISSN: 1540-9295; 1540-9295
Copyright note: Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment published by Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of the Ecological Society of America. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
Organisation Unit: School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99451351002621
Output Type: Journal article
Research Statement: false

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Ecology; Environmental Sciences

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