On October 12 (2014), I received an invitation
from the editorial department of Science Publishers (CRC Press and Taylor &
Francis Group) to prepare and submit a proposal for a book on the Biology and
Ecology of Seals, Sea Lions, Walruses. While the book’s scope as proposed in
this title was attractive to me, I realized that it would be difficult to do
justice to such a broad subject matter. In the end, I felt it best to focus on
a more specific theme and devote the book to the tropical and subtropical
pinnipeds of our blue planet. Being originally from a hot tropical country
(Ecuador), I considered that a book dedicated to tropical/subtropical sea
lions, fur seals and seals inhabiting the tropics (i.e. Tropics of Cancer and
Capricorn) and subtropics (i.e. the 38th parallel in each hemisphere) would be highly
worthwhile and would coincide with my previous and ongoing research on
Galapagos pinnipeds.
Accomplishing this task has been challenging, and
would not have been possible without the help of many people. I contacted
several esteemed colleagues from tropical and subtropical countries to invite
them to contribute chapters on the species for which they have conducted
research and expended conservation efforts. The response was positive with
about 40 authors/co-authors from Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ecuador and Galapagos
Islands, Greece, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, United States of America (e.g.,
Hawaiian Islands) and Uruguay agreeing to contribute to this book.
After more than two years of substantial work in
close collaboration with leading authors and co-authors, the CRC Press
editorial and production teams, and the invaluable assistance of invited
reviewers, we present “Tropical Pinnipeds: Bio-ecology, Threats and
Conservation.”
This edited book narrates tales on the research
and conservation of tropical and subtropical pinnipeds across 16 chapters,
including species such as the Hawaiian monk seal, the California sea lion, the
Guadalupe fur seal, the Galapagos fur seal, the Galapagos sea lion, the South
American sea lion, the South American fur seal, the Juan Fernandez fur seal,
the Mediterranean monk seal and the Cape fur seal. Understanding the natural
history and threats to these species is critical to supporting conservation
efforts. To this end, the book’s topics include current research on evolution,
biology, marine ecology, bio-monitoring and state of the art approaches to
investigate and assess tropical pinniped populations, behavioral ecology,
anthropogenic stressors and health. Special chapters and sections on the
conservation of threatened or/and endangered pinnipeds (e.g., Hawaiian monk
seal, Galapagos sea lions, Galapagos fur seals, and Mediterranean monk seal)
are also included.
I have learned that editing such a book requires
patience, free-flowing communications with authors, good time management, and
above all, a passion and determination to do as much as I can to support the
science and conservation of tropical pinnipeds.
I am in deeply indebted to all the
authors/co-authors and reviewers who invested their precious time and energies
to this book, and to the publishers. In this book, I acknowledge the
Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (University of British Columbia),
Coastal Ocean Research Institute (Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Center) and
School of Resource and Environmental Management (Simon Fraser University) for
providing resources and platforms to develop this book.
I am providing below some information and the
table of contents with all chapters and contributing authors and co-authors.
Title: Tropical Pinnipeds: Bio-Ecology,
Threats and Conservation
- Authors/Editors: Juan José Alava
- Publisher: CRC Press and Taylor &
Francis Group
- Date: 25 April 2017 Citation: Alava,
J.J. (Editor). 2017. Tropical Pinnipeds: Bio-Ecology, Threats and
Conservation. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group. Boca Raton, FL, USA.
p. 325. ISBN 9781498741392
April 25, 2017 by CRC Press
Features
- Presents information about the biology,
ecology and conservation of tropical pinnipeds
- Describes, including color illustrations,
the various species of tropical pinnipeds
- Emphazes the endangered species around
tropical islands, including the Galapagos and Hawaiian islands
- Promotes research and conservation efforts
for tropical pinnipeds in developing countries
- Raises environmental awareness and provides
education for future generations
Summary
Pinnipeds are a fascinating group of marine
mammals that play a crucial role as apex predators and sentinels of the
functioning and health of marine ecosystems. They are found in the most extreme
environments from the Polar regions to the tropics. Pinnipeds are comprised of
about 34 species, and of those at least 25% live permanently in tropical zones.
This book reviews and updates current research on the biology, marine ecology,
bio-monitoring, and conservation of tropical pinniped populations, including
their behavior, anthropogenic stressors, and health. It also looks at challenges
to be faced for the conservation of tropical pinnipeds, many of which are
threatened species.
Table of Contents
Introduction
to Tropical and Subtropical Pinnipeds
Juan José
Alava and David Aurioles-Gamboa
An
Overview on the Evolutionary History of Tropical Pinnipeds
Carlos A.
Vildoso Morales
Variability
in the Skull Morphology of Adult Male California Sea Lions and Galapagos Sea
Lions
Jimena
Bohórquez-Herrera, David Aurioles-Gamboa, Claudia Hernández-Camacho and Dean C.
Adams
Hawaiian
Monk Seals: The Biology and Ecology of the World’s only Tropical Phocid
Charles
Littnan,Michelle Barbieri, Jessica Lopez Bohlander, Tenaya Norris and Stacie
Robinson
Hawaiian
Monk Seal Conservation: Past, Present and Future
Charles
Littnan, Michelle Barbieri, Jessica Lopez Bohlander, Tenaya Norris and Stacie
Robinson
Guadalupe
Fur Seal Population Expansion and its Post-Breeding Male Migration to the Gulf
of Ulloa, México.
David Aurioles-Gamboa, Nereyda Pablo-Rodríguez, M. Patricia
Rosas-Hernández, and Claudia J. Hernández-Camacho
Population
Status, Anthropogenic Stressors and Conservation of the Galapagos Fur Seal (Arctocephalusgalapagoensis):
An Overview
Juan José
Alava, Judith Denkinger, Pedro J. Jiménez and Raúl Carvajal
Diving
Physiology, Foraging and Reproductive Behavior of the Galapagos Sea Lion
(Zalophus wollebaeki)
Stella
Villegas-Amtmann and Daniel P. Costa
Management
Strategies and Conservation Status of Galapagos Sea Lion Populations at San
Cristobal Island, Galapagos, Ecuador
Diego
Páez-Rosas and Nataly Guevara
Population
Ecology, Trends and Distribution of the Juan Fernandez Fur Seal, Arctocephalus
philippii (Peters 1866) in Chile
Layla P.
Osman and Carlos A. Moreno
Population
Ecology and Conservation Status of the South American Sea Lion in Uruguay
Valentina
Franco-Trecu, Massimiliano Drago, Diana Szteren and Federico G. Riet-Sapriza
Ecology
and Conservation Status of the South American Fur Seal in Uruguay
Valentina
Franco-Trecu
The
Uncertain Fate of the Endangered Mediterranean Monk Seal Monachus monachus in
the 21st Century: Population, Ecology and Conservation
Threats
Panagiotis
Dendrinos and Alexandros A. Karamanlidis
Bioecology
and Conservation Threats of the Cape Fur Seal Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus
G. J. Greg
Hofmeyr
Emerging
Pathogens and Health Issues in the 21st Century: A Challenge for Tropical and
Subtropical Pinnipeds
Karina
Acevedo-Whitehouse and Luis A. Soto-García
Pathologies
of Pinnipeds in Brazil
Paula Baldassin,
Derek Blaese de Amorim, Max R. Werneck and Daniela Bueno Mariani
Best Wishes!!!
Juan Jose Alava
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