Dear Colleagues, This is a reminder to consider attending the 2016 Ocean Sciences Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana this February, and to submit an abstract to session ME002: Advances in the ecology, behavior, physiology, or conservation of marine top predators. Details about the session are below. Mark Baumgartner, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, mbaumgartner@whoi.edu Daniel Palacios, Oregon State University, daniel.palacios@oregonstate.edu
From: Mark Baumgartner <mbaumgartner@whoi.edu> Subject: Ocean Sciences top predator session Date: September 5, 2015 at 3:58:21 PM EDT
Dear Colleagues,
The 2016 Ocean Sciences Meeting will be held 21-26 February 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The meeting is an important venue for scientific exchange across broad marine science disciplines, with sessions on all aspects of oceanography. We would like to call your attention to a session we will be chairing entitled "Advances in the ecology, behavior, physiology, or conservation of marine top predators" (ME002). This session has been convened at the Ocean Sciences meetings since 2010, and it provides a wonderful opportunity for researchers studying a variety of taxa (including marine mammals) to meet, exchange ideas, and explore commonalities in research methods, scientific questions, and conservation efforts. Please consider submitting an abstract and attending the meeting. Abstracts are due by 23 September 2015 (2 weeks from Wednesday). More information on the session is below.
Mark Baumgartner, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, mbaumgartner@whoi.edu Daniel Palacios, Oregon State University, daniel.palacios@oregonstate.edu
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Topic: Marine Ecosystems Title: ME002. Advances in the ecology, behavior, physiology, or conservation of marine top predators Session ID#: 9588
Session Description: Top predators are a vital part of the marine ecosystem, and as such, their ecology, behavior and physiology can influence important processes such as trophic interactions, carbon flow, and nutrient recycling. Virtually all top predators have a history of over-exploitation or they have special management status because of their sensitivity to marine industrial activities and other human uses (e.g., bycatch, shipping, resource exploration/extraction). Basic research on top predators often focuses on gaps in our understanding of their ecology, but unlike many other branches of biological oceanography, research can also be motivated directly by management and conservation needs. This session will focus on studies of the ecology, behavior, and physiology of marine top predators that either advance our scientific understanding or support the conservation of these important taxa. Because Ocean Sciences provides a unique forum for marine ecologists, marine biologists, and oceanographers to interact, we seek contributions from researchers studying a wide variety of taxa, including fish, squid, reptiles, seabirds, and marine mammals, from anywhere in the world’s oceans.