We are pleased to announce the completion of the Endangered Species Research Theme Section entitled "Beyond Marine Mammal Habitat Modeling: Applications For Ecology And Conservation". The papers in the Theme Section were published upon acceptance, and are available for free via Open Access in the virtual volume located at www.int-res.com/journals/esr/esr-specials/beyond-marine-mammal-habitat-modeling. Below is a description and the contents of the Theme Section.

This Theme Section grew out of a decade of workshops on modeling marine mammal distribution and habitat held in conjunction with the Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals (workshop agendas, presentations, and other modeling resources available here: www.whoi.edu/sites/marinemammalmodeling). We are grateful for the contributions of all of the workshop participants over the years. We are particularly thankful to the scientists who responded to our call for manuscripts, the contributors to the Theme Section, Brendan Godley (ESR Editor-in-Chief), the very patient Penny Kuhn (ESR Managing Editor), and the entire ESR editorial staff.

Habitat modeling for marine mammals has made tremendous advances in the past decade. The application of statistical models to elucidate relationships between species and their environment has become commonplace in the literature. While these models have provided some insights into marine mammal–habitat associations, the biological or ecological significance of many relationships remains frustratingly unclear. Only by combining these largely descriptive efforts with additional oceanographic and ecosystem studies will we begin to provide insights into the processes that govern marine mammal distribution and behavior and ultimately contribute to conservation. Emerging from an ongoing series of workshops on marine mammal habitat modeling (www.whoi.edu/sites/marinemammalmodeling), this ESR Theme Section showcases studies that emphasize the ecological and management implications of modeled species-environment relationships.

Gregr EJ, Baumgartner MF, Laidre KL, Palacios DM, 2013, OVERVIEW: Marine mammal habitat models come of age: the emergence of ecological and management relevance, Endangered Species Research 22:205-212.

Gilles A, Adler S, Kaschner K, Scheidat M, Siebert U, 2011, Modelling harbour porpoise seasonal density as a function of the German Bight environment: implications for management, Endangered Species Research 14:157-169.

Corkeron PJ, Minton G, Collins T, Findlay K, Willson A, Baldwin R, 2011, Spatial models of sparse data to inform cetacean conservation planning: an example from Oman, Endangered Species Research 15:39-52.

Gerrodette T, Eguchi T, 2011, Precautionary design of a marine protected area based on a habitat model, Endangered Species Research15:159-166.

Lambert E, MacLeod CD, Hall K, Brereton T, Dunn TE, Wall D, Jepson PD, Deaville R, Pierce GJ, 2011, Quantifying likely cetacean range shifts in response to global climatic change: implications for conservation strategies in a changing world, Endangered Species Research 15:205-222.

Gregr EJ, 2011, Insights into North Pacific right whale Eubalaena japonica habitat from historic whaling records, Endangered Species Research 15:223-239.

Becker EA, Foley DG, Forney KA, Barlow J, Redfern JV, Gentemann CL, 2012, Forecasting cetacean abundance patterns to enhance management decisions, Endangered Species Research 16:97-112.

Forney KA, Ferguson MC, Becker EA, Fiedler PC, Redfern JV, Barlow J, Vilchis IL, Ballance LT, 2012, Habitat-based spatial models of cetacean density in the eastern Pacific Ocean, Endangered Species Research 16:113-133.

Goetz KT, Montgomery RA, Ver Hoef JM, Hobbs RC, Johnson DS, 2012, Identifying essential summer habitat of the endangered beluga whaleDelphinapterus leucas in Cook Inlet, Alaska, Endangered Species Research 16:135-147.

Wheeler B, Gilbert M, Rowe S, 2012, Definition of critical summer and fall habitat for bowhead whales in the eastern Canadian Arctic, Endangered Species Research 17:1-16.

Doniol-Valcroze T, Lesage V, Giard J, Michaud R, 2012, Challenges in marine mammal habitat modelling: evidence of multiple foraging habitats from the identification of feeding events in blue whales, Endangered Species Research 17:255-268.

Blasi MF, Boitani L, 2012, Modelling fine-scale distribution of the bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus using physiographic features on Filicudi (southern Thyrrenian Sea, Italy), Endangered Species Research 17:269-288.

Best BD, Halpin PN, Read AJ, Fujioka E, Good CP, LaBrecque EA, Schick RS, Roberts JJ, Hazen LJ, Qian SS, Palka DL, Garrison LP, McLellan WA, 2012, Online cetacean habitat modeling system for the US east coast and Gulf of Mexico, Endangered Species Research 18:1-15.

Keller CA, Garrison L, Baumstark R, Ward-Geiger LI, Hines E, 2012, Application of a habitat model to define calving habitat of the North Atlantic right whale in the southeastern United States, Endangered Species Research 18:73-87.

Pendleton DE, Sullivan PJ, Brown MW, Cole TVN, Good CP, Mayo CA, Monger BC, Phillips S, Record NR, Pershing AJ, 2012, Weekly predictions of North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis habitat reveal influence of prey abundance and seasonality of habitat preferences, Endangered Species Research 18:147-161.

Gallus A, Dähne M, Verfuß UK, Bräger S, Adler S, Siebert U, Benke H, 2012, Use of static passive acoustic monitoring to assess the status of the ‘Critically Endangered’ Baltic harbour porpoise in German waters, Endangered Species Research 18:265-278.

Palacios DM, Baumgartner MF, Laidre KL, Gregr EJ, 2013, AS WE SEE IT: Beyond correlation: integrating environmentally and behaviourally mediated processes in models of marine mammal distributions, Endangered Species Research 22:191-203.