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Ecosystem context and historical contingency in apex predator recoveries

Habitat loss, overexploitation, and numerous other stressors have caused global declines in apex predators. This “trophic downgrading” has generated widespread concern because of the fundamental role that apex predators can play in ecosystem functioning, disease regulation, and biodiversity maintenance. In attempts to combat declines, managers have conducted reintroductions, imposed stricter harvest regulations, and implemented protected areas. We suggest that full recovery of viable apex predator populations is currently the exception rather than the rule.

A comprehensive method for assessing marine resource governance: case study in Kane'ohe Bay, Hawaii

A recent metaanalysis identified certain management attributes that are associated with successful management of threshold-based systems. However, high variance among case studies indicates that these attributes do not guarantee good conservation outcomes, suggesting that additional factors may be at play. To better understand these additional factors, we compiled a list of effective governance attributes from the literature, and developed guidance for systematically evaluating their presence, absence, and the extent to which each attribute is actually manifested in a given case study.

Synthetic Ecology Across Scales: a Gulf of Alaska case study

The Ocean Health Index and Shiny

Improving reproducibility, collaboration and communication in marine science using open science tools

Potential barriers of offshore aquaculture

Aligning conservation and seafood production: potential and barriers of offshore aquaculture expansion

Using ecological thresholds to inform resource management: current options and future possibilities

In the face of growing human impacts on ecosystems, scientists and managers recognize the need to better understand thresholds and non-linear dynamics in ecological systems to help set management targets. However, our understanding of the factors that drive threshold dynamics, and when and how rapidly thresholds will be crossed is currently limited in many systems.

Thresholds in Caribbean coral reefs: implications for ecosystem-based fishery management

1. Ecosystem-based management of coral reef fisheries aims to sustainably deliver a diverse portfolio of ecosystem services. This goal can be undermined if the ecosystem shifts into a different state, with altered ecosystem functions and benefits to people. If levels of drivers that cause transitions between states are identified, management measures could be aimed at maintaining drivers below these levels to avoid ecosystem shifts. 2.

A decade of seascape genetics: contributions to basic and applied marine connectivity

Seascape genetics, a term coined in 2006, is a fast growing area of population genetics that draws on ecology, oceanography and geography to address challenges in basic understanding of marine connectivity and applications to management. We provide an accessible overview of the latest developments in seascape genetics that merge exciting new ideas from the field of marine population connectivity with statistical and technical advances in population genetics.