As zoological organizations evolve in the twenty-first century to address the biodiversity extinction crisis, and proactively demonstrate relevance in a changing public opinion landscape, their conservation science portfolios continue to expand. Public zoos and aquariums address these issues directly by conducting both ex- and in-situ research designed to advance our understanding of species while also detecting, diagnosing, and halting population declines in the wild. In particular, the distinct nature of zoological organizations uniquely positions them to make significant contributions to marine science. The ability to care for and access a diverse suite of marine species provides the opportunity to understand their behavior, biology, physiology, which can inform ex-situ investigations. Moreover, the broad skillsets of staff facilitate extensive collaborative research opportunities. These ongoing contributions to marine science have remained relatively underappreciated by others outside the community. Here we intend to raise awareness about these contributions and initiate further collaborative research opportunities.
Building on an increasing body of literature, our goal is to curate a diverse portfolio of research that represents the contributions of zoos and aquariums to the field of marine science, and to highlight the novel qualities of these conservation-based organizations. These can broadly be divided into four main categories: i) Infrastructure - extensive capacity to care for a wide variety of animals, extensive veterinarian hospital spaces and equipment, advanced water quality and microbiology labs, research vessels, and the generation of funds through ticket sales and contributions; ii) Animal care - expertise in maintaining animals under professional human care including breeding, diverse veterinary expertise, development of species-specific research techniques relevant to the study of wild populations; iii) Dedicated research programs/personnel – typically focused on wild populations/ecosystems; and iv) Education and social science - policy and advocacy; education and outreach, large audiences to educate/engage on conservation issues, and inspiring the next generation of conservation champions/biologists. This will serve to further bring zoos and aquariums to the forefront as potential collaborators for other marine scientists conducting both in-situ and ex-situ research, particularly those studies that would benefit from the unique opportunities and rare and endangered species zoos and aquariums provide.
We seek articles of all types for this Research Topic, in particular (but not limited to) Original Research, Methods, Reviews, and Perspectives. All submissions should either focus on zoos and aquariums and/or have at least one author that has a direct and current affiliation to one. Original Research contributions can be any that fall within the scope of the journal. We encourage submissions from a wide range of topics (e.g., conservation, biology, ecology, husbandry, social science, policy) and departments focused on all elements of research associated with these organizations (e.g., field, in-house, veterinary, education and outreach). We are also aiming for geographically diverse submissions. All manuscripts are expected to be of high quality and worthy of peer-reviewed publication.
As zoological organizations evolve in the twenty-first century to address the biodiversity extinction crisis, and proactively demonstrate relevance in a changing public opinion landscape, their conservation science portfolios continue to expand. Public zoos and aquariums address these issues directly by conducting both ex- and in-situ research designed to advance our understanding of species while also detecting, diagnosing, and halting population declines in the wild. In particular, the distinct nature of zoological organizations uniquely positions them to make significant contributions to marine science. The ability to care for and access a diverse suite of marine species provides the opportunity to understand their behavior, biology, physiology, which can inform ex-situ investigations. Moreover, the broad skillsets of staff facilitate extensive collaborative research opportunities. These ongoing contributions to marine science have remained relatively underappreciated by others outside the community. Here we intend to raise awareness about these contributions and initiate further collaborative research opportunities.
Building on an increasing body of literature, our goal is to curate a diverse portfolio of research that represents the contributions of zoos and aquariums to the field of marine science, and to highlight the novel qualities of these conservation-based organizations. These can broadly be divided into four main categories: i) Infrastructure - extensive capacity to care for a wide variety of animals, extensive veterinarian hospital spaces and equipment, advanced water quality and microbiology labs, research vessels, and the generation of funds through ticket sales and contributions; ii) Animal care - expertise in maintaining animals under professional human care including breeding, diverse veterinary expertise, development of species-specific research techniques relevant to the study of wild populations; iii) Dedicated research programs/personnel – typically focused on wild populations/ecosystems; and iv) Education and social science - policy and advocacy; education and outreach, large audiences to educate/engage on conservation issues, and inspiring the next generation of conservation champions/biologists. This will serve to further bring zoos and aquariums to the forefront as potential collaborators for other marine scientists conducting both in-situ and ex-situ research, particularly those studies that would benefit from the unique opportunities and rare and endangered species zoos and aquariums provide.
We seek articles of all types for this Research Topic, in particular (but not limited to) Original Research, Methods, Reviews, and Perspectives. All submissions should either focus on zoos and aquariums and/or have at least one author that has a direct and current affiliation to one. Original Research contributions can be any that fall within the scope of the journal. We encourage submissions from a wide range of topics (e.g., conservation, biology, ecology, husbandry, social science, policy) and departments focused on all elements of research associated with these organizations (e.g., field, in-house, veterinary, education and outreach). We are also aiming for geographically diverse submissions. All manuscripts are expected to be of high quality and worthy of peer-reviewed publication.
