Sharks and rays are a group of ancient, ecologically important, and highly threatened fishes. Their large size, high mobility, and diversity allow for the assessment of the structure and function of large expanses of the ocean while making them a unique model for assessing how species respond to human-induced changes such as climate change. Despite the notion that many aspects of their biology and ecology remain poorly understood, access to this information has never been greater due to the rapid development of emerging technologies and approaches to study sharks and rays in virtually all areas of the ocean – from shallow reefs to deep trenches.
As the global research effort on sharks and rays continues to expand annually, we are also increasing the likelihood of making novel behavioral, physiological, or molecular discoveries – as is the potential to expand or refine known correlates of their biology or ecology. These exciting observations shed light on future research efforts and aid in adaptive management and conservation.
For this Research Topic, we are looking for new and exciting observations in the form of short papers for the section (e.g., natural history) on sharks and rays, from all marine environments and habitats. This includes novel records of behavior from video surveys and telemetry studies, new insights into their ecology and molecular biology, and new depth range extensions, distribution patterns, or unique spatial records, just to name a few. We accept papers with small datasets and limited replication, as long as findings are put into the context of broader ecological or behavioural phenomena.
Sharks and rays are a group of ancient, ecologically important, and highly threatened fishes. Their large size, high mobility, and diversity allow for the assessment of the structure and function of large expanses of the ocean while making them a unique model for assessing how species respond to human-induced changes such as climate change. Despite the notion that many aspects of their biology and ecology remain poorly understood, access to this information has never been greater due to the rapid development of emerging technologies and approaches to study sharks and rays in virtually all areas of the ocean – from shallow reefs to deep trenches.
As the global research effort on sharks and rays continues to expand annually, we are also increasing the likelihood of making novel behavioral, physiological, or molecular discoveries – as is the potential to expand or refine known correlates of their biology or ecology. These exciting observations shed light on future research efforts and aid in adaptive management and conservation.
For this Research Topic, we are looking for new and exciting observations in the form of short papers for the section (e.g., natural history) on sharks and rays, from all marine environments and habitats. This includes novel records of behavior from video surveys and telemetry studies, new insights into their ecology and molecular biology, and new depth range extensions, distribution patterns, or unique spatial records, just to name a few. We accept papers with small datasets and limited replication, as long as findings are put into the context of broader ecological or behavioural phenomena.