Bird Ecology and Conservation in Coastal and Marine Habitats

Coastal and marine environments are among the most dynamic yet threatened ecosystems globally. Birds inhabiting these regions ranging from pelagic seabirds to intertidal shorebirds, act as vital indicators of ecosystem health. As these habitats face increasing pressure from human activity and environmental shifts, understanding the complex interactions between avian species and their aquatic environments is critical. This research framework is necessitated by the urgent need to understand how anthropogenic stressors impact the survival, behavior, and reproductive success of these birds in a rapidly changing climate.The primary objectives of this Research Topic are focused on advancing scientific understanding and informing policy to ensure long-term avian resilience. The key goals include:• Scientific Advancement: To advance the understanding of physiological and behavioral adaptations of birds to marine and coastal stressors.• Habitat Identification: To identify critical habitat requirements for breeding, foraging, and migration.• Impact Quantification: To quantify the impact of climate change and human activity on avian population dynamics.• Policy and Management: To evaluate the effectiveness of current conservation frameworks and propose data-driven management strategies.• Global Impact: To provide an evidentiary basis for international conservation agreements (e.g., RAMSAR or CMS) and inform maritime spatial planning.The scope of this research covers five core sub-themes and utilizes multi-disciplinary methodologies to address avian ecology.Focal Areas• Foraging Ecology and Marine Food Webs: Investigating dietary shifts, trophic interactions (e.g., nutrient cycling), and mapping foraging "hotspots" using bio-logging.• Breeding Biology and Colony Dynamics: Examining nesting success and phenological shifts in response to seasonal cues, metapopulation connectivity and anthropogenic stressors.• Migration and Flyway Conservation: Studying stopover ecology and identifying threats along migratory pathways (e.g., wind energy, light pollution), and linking wintering grounds to breeding territories.• Anthropogenic Threats and Mitigation: Assessing the effects of pollution (plastics/heavy metals), climate-driven sea-level rise, and fisheries interactions such as bycatch.• Conservation Management and Policy: Designing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), evaluating seabird habitat restoration, and integrating community-led conservation and citizen science.Methodological ScopeThe research will employ a variety of advanced techniques, including:• Remote Sensing and GIS: For mapping habitats and projecting climate change.• Molecular and Chemical Analysis: Using genomic sequencing for population health, stable isotope analysis for diet and movement tracking, and contaminant analysis to evaluate marine pollution.• Bio-Acoustics: Monitoring remote colonies or nocturnal species.• Bio-logging: Utilizing miniatured devices to track foraging and migration patterns. Topic editors: Ivo Dos Santos, Bruno A. Linhares Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79477/bird-ecology-and-conservation-in-coastal-and-marine-habitats