IMIS

Island ecosystems are overly sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances which are increasing in intensity, geographic scope, and type. Remote archipelagos surrounded by pelagic environments are also often hotspots for biodiversity with unique and essential marine habitats (i.e., Island Mass Effect). Along these oceanic hotspots of marine life, apex predators play a pivotal ecosystem service in maintaining the structure and function of marine and terrestrial habitats. These species can also be useful indicators of ecosystem health, and in the case of large predators, many of which are threatened, they can also play a significant role as climate change mitigators by acting as natural carbon reservoirs. Such apex predators comprise animals from several taxonomic groups (e.g., mammals, fishes, reptiles, birds, cephalopods), and are known to be exposed to varying levels of human-induced pressures that can include overfishing, pollution, marine traffic, marine litter, and climate change. Nevertheless, studies in remote insular or oceanic environments face numerous challenges and are unbalanced when compared to coastal habitats.