REVIEW: On the Front Line: frontal zones as priority at-sea conservation areas for mobile marine vertebrates

摘要: Summary 1. Identifying priority areas for marine vertebrate conservation is complex because species of concern are highly mobile, inhabit dynamic habitats and difficult to monitor. 2. Many vertebrates known associate with oceanographic fronts – physical interfaces at the transition between water masses foraging migration, making them important candidate sites conservation. Here, we review associations how they vary scale, regional oceanography ecology. 3. Accessibility, spatiotemporal predictability relative productivity front-associated key aspects their ecological importance. Predictable mesoscale (10s– 100s km) regions persistent frontal activity (‘frontal zones’) particularly significant. 4. Frontal zones hotspots overlap critical habitat spatially explicit anthropogenic threats, such as concentration fisheries activity. As such, represent tractable units, in which target measures threat mitigation. 5. Front mapping via Earth observation (EO) remote sensing facilitates identification monitoring these vulnerability. Seasonal or climatological products can locate biophysical hotspots, while near-real-time front augments suite tools supporting ocean management. 6. Synthesis applications. ecologically mobile vertebrates. We surmise that accessibility, characteristics significant contrasting regions. Persistent potential multiple taxa easily identifiable through EO sensing. These insights useful spatial planning biodiversity conservation, both within Exclusive Economic Zones open oceans.