Cover Picture and Issue Information. Issue 12 (5th December 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Is Part Of: Methods in ecology and evolution. Volume 8:Issue 12(2017)
• Page Start: 1647
• Page End: 1649
• Publication Date: 2017-12-05
• Subjects: Ecology -- Periodicals; Evolution -- Periodicals; 577
• DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.12640
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2041-210X

Abstract

Abstract : This month's cover image features sea otters ( Enhydra lutris kenyoni ) floating in a kelp bed located in Glacier Bay National Park, southeastern Alaska. Over the past 25 years, sea otters have gone from non‐existent in Glacier Bay, to one of the most abundant marine mammals in the park. They are a keystone apex predator of the nearshore marine ecosystem that can dramatically alter community composition and other food‐web dynamics. The National Park Service, Inventory & Monitoring Network are now monitoring sea otters as a vital sign of the Glacier Bay ecosystem. Vital sign data are used to support research, decisionmaking, education, and public understanding of National Park resources. In the article associated with this image, the authors describe a Bayesian hierarchical framework for using aerial photographs to simultaneously estimate occupancy, abundance, and detection probability. They applied the framework to vital sign monitoring of sea otters in Glacier Bay (capturing this image in the process). The methods do not rely on human observations from an aircraft, and therefore, could be used in future monitoring programs that employ unmanned aerial systems. Photo credit: ©Jamie N. Womble/NPS Photo, USFWS Permit # MA14762C‐0