logo
    Ecologically meaningful marine areas in the southern NE Atlantic: insights from marine predator communities
    0
    Citation
    0
    Reference
    20
    Related Paper
    ABSTRACT Aim A large body of knowledge exists on individual anthropogenic threats that have an impact on marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea, although we know little about how these threats accumulate and interact to affect marine species and ecosystems. In this context, we aimed to identify the main areas where the interaction between marine biodiversity and threats is more pronounced and to assess their spatial overlap with current marine protected areas in the Mediterranean. Location Mediterranean Sea. Methods We first identified areas of high biodiversity of marine mammals, marine turtles, seabirds, fishes and commercial or well‐documented invertebrates. We mapped potential areas of high threat where multiple threats are occurring simultaneously. Finally we quantified the areas of conservation concern for biodiversity by looking at the spatial overlap between high biodiversity and high cumulative threats, and we assessed the overlap with protected areas. Results Our results show that areas with high marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea are mainly located along the central and north shores, with lower values in the south‐eastern regions. Areas of potential high cumulative threats are widespread in both the western and eastern basins, with fewer areas located in the south‐eastern region. The interaction between areas of high biodiversity and threats for invertebrates, fishes and large animals in general (including large fishes, marine mammals, marine turtles and seabirds) is concentrated in the coastal areas of Spain, Gulf of Lions, north‐eastern Ligurian Sea, Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, south‐eastern Turkey and regions surrounding the Nile Delta and north‐west African coasts. Areas of concern are larger for marine mammal and seabird species. Main conclusions These areas may represent good candidates for further research, management and protection activities, since there is only a maximum 2% overlap between existing marine protected areas (which cover 5% of the Mediterranean Sea) and our predicted areas of conservation concern for biodiversity.
    Marine protected area
    Marine reserve
    Marine ecosystem
    Marine Biodiversity
    Aquatic biodiversity research
    Upwelling regions are highly productive habitats targeted by wide-ranging marine predators and industrial fisheries. In this study, we track the migratory movements of eight seabird species from across the Atlantic; quantify overlap with the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) and determine the habitat characteristics that drive this association. Our results indicate the CCLME is a biodiversity hotspot for migratory seabirds; all tracked species and more than 70% of individuals used this upwelling region. Relative species richness peaked in areas where sea surface temperature averaged between 15 and 20°C, and correlated positively with chlorophyll a , revealing the optimum conditions driving bottom-up trophic effects for seabirds. Marine vertebrates are not confined by international boundaries, making conservation challenging. However, by linking diversity to ocean productivity, our research reveals the significance of the CCLME for seabird populations from across the Atlantic, making it a priority for conservation action.
    Marine ecosystem
    Biodiversity hotspot
    Citations (75)
    Part I: Processes Influencing Pattern in Benthic Communities Physical Processes that Generate Pattern in Marine Communities Geological History of the Living Shore Biota Genetic Structure in the Sea: From Populations to Communities Natural Disturbance and the Dynamics of Marine Benthic Communities The Ecology and Evolution of Marine Consumer-Prey Interactions The Larval Ecology of Marine Communities Supply Side Ecology: The Nature and Consequences of Variations in Recruitment of Intertidal Organisms Habitat Modification and Facilitation in Benthic Marine Communities Part II: Community Types Soft Sediment Communities Salt Marsh Communities Seagrass Community Ecology Rocky Subtidal Communities Deep-Sea Communities The Ecology of Coral Reefs Mangrove Communities Part III: Marine Community Conservation Issues Human Alterations of Marine Communities Caveat Studium Conservation and Management of Marine Communities The Ecology of Marine Protected Areas
    Salt marsh
    Marine protected area
    Citations (1,559)
    The temperate waters of the North-Eastern Atlantic have a long history of maritime resource richness and, as a result, the European Union is endeavouring to maintain regional productivity and biodiversity. At the intersection of these aims lies potential conflict, signalling the need for integrated, cross-border management approaches. This paper focuses on the marine megafauna of the region. This guild of consumers was formerly abundant, but is now depleted and protected under various national and international legislative structures. We present a meta-analysis of available megafauna datasets using presence-only distribution models to characterise suitable habitat and identify spatially-important regions within the English Channel and southern bight of the North Sea. The integration of studies from dedicated and opportunistic observer programmes in the United Kingdom and France provide a valuable perspective on the spatial and seasonal distribution of various taxonomic groups, including large pelagic fishes and sharks, marine mammals, seabirds and marine turtles. The Western English Channel emerged as a hotspot of biodiversity for megafauna, while species richness was low in the Eastern English Channel. Spatial conservation planning is complicated by the highly mobile nature of marine megafauna, however they are important components of the marine environment and understanding their distribution is a first crucial step toward their inclusion into marine ecosystem management.
    Megafauna
    Marine protected area
    Marine conservation
    Marine mammals and humans are apex predators and both may compete for fish in ecosystems under continuous fishing pressure. We assessed the degree of trophic overlap between prey species found in the diet of 5 marine mammals (39 specimens of sea lion Otaria flavescens , 61 fur seals Arctocephalus australis , 76 franciscana dolphins Pontoporia blainvillei , 25 bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus and 28 Lahille’s bottlenose dolphins T. gephyreus ) and the catches of the 6 main commercial fishing gears used in southern Brazil (coastal gillnets, oceanic gillnets, purse seine, demersal pair trawling, bottom [single] trawl and double-rig trawling) between 1993 and 2016. An adjusted general overlap index indicated an overall moderate to high overlap. Specific overlap analysis showed that O. flavescens and T. truncatus presented high trophic relationships with fisheries, followed by T. gephyreus . Smaller interactions were observed for A. australis and P. blainvillei, even though they also exploit commercial fishing resources. Coastal gillnet and pair bottom trawling are the fisheries that most target the fish species favoured by O. flavescens , T. gephyreus and T. truncatus . The information presented in this study on trophic interactions may assist decision making for both fishery management and conservation measures for these apex predators. Commercial fishing activities are a major threat to marine mammals both regionally and globally. Current levels of fishing or its intensification may lead to dramatic changes in the coastal marine food web, including additional threats to coastal marine mammal populations in southern Brazil.
    Demersal zone
    Bottom trawling
    Demersal fish
    Forage fish
    Bycatch
    Marine mammal
    Citations (21)
    Prologue Background and focus I: Regime Shifts A dynamical scenario for simultaneous regime-scale marine population shifts in widely separated LMEs of the Pacific Large-scale climate-related changes in the carrying capacity of salmon in the Strait of Georgia and northern North Pacific ecosystems The interdecal climatic change signal in the temperate LMEs of the Pacific Long-term variations in pelagic communities in the large marine ecosystems of the West Pacific Ocean Present state and trends of the Bering Sea epipelagic nekton communities in relation to global climatic-oceanographic change Long-term change in the North Pacific Ocean: a consideration of some important issues Plankton patterns, climate and change in the California Current Interannual variations in zooplankton biomass in the Gulf of Alaska, and covariation with California Current zooplankton biomass II: Case Studies Eastern Bering Sea Ecosystem trends Status and perspectives of living marine resources of the Yellow Sea ecosystem in Korean Waters Ecology and variability of economically important pelagic fishes in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea The Large Marine Ecosystem of the Japan Sea Changes in the biomass of the East China Sea ecosystem Changing state and health of the Gulf of Thailand Large Marine Ecosystem Effects of physical and biological changes on the biomass yield of the Humboldt Current ecosystem Stratified models of Large Marine Ecosystems: a general approach and an application to the South China Sea III: Methodological Studies Differences between boreal and temperate multispecies fisheries systems: form and implications for multispecies assessment and management The significance and prediction of predation in marine fisheries Acoustic assessment as an available technique in monitoring the living resources of large marine ecosystems Shoal structure of commercially important pelagic fish in relation to the dynamics of upwelling marine ecosystems Measurements of the upper ocean structure using towed profiling systems Automated systems for marine monitoring and ecological research High-resolution biogeochemical monitoring for assessing environmental and ecological changes in marginal seas using ferry boats IV: Indicators of Ecosystem Health Nutrients in the Bohai Sea Ecological carrying capacity of semi-enclosed Large Marine Ecosystems Alteration of fatty acid composition of coastal diatoms under cadmium stress Gills and skin as bio-indicators of water pollution in fish from freshwater and the Yellow Sea Pollution in the Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem: monitoring, research and ecological effects V: Management Linkages Management of the Great Barrier Reef as a Large Marine Ecosystem Borneo's marine ecosystem and the greenhouse risk factor: a national perspective Large Marine Ecosystems: assessment and management from drainiage basins to ocean VI: Recommendations
    Marine ecosystem
    Regime shift
    Nekton
    Citations (74)