Threatened fish species in the Northeast Atlantic are functionally rare - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Global Ecology and Biogeography Année : 2023

Threatened fish species in the Northeast Atlantic are functionally rare

Résumé

Aim The criteria used to define the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List categories are essentially based on demographic parameters at the species level, but they do not integrate species' traits or their roles in ecosystems. Consequently, current IUCN-based protection measures may not be sufficient to conserve ecosystem functioning and services. Some species may have a singular combination of traits associated with unique functions. Such functionally distinct species are increasingly recognized as a key facet of biodiversity since they are, by definition, functionally irreplaceable. The aim of this study is to investigate whether threatened species are also functionally rare and to identify which traits determine extinction risk. Location European continental shelf seas. Time period 1984–2020. Major taxa studied Marine fish. Methods Using newly compiled trait information of 425 marine fish species in European waters, and more than 30 years of scientific bottom trawl surveys, we estimated the functional distinctiveness, restrictedness and scarcity of each species and cross-referenced it with their IUCN conservation status. Results In European continental shelf seas, 38% of the species threatened with extinction (9 out of 24 species) were identified as the most functionally distinct. By mapping extinction risk in the multidimensional species trait space, we showed that species with the greatest risk of extinction are long-lived and of high trophic level. We also identified that the most functionally distinct species are sparsely distributed (4% of the total area on average) and have scarce abundances (<1% of the relative mean abundance of common species). Main Conclusions Because a substantial proportion of threatened species are functionally distinct and thus may play unique roles in ecosystem functioning, we stress that species traits—especially functional rarity—should become an indispensable step in the development of conservation management plans.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
Global Ecology and Biogeography - 2023 - Coulon - Threatened fish species in the Northeast Atlantic are functionally rare.pdf (5.2 Mo) Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte

Dates et versions

hal-04162009 , version 1 (13-07-2023)

Licence

Paternité - Pas d'utilisation commerciale

Identifiants

Citer

Noémie Coulon, Martin Lindegren, Eric Goberville, Aurèle Toussaint, Aurore Receveur, et al.. Threatened fish species in the Northeast Atlantic are functionally rare. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2023, ⟨10.1111/geb.13731⟩. ⟨hal-04162009⟩
18 Consultations
8 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More