Marine fish diversity patterns, drivers and underlying processes:Present status and predictions under climate change
Biodiversity is the variety of life forms, from intraspecific gene diversity, to different species, communities and entire ecosystems. The uniqueness of all life forms grants them an intrinsic value. But, biodiversity also contributes to human wellbeing by providing key goods and services that human...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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DTU Aqua
2024
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| Online Access: | https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/63b267ee-d583-498e-94e2-3570825f03cb https://backend.orbit.dtu.dk/ws/files/371351441/PhD_thesis.pdf |
| Summary: | Biodiversity is the variety of life forms, from intraspecific gene diversity, to different species, communities and entire ecosystems. The uniqueness of all life forms grants them an intrinsic value. But, biodiversity also contributes to human wellbeing by providing key goods and services that human societies rely on, such as food production and climate regulation. Nonetheless, biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate due to anthropogenic pressures such as climate change and overexploitation. Consequently, we are now facing what could be the sixth mass extinction on Earth since life began over 3.5 billion years ago. Anticipating the effects of climate change (and other anthropogenic activities) on natural ecosystems is therefore essential for taking the necessary management and conservation decisions that seek to preserve biodiversity, and thus human well-being. Part of the decisions that need to be taken shall address the suitable placement of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that guarantee the adequate management and conservation of “areas of particular importance for biodiversity” in order to reach the objective of protecting 30% of marine areas by 2030. In this thesis, I use modeling tools to explore the underlying drivers shaping marine fish communities, train models capable of estimating patterns and trends in fish biodiversity, and assess the efficiency of current MPAs in safeguarding this biodiversity. I begin by studying the underlying drivers of marine fish communities at two different spatial scales, i.e., regional and continental. At the regional scale, I work with the case study of the North Sea, using the survey data from the North Sea International Bottom Trawl Survey to explore the fish community by modelling the responses of 67 species to environmental drivers and fishing pressure. For the continental scale, I compile data from 13 different surveys from the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, modelling the distribution and specific responses of 151 fish species to environmental change. At both ... |
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