RT Journal Article
T1 Thriving Areas in Temperate Coastal Systems: Novel Insights for Marine Conservation
A1 Sanabria Fernández, José A.
A1 Baselga Fraga, Andrés
A1 Lazzari, Natali
A1 Gómez Rodríguez, Carola
A1 Mouillot, David
A1 Edgar, Graham
A1 Dakos, Vasilis
K1 Balearic Islands
K1 Decision-making
K1 Functional ecology
K1 Marine fish communities
K1 Resilience conservation
AB AimResilience is a crucial property of ecosystems experiencing accelerated degradation in natural environments. While the functional characteristics of ecosystems play a significant role in shaping their resilience, the development of functional approaches in marine conservation has been largely overlooked. In light of this deficiency, we simultaneously consider the functional richness and redundancy of marine fish communities associated with rocky reefs to uncover and characterise the thriving and struggling areas.LocationFive marine ecoregions in southern Europe.MethodsWe collected data on the density of reef-associated marine fish species using the Reef Life Survey's standardised protocol. Based on these data, we estimated the functional richness and redundancy using four key functional traits: dietary patterns, gregariousness, position in the water column, and substrate preference. Next, we applied a predictive approach by using the XGBoost algorithm to estimate these functional metrics across the study area, including areas where in situ data were unavailable. Subsequently, to identify threshold points in the predictions, we employed decision trees, enabling us to unveil thriving and struggling areas.ResultsOur results indicate that the proportion of thriving areas (26.7%) is similar to that of struggling areas (26.5%), and that their distribution is heterogeneous across the ecoregions. We also find that these thriving areas are distinguished by lower values of human density, fishing pressure, chlorophyll concentrations, and they also exhibit a higher protection status compared to struggling areas.Main ConclusionsIn the current context of declining resilience, it is essential to address the functional dimension of biodiversity to unveil thriving and struggling areas, thereby highlighting the regions that require prioritisation in conservation and restoration efforts. Our findings offer critical information for policymakers and governments at local, regional, and national levels, pinpointing priority areas to enhance marine resilience and prevent the ongoing loss of this vital ecosystem property.
PB Wiley
SN 1472-4642
YR 2025
FD 2025-10-13
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/46569
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/46569
LA eng
NO Sanabria-Fernández, J. A., Baselga, A., Lazzari, N., Gómez Rodríguez, C., Mouillot, D., Edgar, G., & Dakos, V. (2025). Thriving Areas in Temperate Coastal Systems: Novel Insights for Marine Conservation, Diversity and Distributions, 31(10): e70091. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.70091
NO The development of this article has been made possible by the Margarita Salas postdoctoral fellowships of J.A.S.-F. and N.L., funded by the Universitat de Barcelona and the Spanish Ministry of Universities, the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, and the NextGenerationEU. N.L. has been “Funded by the European Union, MSCA program”, REVALSEA, 101146373. Furthermore, J.A.S.-F. expresses gratitude for the Junta de Andalucía Postdoctoral Fellowship (DGP_POST_2024_00757). Finally, we acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Defence for providing permits, transportation, and accommodation at the North African military bases. Additionally, we would like to express our appreciation for the insightful comments provided by the editor and anonymous reviewers, which have significantly enhanced the quality of this study. Open access publishing facilitated by James Cook University, as part of the Wiley - James Cook University agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.
DS Minerva
RD 23 may 2026