A trait-based assessment of the Barents Seafish community: implications for vulnerabilityunder environmental change
Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: SUMMARY\nThis is a study of the fish community in the Barents Sea and its vulnerability to\ndisturbance such as fishing and climate change. The vulnerability of the fish community\ndepends on its sensitivity to, and adaptability under, stress. To assess these two components\nof vulnerability, I have combined survey data from the Barents Sea with information about\nthe species properties (i.e., traits), following three approaches. 1) To study the adaptability\nunder disturbance, I have focused on functional diversity, which is a measure of the\ninterspecies functional dissimilarities. 2) To study the sensitivity of the fish community\nfunctioning to the loss of species, I have assessed functional redundancy. 3) I have assessed\nthe sensitivity of single species to fishing. For all these three measures, I have mapped the\nspatial variation throughout the Barents Sea. I have chosen to focus on the time period 2004-\n2009, a period that was characterized by heating water masses and declining sea ice coverage\nin the Barents Sea.\nThe analyses indicate that the fish community has a relatively low vulnerability in the\ncentral and south-western parts of the Barents Sea. However, many of the species found there\nare also fishery-sensitive. Further to the north and east, the community vulnerability appears\nto be higher due to lower functional diversity and redundancy. The analyses also show that\nfish that traditionally are found further south moved northwards. This is interpreted as a sign\nof borealization, which likely occurred due to a heating of the water masses. This pattern is\nparticularly eminent in the northern and north-eastern parts of the Barents Sea, where\ncommercially attractive species establish that are also sensitive to fishing. Since the\necosystem in these northern areas can be vulnerable, and since it is very little studied,\ncautiousness is required. Future studies that focus on the species’ life histories and functional\nroles will enhance our understanding of the ecosystem vulnerability.
Author: Magnus Wiedmann
Language: English
Subfield: Aquatic Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Life below water
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2147625152