A functional vulnerability framework for biodiversity conservation

Arnaud Auber (), Conor Waldock, Anthony Maire, Eric Goberville, Camille Albouy, Adam C. Algar, Matthew McLean, Anik Brind’Amour, Alison L. Green, Mark Tupper, Laurent Vigliola, Kristin Kaschner, Kathleen Kesner-Reyes, Maria Beger, Jerry Tjiputra, Aurèle Toussaint, Cyrille Violle, Nicolas Mouquet, Wilfried Thuiller and David Mouillot
Additional contact information
Arnaud Auber: Laboratoire Ressources Halieutiques
Conor Waldock: University of Bern
Anthony Maire: EDF R&D LNHE - Laboratoire National d’Hydraulique et Environnement, 6 quai Watier
Eric Goberville: Université de Caen Normandie, Université des Antilles, CNRS, IRD
Camille Albouy: ETH Zürich
Adam C. Algar: Lakehead University
Matthew McLean: Dalhousie University
Anik Brind’Amour: IFREMER, unité Ecologie et Modèles pour l’Halieutique, rue de l’Ile d’Yeu, BP21105
Alison L. Green: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Mark Tupper: University of Portsmouth, Ferry Reach
Laurent Vigliola: UMR ENTROPIE, IRD-UR-UNC-IFREMER-CNRS, Centre IRD de Nouméa
Kristin Kaschner: Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg
Kathleen Kesner-Reyes: Quantitative Aquatics, G.S. Khush Hall, IRRI
Maria Beger: University of Leeds
Jerry Tjiputra: Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research
Aurèle Toussaint: University of Tartu
Cyrille Violle: CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD
Nicolas Mouquet: CESAB – FRB
Wilfried Thuiller: Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine
David Mouillot: UMR MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Setting appropriate conservation strategies in a multi-threat world is a challenging goal, especially because of natural complexity and budget limitations that prevent effective management of all ecosystems. Safeguarding the most threatened ecosystems requires accurate and integrative quantification of their vulnerability and their functioning, particularly the potential loss of species trait diversity which imperils their functioning. However, the magnitude of threats and associated biological responses both have high uncertainties. Additionally, a major difficulty is the recurrent lack of reference conditions for a fair and operational measurement of vulnerability. Here, we present a functional vulnerability framework that incorporates uncertainty and reference conditions into a generalizable tool. Through in silico simulations of disturbances, our framework allows us to quantify the vulnerability of communities to a wide range of threats. We demonstrate the relevance and operationality of our framework, and its global, scalable and quantitative comparability, through three case studies on marine fishes and mammals. We show that functional vulnerability has marked geographic and temporal patterns. We underline contrasting contributions of species richness and functional redundancy to the level of vulnerability among case studies, indicating that our integrative assessment can also identify the drivers of vulnerability in a world where uncertainty is omnipresent.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32331-y

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