A food-web comparative modeling approach highlights ecosystem singularities of the Gulf of Alicante (Western Mediterranean Sea)
| Autor: | Marta Coll, Antonio Esteban, Miguel Vivas, José María Bellido, Maria Angeles Torres, Encarnación García-Rodríguez |
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| Přispěvatelé: | European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España), European Commission, Agencia Estatal de Investigación (España) |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2022 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Marine conservation Biomass (ecology) Detritus 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management (EAFM) Pelagic zone Aquatic Science Oceanography Ecopath model 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Demersal zone Comparative modeling approach Fishery Fishing impacts Ecological indicators Mediterranean sea Geography 13. Climate action EcoSim 14. Life underwater Trophic interactions Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Trophic level |
| Zdroj: | Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC instname |
| Popis: | 13 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, supplementary data https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seares.2021.102073 A food-web comparative modeling approach using Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) was built to characterize the ecosystem of the Gulf of Alicante (GoA) and investigate its singularities. The GoA differs from neighboring ecosystems of the Western Mediterranean Sea because of its different oceanographic characteristics. We developed a model of the study area representing early 2010s, covering a total area of 7085 km2, and including the continental shelf and upper slope with depths from 50 to 800 m. In total, 45 functional groups considering all components of the food web (fish, marine mammals, seabirds, invertebrates, primary producers, and detritus) were selected to build the ecological model. The fishery was represented by the four main fleets operating in the area (i.e., bottom trawl, purse seine, longlines, and small-scale fisheries) and we included official landing data and estimated percentage of discarded species. Results were then compared with available outputs of available models representing adjacent ecosystems such as the Gulf of Cadiz (in the Atlantic side) and the North Western Mediterranean Sea (north of the study area). The study revealed that the major differences found between models were due to the lower primary production in the GoA. This led to lower catches and higher importance of the demersal compartment, where the most biomass was associated to the detritus. The main trophic flows in the GoA were originated at the basis of the food web, likely related to bottom-up flow control. Interactions between pelagic and demersal groups were weaker than in neighboring areas. Despite the high values of ecotrophic efficiencies and mortality rates, results showed a lower fishing pressure than in neighboring areas, suggesting a moderate exploitation level of marine resources in the GoA. This study fills a knowledge gap in the area and sets the baseline to develop future studies to test scenarios of change and management options Data collection was co-funded by the EU through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund(EMFF) within the National Program for the collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector and support for scientific advice regarding the Common Fisheries Policy. M Coll and J.M. Bellido would like to acknowledge financial support by the Spanish Research project PELWEB (CTM2017-88939-R) funded by Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 869300 (FutureMARES) |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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