Functional ecology of fish: current approaches and future challenges

Villéger, Sébastien; Brosse, Sébastien; Mouchet, Maud; Mouillot, David; Vanni, Michael J.

doi:10.1007/s00027-017-0546-z

Cited by 310 publications

(312 citation statements)

References 173 publications

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“…Here, a trait‐based approach uncovered important insights into community assembly and environmental filtering that was not possible with a purely species‐based approach, and the ability to transcend species and apply findings across systems is an important strength of trait‐based ecology (Mcgill et al, ; Winemiller et al, ). However, while we documented spatial shifts in trait structure over time, we are unable to explain the potential consequences for the overall ecosystem, as studies linking fish traits to ecosystem processes and functions are currently lacking (Villéger et al, ). We were also unable to account for ontogenetic shifts in trait values or intraspecific trait variation, as we used single, fixed trait values for each species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…Evaluating the spatial and temporal dynamics of fish communities is crucial for understanding and predicting the impacts of global environmental change on marine ecosystem functioning and services (Frainer et al, ; Givan, Edelist, Sonin, & Belmaker, ; Holmlund & Hammer, ; Worm et al, ). Fishes are the dominant vertebrates in marine food webs and strongly influence ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling, carbon storage, water quality and habitat maintenance (Allgeier, Burkepile, & Layman, ; Bascompte, Melián, & Sala, ; Holmlund & Hammer, ; Villéger, Brosse, Mouchet, Mouillot, & Vanni, ). In recent decades, ocean warming has profoundly impacted marine fish communities (Cheung, Watson, & Pauly, ; Flanagan, Jensen, Morley, & Pinsky, ; Fossheim et al, ; Wernberg et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fish communities diverge in species but converge in traits over three decades of warming

McLean

Mouillot

Lindegren

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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Describing the spatial and temporal dynamics of communities is essential for understanding the impacts of global environmental change on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Trait‐based approaches can provide better insight than species‐based (i.e. taxonomic) approaches into community assembly and ecosystem functioning, but comparing species and trait dynamics may reveal important patterns for understanding community responses to environmental change. Here, we used a 33‐year database of fish monitoring to compare the spatio‐temporal dynamics of taxonomic and trait structure in North Sea fish communities. We found that the majority of variation in both taxonomic and trait structure was explained by a pronounced spatial gradient, with distinct communities in the southern and northern North Sea related to depth, sea surface temperature, salinity and bed shear stress. Both taxonomic and trait structure changed significantly over time; however taxonomically, communities in the south and north diverged towards different species, becoming more dissimilar over time, yet they converged towards the same traits regardless of species differences. In particular, communities shifted towards smaller, faster growing species with higher thermal preferences and pelagic water column position. Although taxonomic structure changed over time, its spatial distribution remained relatively stable, whereas in trait structure, the southern zone of the North Sea shifted northward and expanded, leading to homogenization. Our findings suggest that global environmental change, notably climate warming, will lead to convergence towards traits more adapted for novel environments regardless of species composition.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fish communities diverge in species but converge in traits over three decades of warming

McLean

Mouillot

Lindegren

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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“…Here, we found that both temperature and predation intensity affected body mass. We can speculate that higher body mass could allow minnows to reach a size refuge from predators, and/or to increase their locomotor performances to escape predators (Domenici, ; Villéger et al, ). Nonetheless, this result should be interpreted with care since our statistical power is weak and because of collinearity between water temperature and predation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability of functional traits and their syndromes in a freshwater fish species (Phoxinus phoxinus): The role of adaptive and nonadaptive processes

Raffard

Prunier

Loot

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Functional traits can covary to form “functional syndromes.” Describing and understanding functional syndromes is an important prerequisite for predicting the effects of organisms on ecosystem functioning. At the intraspecific level, functional syndromes have recently been described, but very little is known about their variability among populations and—if they vary—what the ecological and evolutionary drivers of this variation are. Here, we quantified and compared the variability in four functional traits (body mass, metabolic rate, excretion rate, and boldness), their covariations and the subsequent syndromes among thirteen populations of a common freshwater fish (the European minnow, Phoxinus phoxinus ). We then tested whether functional traits and their covariations, as well as the subsequent syndromes, were underpinned by the phylogenetic relatedness among populations (historical effects) or the local environment (i.e., temperature and predation pressure), and whether adaptive (selection or plasticity) or nonadaptive (genetic drift) processes sustained among‐population variability. We found substantial among‐population variability in functional traits and trait covariations, and in the emerging syndromes. We further found that adaptive mechanisms (plasticity and/or selection) related to water temperature and predation pressure modulated the covariation between body mass and metabolic rate. Other trait covariations were more likely driven by genetic drift, suggesting that nonadaptive processes can also lead to substantial differences in trait covariations among populations. Overall, we concluded that functional syndromes are population‐specific, and that both adaptive and nonadaptive processes are shaping functional traits. Given the pivotal role of functional traits, differences in functional syndromes within species provide interesting perspectives regarding the role of intraspecific diversity for ecosystem functioning.

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“…Among the 14,953 species present in the occurrence database, 9,150 species were morphologically described using pictures and drawings from textbooks and scientific websites (Su et al, ). More precisely, morphology was assessed using 10 traits describing the size and shape of body parts involved in food acquisition and locomotion (Toussaint et al, ; Villéger, Brosse, Mouchet, Mouillot, & Vanni, ). The 10 traits were selected to be complementary, and they were indeed not markedly correlated to each other (Spearman test, rho < .45 for all the 45 trait comparisons).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological sorting of introduced freshwater fish species within and between donor realms

Villéger

Brosse

2020

Global Ecol Biogeogr

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Aim To determine which morphological characteristics make a fish species a good candidate for introduction and establishment, we tested whether (a) introduced species differ in morphology from non‐introduced species (species only existing in native areas and not introduced to new areas) in each donor assemblage (biogeographic realm fauna); (b) within the introduced species, the morphology of established species (self‐sustaining introduced species) differs from that of the non‐established species; (c) within the established species, those exported out of their native realm have more extreme morphological traits than those translocated within their native realm. Major taxa studied Freshwater fish. Location Global. Time period 1960s–2010s. Methods We used a global database of freshwater fishes from the six realms. Ten morphological traits were measured on 9,150 species. Principal component analysis was conducted to combine the 10 traits into a multidimensional morphospace. We used permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) and permutational analysis for the multivariate homogeneity of dispersions (PERMDISP2) to compare the distribution of species groups in the morphospace and Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests to compare their distributions on principal component (PC) axes. Results The morphology of introduced species differed from that of non‐introduced species in all the six biogeographic realms. Among introduced species, established species had more extreme morphological traits than non‐established species in most realms. Among established species, exported species had more extreme morphological traits than translocated species. Main conclusions Morphological differences between introduced and non‐introduced species was driven by an anthropogenic trait selection for fisheries and angling, leading to the preference for the introduction of predators with large and laterally compressed bodies. Established species represent a small subset of introduced species morphologies, with established species having more extreme morphological traits than their non‐established counterparts. Established fish have morphologies more adapted to lentic waters, and this trend was more marked for species exported to other realms than for species translocated within their native realm.

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Functional ecology of fish: current approaches and future challenges

Cited by 310 publications

References 173 publications

Fish communities diverge in species but converge in traits over three decades of warming

Fish communities diverge in species but converge in traits over three decades of warming

Variability of functional traits and their syndromes in a freshwater fish species (Phoxinus phoxinus): The role of adaptive and nonadaptive processes

Morphological sorting of introduced freshwater fish species within and between donor realms

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