Seascape ecology: identifying research priorities for an emerging ocean sustainability science

Abstract

Seascape ecology, the marine-centric counterpart to landscape ecology, is rapidly emerging as an interdisciplinary and spatially explicit ecological science with relevance to marine management, biodiversity conservation, and restoration. While important progress in this field has been made in the past decade, there has been no coherent prioritisation of key research questions to help set the future research agenda for seascape ecology. We used a 2-stage modified Delphi method to solicit applied research questions from academic experts in seascape ecology and then asked respondents to identify priority questions across 9 interrelated research themes using 2 rounds of selection. We also invited senior management/conservation practitioners to prioritise the same research questions. Analyses highlighted congruence and discrepancies in perceived priorities for applied research. Themes related to both ecological concepts and management practice, and those identified as priorities include seascape change, seascape connectivity, spatial and temporal scale, ecosystem-based management, and emerging technologies and metrics. Highest-priority questions (upper tercile) received 50% agreement between respondent groups, and lowest priorities (lower tercile) received 58% agreement. Across all 3 priority tiers, 36 of the 55 questions were within a ±10% band of agreement. We present the most important applied research questions as determined by the proportion of votes received. For each theme, we provide a synthesis of the research challenges and the potential role of seascape ecology. These priority questions and themes serve as a roadmap for advancing applied seascape ecology during, and beyond, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).

Coastal Vegetation and Bathymetry Influence Blue Crab Abundance Across Spatial Scales

“…Our study adds to a growing body of work demonstrating the importance of broad spatial perspectives to understanding species-habitat associations (Boström et al 2011;Pittman et al 2021). Because blue crab fisheries are highly valued, such knowledge may benefit marine spatial planning and ecosystem-based fisheries management (Crowder et al 2008), especially with regard to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14, "Life Below Water" (Duarte et al 2020).…”

Bringing seascape ecology to the deep seabed: A review and framework for its application

“…Although the biophysical environments of deep‐seabed and terrestrial landscapes differ, seabed researchers can adapt concepts and tools from other terrain‐oriented disciplines such as landscape ecology and geomorphometry to improve comprehension of the ecological effects of seabed heterogeneity (Zajac 2008; Lecours et al 2016 b ). Seascape ecology evolved from landscape ecology and has led to new ecological insights into structure–function relationships and spatially dynamic processes such as functional connectivity with growing relevance for sustainable management (Pittman et al 2021). However, unfamiliarity and skepticism of landscape ecology (Manderson 2016; Bell and Furman 2017), social and institutional barriers to cross‐disciplinary communication and thinking (Paine 2005), and limited data availability have resulted in relatively slow uptake in marine ecology compared to terrestrial ecology (Pittman et al 2021).…”

“…Seascape ecology evolved from landscape ecology and has led to new ecological insights into structure–function relationships and spatially dynamic processes such as functional connectivity with growing relevance for sustainable management (Pittman et al 2021). However, unfamiliarity and skepticism of landscape ecology (Manderson 2016; Bell and Furman 2017), social and institutional barriers to cross‐disciplinary communication and thinking (Paine 2005), and limited data availability have resulted in relatively slow uptake in marine ecology compared to terrestrial ecology (Pittman et al 2021). Studies that explicitly draw on the paradigmatic framework of seascape ecology have primarily focused on shallow coastal water areas (Boström et al 2011; Wedding et al 2011) (Fig.…”

“…This review explores the potential of seascape ecology to provide an enhanced pattern‐oriented theoretical background and unifying framework to the ecological consequences of deep‐seabed structural heterogeneity. The integration of spatial patterns and patterning processes is achieved through a quantitative focus on the key concepts of seascape ecology: composition and configuration, connectivity (horizontal and vertical), context, and consideration of scale (Pittman et al 2021). Here, we focus on applying seascape ecology to benthic seascapes beyond the depth limits of most nontechnical scientific diving and beyond the reach of most air‐ and space‐borne optical sensors (i.e., > 30 m of depth).…”

Editorial: Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics of Marine Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Coastalscapes

“…Greater effort is needed to describe eco-evolutionary dynamics in human-dominated marine and coastal environments, particularly at water-land-air transitions, or "coastalscapes, " where human impacts are most likely to impose selective pressure. We define coastalscapes (building upon the seascape definition sensu Pittman et al, 2021) as the transitional zone extending from the shallow subtidal to upland watersheds in close proximity to shore (<10 km). This includes a complex mosaic of terrestrial, intertidal, and submerged spatial units, exhibiting both a 2D or 3D configuration.…”