Mapping benthic traits on the northwestern shelf of the Black Sea: a trait-based modelling approach

The biological communities found at the bottom of the sea, the macrobenthos, play a critical role in marine ecosystems by influencing biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem functioning. Therefore, the macrobenthos is a primary target for biodiversity conservation. Despite the availability of databases compiling millions of species records, benthic biodiversity remains poorly mapped at a larger scale, which hinders the establishment of Marine Protected Areas. This PhD thesis addresses this critical gap by developing predictive modelling tools capable of mapping macrobenthos characteristics at the shelf scale. This study takes a functional approach to biodiversity, defining living communities by their traits (e.g. mobility, burrow type). The methodology was developed for the northwestern shelf of the Black Sea. Trait distribution models were developed to link benthic traits and their “niche” (the environmental conditions to which they are suited) and to predict their spatial distribution using maps of environmental conditions provided by an ocean model. These maps of benthic traits can serve as ecological indicators for assessing ecosystem health and can be useful for conservation policy.