What is it about?
Benthic-pelagic coupling is the intertwining of interrelated species that exchange energy from the benthic to the pelagic environment and vice-versa. We have shown that fishery-induced interactions permeate the entire food web by influencing weak interactions of benthic-pelagic coupling and promoting cascading effects. We used a complex food web model based on observations and real data from biological and fisheries components.
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Why is it important?
By examining how a food web respond to fishing, the results make it clear that even in seemingly more dispersed environments such as marine systems, there are important interrelationships between human activities and living organisms and among fleets.
Perspectives
I hope this article stimulates reflection on the complexity of marine systems and the importance of preserving their biodiversity also in our interest.
Davide Agnetta
National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Benthic-pelagic coupling mediates interactions in Mediterranean mixed fisheries: An ecosystem modeling approach, PLoS ONE, January 2019, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210659.
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