Publications

2025

1. Conserv. sci. pract.

   FISHGLOB: A collaborative infrastructure to bridge the gap between scientific monitoring and marine biodiversity conservation

   Aurore A. Maureaud, Zoë Kitchel, Alexa Fredston, and 60 more authors

   Conservation Science and Practice, Jun 2025

   Publisher: Wiley

   Abs DOI

   Large‐scale biodiversity assessments and conservation applications require integrated and up‐to‐date datasets across regions. In the oceans, monitoring is fragmented, which affects knowledge exchange and usage. Among existing monitoring programs, scientific bottom‐trawl surveys (SBTS) are long‐term, rich, and well‐maintained data sources at the scale of each sampled region, but these data are under‐utilized in biodiversity applications, especially across regions. This is hampered by the lack of an international community and database maintained through time. To address this, we created FISHGLOB, an infrastructure gathering SBTS and experts. In 5 years, we developed an integrated database of SBTS and a consortium gathering more than 100 experts and users. Here, we are sharing the project history, achievements, challenges, and outlooks. In particular, we reflect on the infrastructure‐building social and technical processes which will guide the development of similar infrastructures. The FISHGLOB project takes ocean monitoring one step forward in working as a unified community across disciplines and regions of the world.

2024

1. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ.

   Mechanisms, detection and impacts of species redistributions under climate change

   Jake A. Lawlor, Lise Comte, Gaël Grenouillet, and 20 more authors

   Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, Apr 2024

   Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

   DOI
2. Glob Chang Biol.

   Bringing traits back into the equation: A roadmap to understand species redistribution

   Lise Comte, Romain Bertrand, Sarah Diamond, and 17 more authors

   Global Change Biology, Apr 2024

   Publisher: Wiley

   Abs DOI

   AbstractEcological and evolutionary theories have proposed that species traits should be important in mediating species responses to contemporary climate change; yet, empirical evidence has so far provided mixed evidence for the role of behavioral, life history, or ecological characteristics in facilitating or hindering species range shifts. As such, the utility of trait‐based approaches to predict species redistribution under climate change has been called into question. We develop the perspective, supported by evidence, that trait variation, if used carefully can have high potential utility, but that past analyses have in many cases failed to identify an explanatory value for traits by not fully embracing the complexity of species range shifts. First, we discuss the relevant theory linking species traits to range shift processes at the leading (expansion) and trailing (contraction) edges of species distributions and highlight the need to clarify the mechanistic basis of trait‐based approaches. Second, we provide a brief overview of range shift–trait studies and identify new opportunities for trait integration that consider range‐specific processes and intraspecific variability. Third, we explore the circumstances under which environmental and biotic context dependencies are likely to affect our ability to identify the contribution of species traits to range shift processes. Finally, we propose that revealing the role of traits in shaping species redistribution may likely require accounting for methodological variation arising from the range shift estimation process as well as addressing existing functional, geographical, and phylogenetic biases. We provide a series of considerations for more effectively integrating traits as well as extrinsic and methodological factors into species redistribution research. Together, these analytical approaches promise stronger mechanistic and predictive understanding that can help society mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change on biodiversity.

2023

1. Glob Chang Biol.

   The importance of oxygen for explaining rapid shifts in a marine fish

   Rathnayaka Mudiyanselage Wajra Jeewantha Bandara, Enrique Curchitser, and Malin L. Pinsky

   Global Change Biology, Nov 2023

   Abs DOI

   Large-scale shifts in marine species biogeography have been a notable impact of climate change. An effective explanation of what drives these species shifts, as well as accurate predictions of where they might move, is crucial to effectively managing these natural resources and conserving biodiversity. While temperature has been implicated as a major driver of these shifts, physiological processes suggest that oxygen, prey, and other factors should also play important roles. We expanded upon previous temperature-based distribution models by testing whether oxygen, food web productivity, salinity, and scope for metabolic activity (the Metabolic Index) better explained the changing biogeography of Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata) in the Northeast US. This species has been expanding further north over the past 15 years. We found that oxygen improved model performance beyond a simple consideration of temperature (ΔAIC = 799, ΔTSS = 0.015), with additional contributions from prey and salinity. However, the Metabolic Index did not substantially increase model performance relative to temperature and oxygen (ΔAIC = 0.63, ΔTSS = 0.0002). Marine species are sensitive to oxygen, and we encourage researchers to use ocean biogeochemical hindcast and forecast products to better understand marine biogeographic changes.

2021

1. Fish.

   Ocean Recovery: A Sustainable Future for Global Fisheries?

   Zoë J Kitchel, RMWJ Bandara, Jaelyn T Bos, and 3 more authors

   Fisheries, Apr 2021

   Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

   DOI