Biodiversity can buffer ecosystem functioning against disturbances by allowing species to compensate for the functions lost through the extirpation of other species, a key process known as ecological insurance. Functional ecology has extended this idea by emphasising trait redundancy amongst species that help buffer core ecosystem functions. However, some functions might be supported only by species with distinct combinations...

Marine Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) approaches are a well-established and fundamental component of international agreements and treaties, regional seas conventions, assessment strategies, European Directives and national and regional instruments. However, there is the need to interrogate and clarify the implementation of EBM approaches under current marine management. Although particular focus here is within the European U...

Aim We applied a multicomponent approach based on the decomposition of taxonomic (both presence–absence and abundance) and functional beta diversity to determine the influence of ecological factors in shaping spatial distribution diversity of coral reef fishes, and the implications for conservation decisions. Location Lagoons of ten atolls characterized by low human pressure but with contrasted geomorphology in the Tuamotu Arc...

This survey of the marine ichthyofauna of the Piton de La Fournaise volcano at Reunion Island is the first explanatory study of fish community structures in this area. It describes and analyses the main qualitative descriptors of the fish communities ( i.e . species richness, diet, life history and geographical distribution) and their spatio‐temporal organization. This investigation in 2011 examined lava flows of different age...

A single autonomous video camera was used to record the abundances of Chromis viridis over a branching Acropora sp. colony eight times per day over a period of 50 days. The poor explanatory power of global radiation suggests the need for recording the light really available to the fish, especially in the UV range. The increasing number of C. viridis observed with increasing wind along shore and water level may correspond to in...

Studies of both vertebrates and invertebrates have suggested that specialists, as compared to generalists, are likely to suffer more serious declines in response to environmental change. Less is known about the effects of environmental conditions on specialist versus generalist parasites. Here, we study the evolutionary strategies of malaria parasites ( Plasmodium spp.) among different bird host communities. We determined the...

Land use changes including deforestation, road construction and agricultural encroachments have been linked to the increased prevalence of several infectious diseases. In order to better understand how deforestation affects the prevalence of vector‐borne infectious diseases in wildlife, nine paired sites were sampled (disturbed vs. undisturbed habitats) in Southern Cameroon. We studied the diversity, prevalence and distributio...