Regulation and maintenance ecosystem services in a coastal-marine continuum: Unravelling the underlying ecological structure and functioning

Understanding the ecological complexity underlying ecosystem services supply is essential to improve the practical application of the ecosystem services concept, enhance stakeholder understanding, and support effective ecosystem-based management. This study applied a theoretical network-based overvi...

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Autores: Cunha, J., Cabecinha, E., Villasante, S., Balbi, S., Elliott, M., Ramos, S.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad del País Vasco
Repositorio:Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
OAI Identifier:oai:addi.ehu.eus:10810/78331
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10810/78331
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Ecological functions
Ecological networks
Ecosystem-based management
Food-webs
Societal goods and benefits
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spelling Regulation and maintenance ecosystem services in a coastal-marine continuum: Unravelling the underlying ecological structure and functioningCunha, J.Cabecinha, E.Villasante, S.Balbi, S.Elliott, M.Ramos, S.Ecological functionsEcological networksEcosystem-based managementFood-websSocietal goods and benefitsUnderstanding the ecological complexity underlying ecosystem services supply is essential to improve the practical application of the ecosystem services concept, enhance stakeholder understanding, and support effective ecosystem-based management. This study applied a theoretical network-based overview of the ecosystem services cascade framework, linking the different ‘steps’, from the ecological structure and functioning to ecosystem services and societal goods and benefits. Combining ecosystem models, information from the literature, and empirical data, the robustness of the ecological sub-system ecological functions supply underpinning the supply of regulation and maintenance ecosystem services was analyzed, at a coastal-marine interface of the northern coast of Portugal. The findings highlight the intricate relationships within the system ecological components that contribute to regulation and maintenance ecosystem services supply. The analysis shows that lower trophic levels (e.g. algae and macroalgae, macrophytes, macrozoobenthos or suprabenthic invertebrates) are key to directly sustaining function supply and the consequent regulation and maintenance ecosystem services, and phytoplankton and zooplankton the most important groups in indirectly support the ecological functioning in the region. Some ecological functions revealed a potential lack of resistance and resilience due to being supplied by one or a few functional groups, while most functions were supplied by various biota groups. The findings emphasize the significance of considering the different biota group relationships in management practices. This holistic approach allows managers and regulators to navigate the complexities in marine and coastal ecological systems that support its functioning and the provision of regulation and maintenance ecosystem services, and thus the provision of the other types of services and hence societal goods and benefits, to mitigate potential unaccounted or indirect pressures on system components.This research was partially supported by national funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology within the scope of UIDB/04423/2020, UIDP/04423/2020, IDB/04033/2020, UIDP/04033/2020, LA/P/0101/2020 and by JC Ph.D. fellowship from FCT Do*Mar (ref. PD/BD/150359/2019, co-financed by FSE through Programa Operacional Regional Norte), and a research contract to SR (DL57/2016/CP1344/CT0020). This study has also received support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement N° GA 101082048. The contribution of ME was funded in part under the EU HorizonEurope MARBEFES project (MARine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning leading to Ecosystem Services, https://www.marbefes.eu/) through the UKRI Grant Agreement N° 10048815. SV thanks the financial support of the EU Atlanteco project through the Grant Agreement N° 862923. The authors especially acknowledge the time and constructive feedback from four anonymous reviewers that greatly helped to improve the quality of this manuscript.Ecological IndicatorsEuropean Union202620262025info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10810/78331reponame:Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigacióninstname:Universidad del País VascoInglésinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/HE/101082048info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/HE/10048815https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.114218info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/es/© 2025 The Authors.Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 3.0 Españaoai:addi.ehu.eus:10810/783312026-06-18T09:23:17Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Regulation and maintenance ecosystem services in a coastal-marine continuum: Unravelling the underlying ecological structure and functioning
title Regulation and maintenance ecosystem services in a coastal-marine continuum: Unravelling the underlying ecological structure and functioning
spellingShingle Regulation and maintenance ecosystem services in a coastal-marine continuum: Unravelling the underlying ecological structure and functioning
Cunha, J.
Ecological functions
Ecological networks
Ecosystem-based management
Food-webs
Societal goods and benefits
title_short Regulation and maintenance ecosystem services in a coastal-marine continuum: Unravelling the underlying ecological structure and functioning
title_full Regulation and maintenance ecosystem services in a coastal-marine continuum: Unravelling the underlying ecological structure and functioning
title_fullStr Regulation and maintenance ecosystem services in a coastal-marine continuum: Unravelling the underlying ecological structure and functioning
title_full_unstemmed Regulation and maintenance ecosystem services in a coastal-marine continuum: Unravelling the underlying ecological structure and functioning
title_sort Regulation and maintenance ecosystem services in a coastal-marine continuum: Unravelling the underlying ecological structure and functioning
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Cunha, J.
Cabecinha, E.
Villasante, S.
Balbi, S.
Elliott, M.
Ramos, S.
author Cunha, J.
author_facet Cunha, J.
Cabecinha, E.
Villasante, S.
Balbi, S.
Elliott, M.
Ramos, S.
author_role author
author2 Cabecinha, E.
Villasante, S.
Balbi, S.
Elliott, M.
Ramos, S.
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv European Union
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Ecological functions
Ecological networks
Ecosystem-based management
Food-webs
Societal goods and benefits
topic Ecological functions
Ecological networks
Ecosystem-based management
Food-webs
Societal goods and benefits
description Understanding the ecological complexity underlying ecosystem services supply is essential to improve the practical application of the ecosystem services concept, enhance stakeholder understanding, and support effective ecosystem-based management. This study applied a theoretical network-based overview of the ecosystem services cascade framework, linking the different ‘steps’, from the ecological structure and functioning to ecosystem services and societal goods and benefits. Combining ecosystem models, information from the literature, and empirical data, the robustness of the ecological sub-system ecological functions supply underpinning the supply of regulation and maintenance ecosystem services was analyzed, at a coastal-marine interface of the northern coast of Portugal. The findings highlight the intricate relationships within the system ecological components that contribute to regulation and maintenance ecosystem services supply. The analysis shows that lower trophic levels (e.g. algae and macroalgae, macrophytes, macrozoobenthos or suprabenthic invertebrates) are key to directly sustaining function supply and the consequent regulation and maintenance ecosystem services, and phytoplankton and zooplankton the most important groups in indirectly support the ecological functioning in the region. Some ecological functions revealed a potential lack of resistance and resilience due to being supplied by one or a few functional groups, while most functions were supplied by various biota groups. The findings emphasize the significance of considering the different biota group relationships in management practices. This holistic approach allows managers and regulators to navigate the complexities in marine and coastal ecological systems that support its functioning and the provision of regulation and maintenance ecosystem services, and thus the provision of the other types of services and hence societal goods and benefits, to mitigate potential unaccounted or indirect pressures on system components.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025
2026
2026
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10810/78331
url http://hdl.handle.net/10810/78331
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/HE/101082048
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/HE/10048815
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.114218
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/es/
© 2025 The Authors.
Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 3.0 España
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/es/
© 2025 The Authors.
Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 3.0 España
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Ecological Indicators
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Ecological Indicators
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
instname:Universidad del País Vasco
instname_str Universidad del País Vasco
reponame_str Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
collection Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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score 15.812455

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