Biological traits approaches in benthic marine ecology: Dead ends and new paths.

ABSTRACT: Biological traits analysis (BTA) links community structure to both ecological functions and response to environmental drivers through species' attributes. In consequence, it has become a popular approach in marine benthic studies. However, BTA will reach a dead end if the scientific community does not acknowledge its current shortcomings and limitations: (a) uncertainties related to data origins and a lack of standardized reporting of trait information; (b) knowledge gaps on the role of multiple interacting traits on driving the organisms' responses to environmental variability; (c) knowledge gaps regarding the mechanistic links between traits and functions; (d) a weak focus on the spatial and temporal variability that is inherent to the trait expression of species; and, last but not least

SUBMITTER: de Juan S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9163796 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature