Abstract
Highly connected networks generally improve resilience in complex systems. We present a novel application of this paradigm and investigated the potential for anthropogenic structures in the ocean to enhance connectivity of a protected species threatened by human pressures and climate change. Biophysical dispersal models of a protected coral species simulated potential connectivity between oil and gas installations across the North Sea but also metapopulation outcomes for naturally occurring corals downstream. Network analyses illustrated how just a single generation of virtual larvae released from these installations could create a highly connected anthropogenic system, with larvae becoming competent to settle over a range of natural deep-sea, shelf and fjord coral ecosystems including a marine protected area. These results provide the first study showing that a system of anthropogenic structures can have international conservation significance by creating ecologically connected networks and by acting as stepping stones for cross-border interconnection to natural populations.
Highlights
The increasing spread of anthropogenic structures in the world’s oceans adds a significant new component to marine ecosystems
The conservation significance of anthropogenic structures in urban landscapes was recognised nearly a decade ago[10]: the potential for ocean sprawl to positively benefit ocean resilience calls for a similar longer-term and larger scale view of the seascape in which offshore installations are considered alongside natural ecosystems[1]
Integrated Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO)-AMM60-LTRANS particle tracking modelling, network analyses and in situ observations illustrated the strong potential for oil and gas installations to have significant conservation significance to protected species
Summary
The increasing spread of anthropogenic structures in the world’s oceans adds a significant new component to marine ecosystems. These come in diverse forms, from harbours and jetties constructed since antiquity, to offshore platforms and pipelines, and more recently, renewable energy devices. In contrast to invasive species research, large-scale studies are missing on how anthropogenic structures influence the movement of protected or threatened species[6] It is the outcomes of such movements that determine population dynamics, persistence, species’ distributions, and ecosystem function[7,8,9]. About population connectivity and resilience, including larval sources and pathways to help underpin marine management and policies from the coast to the deep open ocean[12,13,14,15]
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