Ecological risk assessment when species-specific data are scarce: how trait-based approaches and modeling can help

Abstract Ecological risk assessments are legally required to ensure that there are no unacceptable risks to living organisms from exposure to chemicals and other anthropogenic stressors. Significant data gaps, however, make it difficult to conduct such assessments for all species that we wish to protect. Consequently, there is growing interest in trait-based approaches because they provide a more functional and context-independent basis for characterizing biodiversity that is useful for biomonitoring, conservation, and management. In the present article, we discuss how trait-based approaches can support risk assessment, identify vulnerable and representative species to be used in ecological modeling, and inform decision-making more generally. We use examples to demonstrate the utility of trait-based approaches but also highlight some of the challenges and open questions that remain to be addressed.