Energyscapes pinpoint marine megafauna feeding hotspots in the Mediterranean

Ocean giants shape the structure and functioning of marine food webs via trophic top-down controls, landscapes of fear, vertical and horizontal redistribution of nutrients, energy, and matter. Yet, they face threats from overfishing, pollution, habitat degradation, and climate change, and one-third of marine megafauna species are at risk of extinction, ultimately endangering the resilience of entire ecosystems. In such a context, knowing when and where megafauna find resources to balance their substantial energy requirements is critical for their management. Through an energyscape approach integrating abundance censuses, diet, and energy requirements, we investigated the prey consumption patterns of Mediterranean marine megafauna during the summer. We thereby shed light on a diverse guild of species composed of fishes, mammals, reptiles, and birds and estimated that 4.1 million individuals consume 1.6 million tons of prey each summer, pelagic cephalopods being the primary food resource and cetaceans and tunas being key players in the community. Spatial patterns in prey consumption reflected the diverse distribution and needs of the megafauna species and underlined the critical importance of the western Mediterranean for the megafauna community. Conservation strategies should prioritize spatial and biological diversity to safeguard megafauna and ecosystem functions across the Mediterranean basin.

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Publication Details

Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2025-02-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2412845122
Citations
3
Primary Topic
Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.32

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article

Energyscapes pinpoint marine megafauna feeding hotspots in the Mediterranean

Damla Beton, Lola Gilbert, Laura M. Sparks, Auriane Virgili et al.
3 citations
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
3.32
article

Energyscapes pinpoint marine megafauna feeding hotspots in the Mediterranean

Damla Beton, Lola Gilbert, Laura M. Sparks, Auriane Virgili, Joan Giménez, Charlotte Lambert, Angelo Di Matteo, Annette C. Broderick, Robin Snape, Ioannis Keramidas, Ana Cañadas, Athanassios C. Tsikliras, Cécile Dars, Jérôme Spitz, Josie L. Palmer, Joan Navarro, David Grémillet
article en
3 citations

Abstract

Ocean giants shape the structure and functioning of marine food webs via trophic top-down controls, landscapes of fear, vertical and horizontal redistribution of nutrients, energy, and matter. Yet, they face threats from overfishing, pollution, habitat degradation, and climate change, and one-third of marine megafauna species are at risk of extinction, ultimately endangering the resilience of entire ecosystems. In such a context, knowing when and where megafauna find resources to balance their substantial energy requirements is critical for their management. Through an energyscape approach integrating abundance censuses, diet, and energy requirements, we investigated the prey consumption patterns of Mediterranean marine megafauna during the summer. We thereby shed light on a diverse guild of species composed of fishes, mammals, reptiles, and birds and estimated that 4.1 million individuals consume 1.6 million tons of prey each summer, pelagic cephalopods being the primary food resource and cetaceans and tunas being key players in the community. Spatial patterns in prey consumption reflected the diverse distribution and needs of the megafauna species and underlined the critical importance of the western Mediterranean for the megafauna community. Conservation strategies should prioritize spatial and biological diversity to safeguard megafauna and ecosystem functions across the Mediterranean basin.

Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesVol. 122(6)
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES), University of Cape Town (ZA), École Pratique des Hautes Études (FR), Duke University (US), Université de Montpellier (FR), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (GR), University of Exeter (GB), Naval Undersea Warfare Center (US), University of Cyprus (CY), Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive (FR), Instituto Español de Oceanografía (ES), Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (FR), LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés (FR), Institut Català de Ciències del Clima (ES), Agile RF Systems (United States) (US), Unidades Centrales Científico-Técnicas (ES), Geospatial Research (United Kingdom) (GB), St Nicholas Hospital (GB), Institut de Ciències del Mar (ES), McLaughlin Research Institute (US), Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, La Rochelle Université (FR)
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, University of Exeter, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Cape Town, La Rochelle Université, Directorate for Biological Sciences, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
3.32
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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