Shaping research in marine functional connectivity for integrated and effective marine science and management

Effective knowledge of ecological connectivity at sea and at the land-sea interface is key to supporting global policy goals to conserve and restore ocean biodiversity and function. However, a persistent lack of commonality in terminology and understanding around the concept of connectivity in marine ecological studies hampers its integration across disciplines, and its application in spatial planning and policy. Building on an extensive literature review, we clarify definitions and subcategories of marine connectivity, and propose a unified conceptual framework for Marine Functional Connectivity (MFC) research to support the integration of multidisciplinary scientific knowledge into management and policy. We identify key challenges and future directions for advancing this emerging field, bringing together most strands of marine science to understand changes in biodiversity and functional interdependencies between habitats and regions. Embedding this new integrated MFC research at the core of marine environmental science promises to improve significantly predictions of environmental and socio-economic change and the sustainable use of ecosystems and resources at sea and at the land-sea interface.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
Published
2026-01-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/brv.70120
Primary Topic
Coastal and Marine Management
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Shaping research in marine functional connectivity for integrated and effective marine science and management

Kris Hostens, Andreu Blanco, Jerneja Penca, Susanne E. Tanner et al.
Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
Coastal and Marine Management
article

Shaping research in marine functional connectivity for integrated and effective marine science and management

Kris Hostens, Andreu Blanco, Jerneja Penca, Susanne E. Tanner, Audrey M. Darnaude, Maria Lucia Martuscelli Beger, Jonne Kotta, Katell Guizien, Federica Costantini, Manuel Hidalgo, Stelios Katsanevakis, Anna M. Sturrock, Ewan Hunter, Lucía López‐López, Angel Pérez‐Ruzafa, Sophie Arnaud‐Haond, Francisco R. Barboza, Yael Teff Seker, Gil Rilov, Tamar Guy‐Haim, Cynthia Riginos
article en

Abstract

Effective knowledge of ecological connectivity at sea and at the land-sea interface is key to supporting global policy goals to conserve and restore ocean biodiversity and function. However, a persistent lack of commonality in terminology and understanding around the concept of connectivity in marine ecological studies hampers its integration across disciplines, and its application in spatial planning and policy. Building on an extensive literature review, we clarify definitions and subcategories of marine connectivity, and propose a unified conceptual framework for Marine Functional Connectivity (MFC) research to support the integration of multidisciplinary scientific knowledge into management and policy. We identify key challenges and future directions for advancing this emerging field, bringing together most strands of marine science to understand changes in biodiversity and functional interdependencies between habitats and regions. Embedding this new integrated MFC research at the core of marine environmental science promises to improve significantly predictions of environmental and socio-economic change and the sustainable use of ecosystems and resources at sea and at the land-sea interface.

Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
University of Essex (GB), Flanders Marine Institute (BE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University of Leeds (GB), Institute of the Estonian Language (EE), University of Lisbon (PT), Ifremer (FR), The University of Queensland (AU), Université de Montpellier (FR), Sorbonne Université (FR), Instituto Español de Oceanografía (ES), PUH Team (Slovenia) (SI), Marine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation (FR), Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IL), Agri Food and Biosciences Institute (GB), Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques (FR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), Universidade de Vigo (ES), Universidad de Murcia (ES), University of California, Davis (US), University of Bologna (IT), University of the Aegean (GR)
Openalex Percentile: Top 99%
Coastal and Marine Management
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.