The trophic ecological changes of protecting marine ecosystems: Accounting for protection-induced fear

Fishing is one of the greatest threats to marine ecosystems, especially in coastal areas, where its impacts, combined with other human activities profoundly alter ecosystem dynamics. Moreover, climate warming exacerbates these effects and poses additional stress that will increase in the following years. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been established to mitigate these impacts and promote ecosystem resilience by safeguarding specific regions, yet their capacity to buffer the effects of climate warming remains uncertain. While Marine Ecosystem Models (MEMs) are frequently employed to assess the impacts of MPAs under various climate change and fishing scenarios, they rarely account for the behavioral responses of species to protection, which remains a critical scientific gap. This project aims to address this question by investigating the trophic ecological effects of no-take MPAs on fish populations using an interdisciplinary approach that combines fieldwork, laboratory analyses, and advanced ecosystem modeling. A key focus will be on understanding how protection influences fish behavior through the concept of ""landscapes of fear,"" where predation risk alters prey behavior and trophic interactions. Additionally, the project will develop a novel modeling framework to accommodate dietary flexibility within MPAs, allowing for more accurate projections of biomass trends under various climate change and fishing scenarios. By exploring these dynamics in both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, the research will offer critical insights into how MPAs can mitigate the effects of climate change and enhance ecosystem resilience. Hosted by the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) and in collaboration with AZTI-BRTA, this project will contribute valuable knowledge to inform sustainable management strategies for marine conservation.""