Aquatic ecologists face challenges in identifying the general rules of the functioning of ecosystems. A common framework, including freshwater, marine, benthic, and pelagic ecologists, is needed to bridge communication gaps and foster knowledge sharing. This framework should transcend local specificities and taxonomy in order to provide a common ground and shareable tools to address common scientific challenges. In a recent review paper published in Limnology and Oceanography (Martini et al., 2021), we advocated the use of functional trait-based approaches (FTBAs) for aquatic ecologists and proposed concrete paths to go forward. In this presentation, we will first present an overview of this synthesis work. Then, using a few examples of recent results, including from quantitative imaging, genomics, and machine learning, we will then concretely illustrate how FTBAs can allow aquatic ecologists to tackle some of the scientific challenges identified in the paper. 

Primary Presenter: Sakina-Dorothée Ayata, Sorbonne University (sakina-dorothee.ayata@locean.ipsl.fr)

Authors:

Sakina-Dorothée Ayata, Sorbonne Université, LOCEAN-IPSL  (sakina-dorothee.ayata@locean.ipsl.fr)

Floriane Larras, Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research  ()

Aurélien Boyé, Laboratoire des Sciences de l’Environnement Marin (LEMAR)  ()

Emile Faure, Laboratoire des Sciences de l’Environnement Marin (LEMAR)   ()

Nicole Aberle, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)  ()

Philippe Archambault, Unité Mixte Internationale Takuvik Ulaval-CNRS  ()

Lise Bacouillard, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin (AD2M)  ()

Beatrix Beisner, University of Québec at Montréal  ()

Lucie Bittner, Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB),  ()

Emmanuel Castella, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva  ()

Michael Danger, Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LIEC  ()

Olivier Gauthier, Laboratoire des Sciences de l’Environnement Marin (LEMAR)  ()

Lee Karp-Boss, School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine,  ()

Fabien Lombard, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche (LOV)  ()

Frédéric Maps, Unité Mixte Internationale Takuvik Ulaval-CNRS  ()

Lars Stemmann, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche (LOV)  ()

Eric Thiébaut, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin (AD2M)  ()

Philippe Usseglio-Polatera, Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LIEC  ()

Meike Vogt, Environmental Physics, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich  ()

Séverine Martini, Aix Marseille Univ., Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO  (severine.martini@mio.osupytheas.fr)

Martin Laviale, Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LIEC  (martin.laviale@univ-lorraine.fr)