Role of Multiple Anthropogenic Pressures in Determining Marine Benthic Ecosystem Functioning

The widespread reorganisation of ecological communities associated with anthropogenic activity, within the context of climate change, heighten concerns about the likely consequences for ecosystems.

By combining extant data sets with laboratory and field observations, this studentship will gain new insights of the combinatorial effect of multiple pressures, such as bottom fishing activity, expansion of offshore wind, and climate change, and to quantify which pressures are most influential in shelf sea benthic ecosystems.

Specifically, this studentship will statistically infer the interdependencies between habitat type, an ensemble of environmental and anthropogenic pressures, and climate change from extant data sets before performing dedicated field observations and laboratory experiments to confirm, or otherwise, the mechanistic processes that underpin benthic community responses to co-occurring pressures.

Outcomes will confirm the importance, or otherwise, of combinations and sequences of pressures, and will contribute to bringing the risk of adverse impacts on populations and ecosystems below acceptable thresholds.