Can trait-based approaches inform habitat mapping of ecosystem function, process and services in benthic communities.

海洋生态系统的可持续管理有赖于存在一个明确的基线，这涉及对生态系统内的物种、生境和过程及其之间的联系进行量化。要了解生态系统的功能，就需要了解物种在生态系统过程和提供服务中所起的作用。该项目是底栖生态学家、社会科学家、社会经济学家和海洋管理人员合作开发的，目的是将功能方法纳入自然资本框架，并为海洋资源的可持续管理提供新的见解。预计到2030年，海上风能将增长五倍，因此，使用长期数据集了解其对海底群落及其提供的生态系统服务的影响，对于实现可持续的能源过渡至关重要。底栖群落在调节EF方面发挥着重要作用，时间序列数据已通过英国各地海上风电场(OWF)站点的建设前和建设后监测调查收集。然而，与鸟类、鱼类和哺乳动物等更具标志性的移动物种相比，OWF对底栖群落结构和功能的生态系统层面的影响知之甚少。生态足迹与生物多样性密切相关，这导致了基于特征的方法(TBA)的发展，以将群落组成和功能联系起来。负责海洋环境管理的组织正在积极寻找新的方法，以在系统一级的环境变化背景下改进决策。该项目旨在通过开发新的TBA来支持海洋资源的可持续管理，以在应用的离岸背景下为自然资本的估值和评估提供信息。发展对海洋环境提供的经济、社会和环境价值以及不同活动如何(正面和负面)影响自然资本资产的了解是三氯乙烯的一个重要优先事项。

The sustainable management of marine ecosystems relies upon the existence of a clear baseline which involvesquantifying species, habitats and processes within ecosystems and the connections between them. Understandingthe functioning of ecosystems requires an understanding of the role species play in ecosystem processes and thedelivery of services. This project has been developed collaboratively between benthic ecologists, social scientists,socio-economists, and marine managers to integrate functional approaches within a natural capital frameworkand give new insight for sustainable management of marine resources. Offshore wind is expected to grow fivefold by 2030, and therefore understanding its impacts on benthic communities and the ecosystem services theyprovide using long term datasets is critical to enabling a sustainable energy transition.Benthic communities play an essential role in mediating EF and time-series data have been gathered through preand post-construction monitoring surveys at offshore wind farm (OWF) sites around the UK. However, comparedto more iconic, mobile species such as birds, fish and mammals, ecosystem-level impacts from OWF on thebenthic community structure and function are poorly understood. EF is closely related to biological diversity,which has led to the development of trait-based approaches (TBA) to link community composition and functions.Organisations that are responsible for management of the marine environment are actively seeking newapproaches to improve decision-making within the context of environmental change at a systems level. Thisproject aims to support the Sustainable Management of Marine Resources by developing new TBA to informnatural capital valuation and assessment within an applied, offshore context. Developing an understanding of theeconomic, social and environmental value provided by the marine environment and how different activitiesimpact natural capital assets (both positively and negatively) is an important priority for TCE.