Laboratory for Innovation and Sustainability of Marine Biological Resources (ECOMARE), Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Life Sciences, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Caparica, Portugal; i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Caparica, Portugal.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Sep 20;944:173837. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173837. Epub 2024 Jun 10.
Human activities are having a massive negative impact on biodiversity and ecological processes worldwide. The rate and magnitude of ecological transformations induced by climate change, habitat destruction, overexploitation and pollution are now so substantial that a sixth mass extinction event is currently underway. The biodiversity crisis of the Anthropocene urges scientists to put forward a transformative vision to promote the conservation of biodiversity, and thus indirectly the preservation of ecosystem functions. Here, we identify pressing issues in global change biology research and propose an integrative framework based on multilayer biological networks as a tool to support conservation actions and marine risk assessments in multi-stressor scenarios. Multilayer networks can integrate different levels of environmental and biotic complexity, enabling us to combine information on molecular, physiological and behaviour responses, species interactions and biotic communities. The ultimate aim of this framework is to link human-induced environmental changes to species physiology, fitness, biogeography and ecosystem impacts across vast seascapes and time frames, to help guide solutions to address biodiversity loss and ecological tipping points. Further, we also define our current ability to adopt a widespread use of multilayer networks within ecology, evolution and conservation by providing examples of case-studies. We also assess which approaches are ready to be transferred and which ones require further development before use. We conclude that multilayer biological networks will be crucial to inform (using reliable multi-levels integrative indicators) stakeholders and support their decision-making concerning the sustainable use of resources and marine conservation.
人类活动正在对全球生物多样性和生态过程产生巨大的负面影响。气候变化、栖息地破坏、过度开发和污染引起的生态转变的速度和规模现在如此之大，以至于第六次大规模灭绝事件正在发生。人类世的生物多样性危机促使科学家提出变革性的愿景，以促进生物多样性的保护，从而间接地保护生态系统功能。在这里，我们确定了全球变化生物学研究中的紧迫问题，并提出了一个基于多层次生物网络的综合框架，作为支持多胁迫情景下保护行动和海洋风险评估的工具。多层网络可以整合不同层次的环境和生物复杂性，使我们能够结合分子、生理和行为反应、物种相互作用和生物群落的信息。该框架的最终目标是将人类引起的环境变化与物种生理学、适应性、生物地理学和生态系统影响联系起来，跨越广阔的海域和时间范围，帮助指导解决生物多样性丧失和生态临界点的解决方案。此外，我们还通过提供案例研究的例子，定义了我们目前在生态学、进化和保护中广泛采用多层网络的能力。我们还评估了哪些方法已经准备好转移，哪些方法需要进一步开发才能使用。我们得出的结论是，多层次生物网络对于为利益相关者提供信息（使用可靠的多层次综合指标）并支持他们关于资源可持续利用和海洋保护的决策至关重要。
