(c)Ifremer-Olivier Dugornay
This 14th ITRS organisers have curated a selection of themes and sub-themes to highlight the diversity of current research on temperate reef ecology, with a particular focus on temperate reef conservation, their importance for biodiversity and coastal ecosystems and the challenges they face with climate change.
A few key words illustrate each sub-theme, so that everyone can find the best audience to present their work to and contribute towards creating a program that we hope will be as interesting and enjoyable as possible.
Conservation & Management
- Habitat restoration, rehabilitation & enhancement
active restoration (nature-inclusive/inspired design), passive restoration initiatives (habitat restoration), future-proofing - Science to policy
temperate reefs in European directives, regional seas conventions, ... - Ecosystem services
immaterial i.e. supporting identities, inspiration), material (i.e. food, kelp harvesting,construction) and regulating (i.e. blue carbon, water quality) services
Diversity & functioning
- Macroecology
theoretical work on community assembly rules and ecosystem dynamics - characterising and explaining statistical patterns of abundance - distribution and diversity for the purposes of pursuing generality - Reef-associated biodiversity
species assemblages/lists of associated species, species richness, genetic diversity, habitat facilitation - Biology & ecophysiology
regional adaptation and plasticity of organisms to changing climates - Invasion ecology
non-native species on natural and artificial reefs - Biogeochemical cycling
fluxes, trophic networks, food sources and regulation of diversity/abundance - Trait-based approaches
habitat (e.g. reef legacy effects) and species traits
Under-explored temperate reefs
- Deeper reefs
Mediterranean canyons, cold-water corals, caves, shallow-to-deep connectivity - Biogenic reefs
reef underdogs (including conference logo species: abalones/goose barnacles/worm reefs) - secondary engineer species - Ocean sprawl
proliferation of artificial, possible ecogineered structures, in coastal and offshore marine environments - Novel approaches
innovative/new tools and variables (i.e. drones, hyperspectral imagery, soundscapes) - emerging tools and methods
Global impacts & trajectories
- Broad-scale spatial patterns
biogeography, species distribution modelling, range shifts - Long-term temporal trends
time series - Climate change refugia
areas buffered from contemporary climate change over time - Resistance, resilience and phase shifts
shift to turf/soft sediment/urchin barrens, drivers of dramatic community changes and potential for reversibility, multiple stressors - Extreme events
ecological responses to heatwaves/cold snaps/tsunamis/earthquakes/anoxia
Definitive session titles will be added once abstract submissions have concluded and sessions are formed.