title: Unexpected high vulnerability of functions in wilderness areas: evidence from coral reef fishes.
abstract: High species richness is thought to support the delivery of multiple ecosystem functions and services under changing environments. Yet, some species might perform unique functional roles while others are redundant. Thus, the benefits of high species richness in maintaining ecosystem functioning are uncertain if functions have little redundancy, potentially leading to high vulnerability of functions. We studied the natural propensity of assemblages to be functionally buffered against loss prior to fishing activities, using functional trait combinations, in coral reef fish assemblages across unfished wilderness areas of the Indo-Pacific: Chagos Archipelago, New Caledonia and French Polynesia. Fish functional diversity in these wilderness areas is highly vulnerable to fishing, explained by species- and abundance-based redundancy packed into a small combination of traits, leaving most other trait combinations (60%) sensitive to fishing, with no redundancy. Functional vulnerability peaks for mobile and sedentary top predators, and large species in general. Functional vulnerability decreases for certain functional entities in New Caledonia, where overall functional redundancy was higher. Uncovering these baseline patterns of functional vulnerability can offer early warning signals of the damaging effects from fishing, and may serve as baselines to guide precautionary and even proactive conservation actions.
authors.affiliation: MARBEC, UMR IRD-CNRS-UM-IFREMER 9190, Université Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex, France sdagata@wcs.org.|ENTROPIE, UMR IRD-UR-CNRS 9220, Laboratoire d'Excellence LABEX CORAIL, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, BP A5, 98848 Nouméa Cedex, New Caledonia.|Wildlife Conservation Society, Marine Programs, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460, USA.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6941-8489
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: D'agata
authors.affiliation: ENTROPIE, UMR IRD-UR-CNRS 9220, Laboratoire d'Excellence LABEX CORAIL, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, BP A5, 98848 Nouméa Cedex, New Caledonia.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vigliola
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.|Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK.
authors.forename: Nicholas A J
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.affiliation: Université de Nouvelle Calédonie-Laboratoire « LIVE » EA4243, BP R4-98851, Nouméa, New Caledonia.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wantiez
authors.affiliation: Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, USR 3278 EPHE-CNRS-UPVD CRIOBE, University of Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Valeriano
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Parravicini
authors.affiliation: MARBEC, UMR IRD-CNRS-UM-IFREMER 9190, Université Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Villéger
authors.affiliation: ENTROPIE, UMR IRD-UR-CNRS 9220, Laboratoire d'Excellence LABEX CORAIL, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, BP A5, 98848 Nouméa Cedex, New Caledonia.
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mou-Tham
authors.affiliation: Entreprise Générale de Logistique Environnementale (EGLE SARL), Tribu de Fatanaoué, 98833 Voh-Temala, New Caledonia.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Frolla
authors.affiliation: Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, University of Hawaii, 2538 McCarthy Mall, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.|Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA.
authors.forename: Alan M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Friedlander
authors.affiliation: ENTROPIE, UMR IRD-UR-CNRS 9220, Laboratoire d'Excellence LABEX CORAIL, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, University of Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan Cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kulbicki
authors.affiliation: MARBEC, UMR IRD-CNRS-UM-IFREMER 9190, Université Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex, France.|Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mouillot
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D057894:Coral Reefs; D005399:Fishes; D006802:Human Activities; D006801:Humans; D009510:New Caledonia; D011114:Polynesia; D055814:Wilderness
keywords: baseline functional vulnerability; coral reef fish; redundancy; wilderness areas