Patterns in Structure and Function of Northwest Atlantic Coastal Shelf Ecosystems

The emergence of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) coupled with changes to the structure and function of marine ecosystems has necessitated a focus on approaches that seek to understand the connectivity across networks of estuarine and coastal marine ecosystems.  The flux of individuals at all life stages serve as connections between neighboring marine ecosystems. These connections are important to consider for EBFM planning because populations interact across a network of ecosystems on variable spatial and temporal scales.  Furthermore, these connections are dynamic and are affected by species behavior (e.g. migratory patterns, spawning mode), trophodynamics, and environmental factors (e.g. temperature, NAO).  To understand these dynamics we examined the relationships that exist in time series of fishery landings and survey data within and between species and trophic functional groups among 8 contiguous shelf ecosystems (4 estuarine, 4 coastal) that comprise the Northwest Atlantic Coastal Shelf Ecosystem.  Using correlation analysis and multivariate analysis, we quantified the degree of similarity among ecosystems as a function of the distance separating them so that local and regional patterns were discernible.