BEMO – From Biodiversity to Ecosystem Functions: Seafloor Tools for Integrative Management of Marine Protected Areas
BEnToolsMaPs: BEMO - BEntic ecosystem MOdeling (BMBF 03F0977B, 2024-2027) is the AWI led sub-project of the joint project BEnToolsMaPs to create spatial ecosystem models including meio- and macrofauna for sustainable management in the Weddell Sea.
BEnToolsMaPs will generate and transfer knowledge on effects of anthropogenic stressors on the structure and function of Southern Ocean seafloor systems, facilitating decision-making on sustainable management of carbon storage and biodiversity ecosystem services.
The sub-project BEMO will focus on the investigation of process-based biological control variables in the sediment (e.g. carbon cycle, benthic community structure), environmental factors and in lower levels of the food web (benthic organisms) in the Weddell Sea. New concepts in ecosystem modeling are implemented, e.g. to develop and map scenarios for the spatial distribution of benthic communities or functional groups. This knowledge about the structure and function of the benthic ecosystem in the Southern Ocean can provide recommendations for the sustainable management of carbon storage and the ecosystem services of biodiversity.
BEMO is included in POF-IV in Subtopic 6.1 “Future ecosystem functionality”.
Cooperations partner are the University of Rostock (BEnToolsMaPs-Fun, Dr. Heike LINK, Dr. Christopher GEBHARDT, Dr. Martin POWILLEIT und Dr. Ralf BORCHERT), the Senkenberg Institute (BEnToolsMaPs-MEIO, Dr. Gritta VEIT-KÖHLER und Olena UZUN) and the HIFMB (BEnToolsMaPs-BEMO, Dr. Katharina TESCHKE).
BEMO is included in POF-IV in sub-item 6.1 “Future ecosystem functionality”.