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Connectivity of Hard Substrate Assemblages in the North Sea (CHASANS)

People Involved

Profile image of Professor Mike Elliott

Professor Mike Elliott Mike.Elliott@hull.ac.uk
Emeritus Professor of Estuarine and Coastal Sciences/ Research Professor, Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies

Project Description

The primary aim of the CHASANS Project is to deliver improved larval connectivity models necessary to provide guidance on decommissioning and derogation of artificial structures in the North Sea. Ground-truthing studies will be employed to validate models by collecting data on larval behaviours, including transport, seasonality and life-cycling, and settlement succession from several epifaunal species, and to assess genetic connectivity between hard substrata populations. To consider the parent species both taxonomically and according to their biological traits thereby determining whether they have a greater capacity for dispersal and whether they are being replaced by non-indigenous species with similar traits. These data will be used to inform models with improved accuracy, describing the movement of larvae through the network of artificial structures in the NS. The model output will enable elucidation of the expected consequences of larval dispersion following site-selective decommissioning and/or installation operations, as well as allowing projection of connectivity based on future climate-driven scenarios.

The context described above leads to the following key research questions that motivate this project:

1. What are the best ways to capture data on the origins and patterns of settlement of epifaunal species on artificial structures in the NS, and what are the biogeographical, physical and ecological determinants?
2. How can we use this information to provide improved models describing larval dispersal (including IAS) in the NS and the facilitating role created by the network of artificial structures?
3. What role does substrate type (i.e. natural vs artificial; historic vs recent) have on connectivity of epifaunal populations?
4. How will network connectivity be altered by future changes including the removal or addition of artificial structures following decommissioning and/or installations?

Status Project Live
Value £64,525.00
Project Dates Jan 1, 2020 - Dec 31, 2022

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