The Pelagic Species Trait Database, an open data resource to support trait-based ocean research

Abstract

Trait-based frameworks are increasingly used for predicting how ecological communities respond to ongoing global change. As species range shifts result in novel encounters between predators and prey, identifying prey ‘guilds’, based on a suite of shared traits, can distill complex species interactions, and aid in predicting food web dynamics. To support advances in trait-based research in open-ocean systems, we present the Pelagic Species Trait Database, an extensive resource documenting functional traits of 529 pelagic fish and invertebrate species in a single, open-source repository. We synthesized literature sources and online resources, conducted morphometric analysis of species images, as well as laboratory analyses of trawl-captured specimens to collate traits describing 1) habitat use and behavior, 2) morphology, 3) nutritional quality, and 4) population status information. Species in the dataset primarily inhabit the California Current system and broader NE Pacific Ocean, but also includes pelagic species known to be consumed by top ocean predators from other ocean basins. The aim of this dataset is to enhance the use of trait-based approaches in marine ecosystems and for predator populations worldwide.

Trait‐based analyses reveal global patterns in diverse diets of albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga)

“…horizontal habitat association with respect to distance from the coast through to oceanic ecosystems, (iii) presence of diel vertical migration and (iv) presence of seasonal migration and/or seasonal aggregation behaviour (Table 1; Table S5). These trait data were extracted from a broader database of traits that inform predator-prey interactions for albacore (Gleiber et al, 2022(Gleiber et al, , 2023. This database was created by using online repositories for specieslevel information, primarily FishBase (Froese & Pauly, 2020),…”

“…SeaLifeBase (Palomares & Pauly, 2020), and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN, 2020), and by searching descriptive published literature for each species using Web of Science and Google Scholar (for detailed trait data collection methodology see Gleiber et al, 2022Gleiber et al, , 2023. We further describe how prey species' trait values were used and in some instances modified for analyses in Supporting Information: Appendix B.…”

“…We further describe how prey species' trait values were used and in some instances modified for analyses in Supporting Information: Appendix B. For example, two species primarily occur at bathypelagic depths and are classified as such in the pelagic species trait database (Gleiber et al, 2022(Gleiber et al, , 2023.…”

“…There were 221 species (72%) identified in albacore diets without meta-information and assumed to be either juveniles or adults (Figure S1). Trait information was often similar between juvenile and adult life stages (Gleiber et al, 2022(Gleiber et al, , 2023, thus for 127 of these species (41%), no further estimation of prey life stage was needed (Figure S1).…”