Publications by authors named "Gael Mariani"

To limit climate warming to 2°C above preindustrial levels, most economic sectors will need a rapid transformation toward a net zero emission of CO . Tuna fisheries is a key food production sector that burns fossil fuel to operate but also reduces the deadfall of large-bodied fish so the capacity of this natural carbon pump to deep sea. Yet, the carbon balance of tuna populations, so the net difference between CO emission due to industrial exploitation and CO sequestration by fish deadfall after natural mortality, is still unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Despite the importance of marine megafauna on ecosystem functioning, their contribution to the oceanic carbon cycle is still poorly known. Here, we explored the role of baleen whales in the biological carbon pump across the southern hemisphere based on the historical and forecasted abundance of five baleen whale species. We modelled whale-mediated carbon sequestration through the sinking of their carcasses after natural death.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Increasing speed and magnitude of global change threaten the world's biodiversity and particularly coral reef fishes. A better understanding of large-scale patterns and processes on coral reefs is essential to prevent fish biodiversity decline but it requires new monitoring approaches. Here, we use environmental DNA metabarcoding to reconstruct well-known patterns of fish biodiversity on coral reefs and uncover hidden patterns on these highly diverse and threatened ecosystems.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Large marine fish carcasses contribute to carbon sequestration in the deep ocean, unlike terrestrial organisms that release carbon into the atmosphere after death.
  • Fisheries have significantly extracted this "blue carbon," releasing at least 0.73 billion metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere since 1950.
  • Limiting blue carbon extraction in economically unprofitable fishing areas could decrease CO2 emissions and enhance natural carbon sequestration by allowing fish stocks to rebuild.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF