@article{zu Ermgassen2025,
Title = {Mangroves support an estimated annual abundance of over 700 billion juvenile fish and invertebrates},
Author = {zu Ermgassen, Philine S. E. and Worthington, Thomas A. and Gair, Jonathan R. and Garnett, Emma E. and Mukherjee, Nibedita and Longley-Wood, Kate and Nagelkerken, Ivan and Abrantes, Kátya and Aburto-Oropeza, Octavio and Acosta, Alejandro and Araujo, Ana Rosa da Rocha and Baker, Ronald and Barnett, Adam and Beitl, Christine M. and Benzeev, Rayna and Brookes, Justin and Castellanos-Galindo, Gustavo A. and Ching Chong, Ving and Connolly, Rod M. and Cunha-Lignon, Marília and Dahdouh-Guebas, Farid and Diele, Karen and Dwyer, Patrick G. and Friess, Daniel A. and Grove, Thomas and Hoq, M. Enamul and Huijbers, Chantal and Hutchinson, Neil and Johnson, Andrew F. and Johnson, Ross and Knight, Jon and Krumme, Uwe and Kuguru, Baraka and Lee, Shing Yip and Lobo, Aaron Savio and Lugendo, Blandina R. and Meynecke, Jan-Olaf and Munga, Cosmas Nzaka and Olds, Andrew D. and Parrett, Cara L. and Reguero, Borja G. and Rönnbäck, Patrik and Safryghin, Anna and Sheaves, Marcus and Taylor, Matthew D. and Mendonça, Jocemar Tomasino and Waltham, Nathan J. and Wolff, Matthias and Spalding, Mark D.},
Editor = {},
Journal = {Communications Earth & Environment},
Year = {2025},
Volume = {6},
Doi = {10.1038/s43247-025-02229-w},
Abstract = {Mangroves are a critical habitat that provide a suite of ecosystem services and support livelihoods. Here we undertook a global analysis to model the density and abundance of 37 commercially important juvenile fish and juvenile and resident invertebrates that are known to extensively use mangroves, by fitting expert-identified drivers of density to fish and invertebrate density data from published field studies. The numerical model predicted high densities throughout parts of Southeast and South Asia, the northern coast of South America, the Red Sea, and the Caribbean and Central America. Application of our model globally estimates that mangroves support an annual abundance of over 700 billion juvenile fish and invertebrates. While abundance at the early life-history stage does not directly equate to potential economic or biomass gains, this estimate indicates the critical role of mangroves globally in supporting fish and fisheries, and further builds the case for their conservation and restoration.},
}
TY - JOUR
AU - zu Ermgassen, Philine S. E.
AU - Worthington, Thomas A.
AU - Gair, Jonathan R.
AU - Garnett, Emma E.
AU - Mukherjee, Nibedita
AU - Longley-Wood, Kate
AU - Nagelkerken, Ivan
AU - Abrantes, Kátya
AU - Aburto-Oropeza, Octavio
AU - Acosta, Alejandro
AU - Araujo, Ana Rosa da Rocha
AU - Baker, Ronald
AU - Barnett, Adam
AU - Beitl, Christine M.
AU - Benzeev, Rayna
AU - Brookes, Justin
AU - Castellanos-Galindo, Gustavo A.
AU - Ching Chong, Ving
AU - Connolly, Rod M.
AU - Cunha-Lignon, Marília
AU - Dahdouh-Guebas, Farid
AU - Diele, Karen
AU - Dwyer, Patrick G.
AU - Friess, Daniel A.
AU - Grove, Thomas
AU - Hoq, M. Enamul
AU - Huijbers, Chantal
AU - Hutchinson, Neil
AU - Johnson, Andrew F.
AU - Johnson, Ross
AU - Knight, Jon
AU - Krumme, Uwe
AU - Kuguru, Baraka
AU - Lee, Shing Yip
AU - Lobo, Aaron Savio
AU - Lugendo, Blandina R.
AU - Meynecke, Jan-Olaf
AU - Munga, Cosmas Nzaka
AU - Olds, Andrew D.
AU - Parrett, Cara L.
AU - Reguero, Borja G.
AU - Rönnbäck, Patrik
AU - Safryghin, Anna
AU - Sheaves, Marcus
AU - Taylor, Matthew D.
AU - Mendonça, Jocemar Tomasino
AU - Waltham, Nathan J.
AU - Wolff, Matthias
AU - Spalding, Mark D.
TI - Mangroves support an estimated annual abundance of over 700 billion juvenile fish and invertebrates
T2 - Communications Earth & Environment
PY - 2025
VL - 6
DO - 10.1038/s43247-025-02229-w
AB - Mangroves are a critical habitat that provide a suite of ecosystem services and support livelihoods. Here we undertook a global analysis to model the density and abundance of 37 commercially important juvenile fish and juvenile and resident invertebrates that are known to extensively use mangroves, by fitting expert-identified drivers of density to fish and invertebrate density data from published field studies. The numerical model predicted high densities throughout parts of Southeast and South Asia, the northern coast of South America, the Red Sea, and the Caribbean and Central America. Application of our model globally estimates that mangroves support an annual abundance of over 700 billion juvenile fish and invertebrates. While abundance at the early life-history stage does not directly equate to potential economic or biomass gains, this estimate indicates the critical role of mangroves globally in supporting fish and fisheries, and further builds the case for their conservation and restoration.
ER -
