ArticleCommunications biology2024
Long term declines in the functional diversity of sharks in the coastal oceans of eastern Australia.
Article in Communications biology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Functionally Rich Fish Assemblages Support Greater Rates of Multiple Ecological Functions in Seagrass Meadows.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Extinction threatens to cause morphological and ecological homogenization in sharks.Science advances · 2025Article
- Monitoring juvenile sicklefin lemon shark Negaprion acutidens in remote marine nurseries using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Draft genomes of five bacteria isolated fromMicrobiology resource announcements · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Human impacts lead to widespread changes in the abundance, diversity and traits of shark assemblages, altering the functioning of coastal ecosystems. The functional consequences of shark declines are often poorly understood due to the absence of empirical data describing long-term change. We use data from the Queensland Shark Control Program in eastern Australia, which has deployed mesh nets and baited hooks across 80 beaches using standardised methodologies since 1962. We illustrate consistent declines in shark functional richness quantified using both ecological (e.g., feeding, habitat and movement) and morphological (e.g., size, morphology) traits, and this corresponds with declining ecological functioning. We demonstrate a community shift from targeted apex sharks to a greater functional richness of non-target species. Declines in apex shark functional richness and corresponding changes in non-target species may lead to an anthropogenically induced trophic cascade. We suggest that repairing diminished shark populations is crucial for the stability of coastal ecosystems.
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Registered trials
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