Benthos Ecology Working Group (BEWG; outputs from 2023 meeting) (BEWG)

The Benthos Ecology Working Group (BEWG) aims to study, describe and update on all aspects relevant to the ecology, functioning and interactions of marine benthic organisms across the Northeastern Atlantic, either living in or within the sediment, either animals or plants, either macro, meio or epibenthic, either littoral and sublittoral up to the deep sea. Over the third period (2021–2023), the group continued to provide insights on the field of applied benthic ecology. This report contains the overview of ongoing initiatives covering central aspects of benthic ecology. The work is focused on benthic long-term series and climate change, benthic indicators, species distribution modelling, the link between biodiversity and ecosystem function-ing and the role of benthos within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Several ongoing initiatives (case studies) have been further developed. They deal with the value of benthic long-term time-series to support management decisions, changes in functional composition along sediment gra-dients, the variability of expert assessment of benthic species tolerances or sensitivities, and func-tional indicators meeting the needs of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Over the last years several colleagues were invited to give an introductory presentation, mem-bers and non-members of the BEWG: E. Thiebaut (long-term benthic series of Pierre Noire), A. Sturbois (statistical methods to analyse benthic series: functional trajectories), L. Bacouillard (methodology: monitoring an area at different temporal and spatial scales), F, Cozzoli (combin-ing data from monitoring programs and experimental work), M. Zettler (long-term data: varia-tion and interpretation), A. De Backer (development of new molecular genetic techniques), O. Beauchard (traits), M. Uttieri (invasion of Pseudodiaptomus marinus). The latter two were invited to foster collaboration with other ICES Working Groups (WGEUROBUS, WGBIODIV).