Biodiversity Data Science | Scientific publications

Scientific publications.

We explore the mechanisms driving the distribution of biodiversity, project the consequences of anthropogenic impacts, and identify conservation areas to inform conservation and management.

Featured publications

Heatwaves are more intense and persist longer in deeper waters

Global analysis shows deep marine biodiversity facing higher risk of exposure to the cumulative effect of intense and prolonged heatwave events.

Oceanographic connectivity explains the intra-specific diversity of mangrove forests

The crucial role of ocean currents in shaping mangrove genetic diversity, challenging previous assumptions and emphasizing the importance of preserving these ecosystems.

Artificial intelligence maps giant kelp forests from satellite imagery

Automated kelp canopy detection from satellite data for improved long-term ecological monitoring and conservation efforts.

Global seaweed productivity

Seaweed productivity is strongly related to climatic variables, peaking at temperate latitudes and exhibiting exceptionally high per-area production rates, 10 times higher than coastal phytoplankton in temperate and polar seas.

Global impacts of projected climate changes on mangroves

Potential climate-induced range shifts and losses in biomass, emphasizing the urgency of international climate agreements to protect these crucial habitats.

Major expansion of marine forests in a warmer Arctic

Future expansions of marine forests in response to changing climate will likely elicit major changes in biodiversity and ecosystem functions of the Arctic.

Mapping the global biodiversity patterns of marine forests

Stacked species distribution modelling identifies regions of high and low species richness and endemicity of marine forests of brown algae globally.

Network of marine reserves weak in protecting biodiversity

Biophysical modelling tuned with data on species dispersal ecology predicted low connectivity for a vast spectrum of biodiversity in the European network of marine reserves.

Biodiversity connectivity in Western Africa MPAs

Biophysical modelling revealed that connectivity differs sharply among ecological groups, from highly connected (e.g., fish) to isolated ecosystem structuring species (e.g., corals) that might undermine conservation efforts, as they are the feeding or nursery habitats of many other species.

The benefit of the Paris Agreement for demersal fishing targets

Machine learning distribution modelling demonstrates the benefits of complying with the Paris Agreement for 10 commercially important groundfish species distributed in the North Atlantic.

Publication list

E. Fragkopoulou, A. Sen Gupta, M.J. Costello, T. Wernberg, M.B. Araújo, E.A. Serrão, O. De Clerck, J. Assis (2023) Marine biodiversity exposed to prolonged and intense subsurface heatwaves. Nature Climate Change.

Gouvêa, L. P., Fragkopoulou, E., Cavanaugh, K., Serrão, E. A., Araújo, M. B., Costello, M. J., Westergerling, E. H. T., & Assis, J. (2023). Oceanographic connectivity explains the intra-specific diversity of mangrove forests at global scales. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Tavares, A. I., Assis, J., Larkin, P. D., Creed, J. C., Magalhães, K., Horta, P., Engelen, A., Cardoso, N., Barbosa, C., Pontes, S., Regalla, A., Almada, C., Ferreira, R., Abdoul, B. M., Ebaye, S., Bourweiss, M., dos Santos, C. V.-D., Patrício, A. R., Teodósio, A., … Serrao, E. A. (2023). Long range gene flow beyond predictions from oceanographic transport in a tropical marine foundation species. Scientific Reports.

Abecasis, D., Fragkopoulou, E., Claro, B., & Assis, J. (2023). Biophysical modelling and graph theory identify key connectivity hubs in the Mediterranean marine reserve network. Frontiers in Marine Science.

Mackintosh, A., Goldstein Hill, G., Costello, M., Jueterbock, A., & Assis, J. (2023). Modeling Aquaculture Suitability in a Climate Change Future. Oceanography.

Balogh, V., Fragkopoulou, E., Serrão, E. A., & Assis, J. (2023). A dataset of cold-water coral distribution records. Data in Brief.

Liu, Y., Trancoso, R., Ma, Q., Ciais, P., Gouvêa, L. P., Yue, C., Assis, J., & Blanco, J. A. (2023). Carbon density in boreal forests responds non-linearly to temperature: An example from the Greater Khingan Mountains, northeast China. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology

Assis, J., Alberto, F., Macaya, E. C., Castilho Coelho, N., Faugeron, S., Pearson, G. A., Ladah, L., Reed, D. C., Raimondi, P., Mansilla, A., Brickle, P., Zuccarello, G. C., & Serrão, E. A. (2023). Past climate-driven range shifts structuring intraspecific biodiversity levels of the giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) at global scales. Scientific Reports.

Marquez, L., Fragkopoulou, E., Cavanaugh, K. C., Houskeeper, H. F., & Assis, J. (2022). Artificial intelligence convolutional neural networks map giant kelp forests from satellite imagery. Scientific Reports.

Assis, J., Neiva, J., Bolton, J. J., Rothman, M. D., Gouveia, L., Paulino, C., Mohdnasir, H., & Serrão, E. A. (2022). Ocean currents shape the genetic structure of a kelp in southwestern Africa. Journal of Biogeography.

Duarte, C. M., Gattuso, J., Hancke, K., Gundersen, H., & Filbee-Dexter, K. (2022). Global estimates of the extent and production of algal forests. Global Ecology and Biogeography.

Liu, Y., Zhong, K., Jueterbock, A., Assis, J., & Hu, Z. (2022). The invasive alga Gracilaria vermiculophylla in the native northwest Pacific under ocean warming: Southern genetic consequence and northern range expansion. Frontiers in Marine Science.

Gouvea, L. P., Horta, P. A., Fragkopoulou, E., Gurgel, C. F. D., Peres, L. M. C., Bastos, E., Ramlov, F., Burle, G., Koerich, G., Martins, C. D. L., Serrão, E., & Assis, J. (2022). Phenotypic Plasticity in Sargassum Forests May Not Counteract Projected Biomass Losses Along a Broad Latitudinal Gradient. Ecosystems.

Fragkopoulou, E., Serrão, E. A., Clerck, O. De, Costello, M. J., Araújo, M. B., Duarte, C. M., Krause-Jensen, D., & Assis, J. (2022). Global biodiversity patterns of marine forests of brown macroalgae. Global Ecology & Biogeography.

Assis, J., Serrão, E. A., Duarte, C. M., Fragkopoulou, E., & Krause-Jensen, D. (2022). Major expansion of marine forests in a warmer Arctic. Frontiers in Marine Science.

Almada, C., Santos, R., Pearson, G. A., & Serrao, E. A. (2022). Seagrass Connectivity on the West Coast of Africa Supports the Hypothesis of Grazer-Mediated Seed Dispersal. Frontiers in Marine Science.

Pessarrodona, A., Assis, J., Filbee-Dexter, K., Burrows, M. T., Gattuso, J.-P., Duarte, C. M., Krause-Jensen, D., Moore, P. J., Smale, D. A., Wernberg, T. (2022). Global seaweed productivity. Science Advances.

Gouvêa, L. P., Serrão, E. A., Cavanaugh, K., Gurgel, C. F. D., Horta, P. A., & Assis, J. (2022). Global impacts of projected climate changes on the extent and aboveground biomass of mangrove forests. Diversity and Distributions.

Assis, J., Fragkopoulou, E., Serrão, E. A., Horta e Costa, B., Gandra, M., and Abecasis, D. (2021). Weak biodiversity connectivity in the European network of no-take marine protected areas. Science of the Total Environment.

Martins, M. R., Assis, J., and Abecasis, D. (2021). Biologically meaningful distribution models highlight the benefits of the Paris Agreement for demersal fishing targets in the North Atlantic Ocean. Global Ecology and Biogeography.

Song, X.-H., Assis, J., Zhang, J., Gao, X., Choi, H.-G., Duan, D.-L., et al. (2021). Climate-induced range shifts shaped the present and threaten the future genetic variability of a marine brown alga in the Northwest Pacific. Evolutionary Applications.

Hu, Z.-M., Zhang, Q.-S., Zhang, J., Kass, J. M., Mammola, S., Fresia, P., et al. (2021). Intraspecific genetic variation matters when predicting seagrass distribution under climate change. Molecular Ecology.

Anderson, A. B., Assis, J., Batista, M. B., Serrão, E., Guabiroba, H. C., Delfino, S. D. T., et al. (2021). Global warming assessment suggests the endemic Brazilian kelp beds as an endangered ecosystem. Marine Environmental Research.

Fragkopoulou, E., Serrão, E. A., Horta, P. A., Koerich, G., and Assis, J. (2021). Bottom Trawling Threatens Future Climate Refugia of Rhodoliths Globally. Frontiers in Marine Science.

Liu, F. L., Li, J. J., Liang, Z. R., Zhang, Q. S., Zhao, F. J., Jueterbock, A., Critchley, A. T., Morrell, S. L., Assis, J., Tang, Y. Z., & Hu, Z. M. (2021). A concise review of the brown seaweed Sargassum thunbergii — a knowledge base to inform large-scale cultivation efforts. Journal of Applied Phycology.

Assis, J., Failler, P., Fragkopoulou, E., Abecasis, D., Touron-Gardic, G., Regalla, A., et al. (2021). Potential Biodiversity Connectivity in the Network of Marine Protected Areas in Western Africa. Frontiers in Marine Science.

Shi, Z., Assis, J., and Costello, M.J. (2021). Vulnerability of Marine Species to Low Oxygen Under Climate Change in Elsevier.

Zhang, J., Yotsukura, N., Jueterbock, A., Hu, Z. M., Assis, J., Nagasato, C., Yao, J., & Duan, D. (2020). Detecting no natural hybridization and predicting range overlap in Saccharina angustata and Saccharina japonica. Journal of Applied Phycology

Gandra, M., Assis, J., Martins, M. R., and Abecasis, D. (2020). Reduced global genetic differentiation of exploited marine fish species. Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Nasri Sissini, M., Berchez, F., Hall-Spencer, J., Ghilardi-Lopes, N., Carvalho, V. F., Schubert, N., Koerich, G., Diaz-Pulido, G., Silva, J., Serrão, E., Assis, J., Santos, R., Floeter, S. R., Rörig, L., Barufi, J. B., Bernardino, A. F., Francini-Filho, R., Turra, A., Hofmann, L. C., … Horta, P. A. (2020). Brazil oil spill response: Protect rhodolith beds. Science.

Horta, P., Pinho, P. F., Gouvêa, L., Grimaldi, G., Destri, G., Mueller, C. M., Rocha, L., Barufi, J. B., Rorig, L., Assis, J., & da Cunha, L. C. (2020). Climate Change and Brazil ’s coastal zone: socio-environmental vulnerabilities and action strategies. Sustainability in Debate.

Bueno-pardo, J., Pierce, G. J., Cabecinha, E., Grilo, C., Assis, J., Leit, F., Queiroga, H., Valavanis, V., & Pita, C. (2020). Trends and drivers of marine fish landings in Portugal since its entrance in the European Union. ICES Journal of Marine Science.

Ntuli, N. N., Nicastro, K. R., Zardi, G. I., Assis, J., McQuaid, C. D., & Teske, P. R. (2020). Rejection of the genetic implications of the “Abundant Centre Hypothesis” in marine mussels. Scientific Reports.

Krause-jensen, D., Archambault, P., Assis, J., Bartsch, I., Bischof, K., Filbee-dexter, K., Dunton, K. H., Maximova, O., Ragnarsdóttir, S. B., Sejr, M. K., Simakova, U., & Spiridonov, V. (2020). Imprint of Climate Change on Pan-Arctic Marine Vegetation. Frontiers in Marine Science.

Gouvêa, L. P., Assis, J., Gurgel, C. F. D., Serrão, E. A., Silveira, T. C. L., Santos, R., et al. (2020). Golden carbon of Sargassum forests revealed as an opportunity for climate change mitigation. Science of the Total Environment.

Assis, J., Fragkopoulou, E., Frade, D., Neiva, J., Oliveira, A., Abecasis, D., Faugeron, S., Serrão, E. A., Frade, D., Neiva, J., Oliveira, A., Abecasis, D., Faugeron, S., & Serrão, E. A. (2020). A fine-tuned global distribution dataset of marine forests. Scientific Data.

Carvalho, V. F., Assis, J., Serrão, E. A., Nunes, J. M., Batista, A. A., Batista, M. B., Barufi, J. B., Silva, J., Pereira, S. M. B., & Horta, P. A. (2019). Environmental drivers of rhodolith beds and epiphytes community along the South Western Atlantic coast. Marine Environmental Research.

Koerich, G., Assis, J., Costa, G. B., Sissini, M. N., Serrão, E. A., Rörig, L. R., et al. (2019). How experimental physiology and ecological niche modelling can inform the management of marine bioinvasions? Science of the Total Environment.

Pilczynska, J., Cocito, S., Boavida, J., Serrão, E. A., Assis, J., Fragkopoulou, E., & Queiroga, H. (2019). Genetic diversity increases with depth in red gorgonian populations of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. PeerJ.

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