![]() The variability of these traits within the organisms considered controls functions mainly related to nutrient storage and transport, trophic-dynamic regulations of populations, and community shaping. Here we review 33 traits that are measurable and comparable among marine megafauna. Alternatively, an approach based on traits, i.e., measurable behavioral, physiological, or morphological characteristics of organisms, can shed new light on the processes influencing structure and functions of biological communities. However, this taxonomic-based approach can limit a mechanistic understanding of how environmental change affects marine megafauna, here defined as large fishes (e.g., shark, tuna, and billfishes), sea turtles, marine mammals, and seabirds. This approach has significantly contributed to our understanding of how species interact with each other and with the physical environment and has led to relevant site-specific conservation strategies. Traditional ecological research has focused on taxonomic units to better understand the role of organisms in marine ecosystems. 2Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany.1Systems Ecology Group, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany. ![]() Moura 1, Esteban Acevedo-Trejos 1 and Agostino Merico 1,2
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