Research Topic

Biodiversity Aesthetics

The aesthetic value of biodiversity is recognized as a cultural ecosystem service. However, it is still often absent from studies linking biodiversity and ecosystem properties, which usually focus on economic and functional dimensions. The aesthetic experience of biodiversity is the act of appreciating and feeling beauty through the observation of a species, an assemblage of species, or an ecosystem. This experience is central to our relationship with nature and to our motivations to protect it.

Most of my research on this topic has focused on evaluating the aesthetic value of species and assemblages by using coralligenous and coral assemblages and reef fishes as study systems, combining internet questionnaires, image analysis, and deep learning techniques. I also developed www.biodiful.org, an online platform that helps the scientific community host evaluation campaigns on human perception of nature based on photographic surveys.

Reef Fishes

  1. McLean M.*, Mouillot D., Langlois J., Arif S., Bejarano S., Casajus N., Edgar G.J., Flandrin U., Guilhaumon F., Judah A.B., Loiseau N., MacNeil M.A., Maire E., Stuart-Smith R.D., Mouquet N.* (2025). Conserving the beauty of the world's reef fish assemblages. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2415931122 (* These authors contributed equally to this study)

  2. Mouquet N., Langlois J., Casajus N., Auber A., Flandrin U., Guilhaumon F., Loiseau N., McLean M., Receveur A., Stuart-Smith R.D., Mouillot D. (2024). Low human interest for the most at-risk reef fishes worldwide. Science Advances, doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adj9510

  3. Langlois J.*, Guilhaumon F., Baletaud F., Casajus N., Braga C.D.A., Fleure V., Kulbicki M., Loiseau N., Mouillot D., Renoult J.P., Stahl A., Stuart-Smith R.D., Tribot A., Mouquet N.* (2022). The aesthetic value of reef fishes is globally mismatched to their conservation priorities. PLoS Biology, doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001640 (*These authors contributed equally to this study)

  4. Boudin E., Carcaillet F., Tribot A., Carabeux Q., Deter J., Claverie T., Villeger S. and Mouquet N. (2020). Coral Reef Fish: Not Just a Matter of Beauty! Front. Young Minds. 8:13. doi:10.3389/frym.2020.00013

  5. Tribot A., Deter J., Claverie T., Guillhaumon F., Villeger S., Mouquet N. (2019). Species diversity and composition drive the aesthetic value of coral reef fish assemblages. Biology Letters, doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2019.0703

  6. Tribot A., Carabeux Q., Deter J., Claverie T., Villeger S., Mouquet N. (2018). Confronting species aesthetics with ecological functions in coral reef fish. Scientific Reports, doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-29637-7

Coralligenous & Corals

  1. Alisa C.A.G., Razak T.B., Mouquet N., Graham N.A.J., Hemingson C.R., Mouillot D., team M.C.R.P.m., Damayanti L., Prasetya M.E., Maulana P.B., Hamka A., Dwiyanto A., Abeng A.T., Irwan, Madjid R., Hidayat E.A., Lakota H., Parrangan C.V., Pratama A.M., Hamzah, Suandar, Subhan B., Zamani N.P., Vida R.T., Lamont T.A.C. (2025). Benthic communities on restored coral reefs confer equivalent aesthetic value to healthy reefs. Scientific Reports, doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-06373-3

  2. Casoli E., Raschetti S., Mouquet N., Ventura D., Mancini G., Penna M., Belluscio A., Ardizzone G. (2025). Assessing the ecological and aesthetic effectiveness of restoration interventions on coralligenous reefs. Restoration Ecology, doi.org/10.1111/rec.70092

  3. Langlois J., Guilhaumon F., Bockel T., Boissery P., Braga C.D.A., Deter J., Holon F., Marre G., Tribot A., Mouquet N. (2021). An integrated approach to estimate aesthetic and ecological values of coralligenous reefs. Ecological Indicators, doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107935

  4. Tribot A., Mouquet N., Villeger S., Raymond M., Hoff F., Boissery P., Holon F., Deter J. (2016). Taxonomic and functional diversity increase the aesthetic value of coralligenous reefs. Scientific Reports, doi.org/10.1038/srep34229

Teddy bears

  1. Mouquet N., Blanc N., Brassac T., Casajus N., Tribot A. (2025). Too cute to be wild: what teddy bears reveal about our disconnection from nature. BioScience, doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaf146

  2. Blanc N., Tribot A., Brassac T., Mouquet N. (2025). The science of cuteness: where teddy bears' beauty, comfort and care converge. The Journal of Positive Psychology, doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2025.2538890

  3. Tribot A., Blanc N., Brassac T., Guilhaumon F., Casajus N., Mouquet N. (2023). What makes a teddy bear comforting? A participatory study reveals the prevalence of sensory characteristics and emotional bonds in the perception of comforting teddy bears. The Journal of Positive Psychology, doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2023.2170273

Synthesis

  1. Zeller K., Mouquet N., Garcia C., Dezecache G., Maille A., Duboscq J., Morino L., Bonnet X. (2025). Danger versus fear: A key to understanding biophobia. People and Nature, doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70009

  2. Tribot A., Deter J., Mouquet N. (2018). Integrating the aesthetic value of landscapes and biological diversity. Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.0971

Other topic pages

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning iconBiodiversity & Ecosystem Functioning Biogeography iconBiogeography, Macroecology & Ecophylogenetics Experimental evolution iconExperimental Evolution Functional biogeography iconFunctional Biogeography Functional rarity iconFunctional Rarity Metacommunities iconMetacommunities Metaecosystems iconMetaecosystems Nature for Future iconNature for Future Reviews and synthesis iconReviews and Synthesis Trophic biogeography and metaweb iconTrophic Biogeography & Metaweb Biodiful iconBiodiful OutreachOutreach CollaboratorsCollaborators