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1.
Environ Manage ; 68(4): 505-521, 2021 10.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34327556

RESUMO

Cumulative and synergistic impacts from environmental pressures, particularly in low-lying tropical coastal regions, present challenges for the governance of ecosystems, which provide natural resource-based livelihoods for communities. Here, we seek to understand the relationship between responses to the impacts of El Niño and La Niña events and the vulnerability of mangrove-dependent communities in the Caribbean region of Colombia. Using two case study sites, we show how communities are impacted by, and undertake reactive short-term responses to, El Niño and La Niña events, and how such responses can affect their adaptive capacity to progressive environmental deterioration. We show that certain coping measures to climate variability currently deliver maladaptive outcomes, resulting in circumstances that could contribute to system 'lock-in' and engender undesirable ecological states, exacerbating future livelihood vulnerabilities. We highlight the significant role of social barriers on vulnerabilities within the region, including perceptions of state abandonment, mistrust and conflicts with authorities. Opportunities to reduce vulnerability include enhancing the communities' capacity to adopt more positive and preventative responses based on demonstrable experiential learning capacity. However, these will require close cooperation between formal and informal organisations at different levels, and the development of shared coherent adaptation strategies to manage the complexity of multiple interacting environmental and climatic pressures.


Assuntos
Mudança Climática , Ecossistema , Região do Caribe , Colômbia , Emprego , Previsões , Humanos
2.
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci ; 378(2181): 20190365, 2020 Oct 02.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32862817

RESUMO

Arctic marine ecosystems are undergoing rapid correction in response to multiple expressions of climate change, but the consequences of altered biodiversity for the sequestration, transformation and storage of nutrients are poorly constrained. Here, we determine the bioturbation activity of sediment-dwelling invertebrate communities over two consecutive summers that contrasted in sea-ice extent along a transect intersecting the polar front. We find a clear separation in community composition at the polar front that marks a transition in the type and amount of bioturbation activity, and associated nutrient concentrations, sufficient to distinguish a southern high from a northern low. While patterns in community structure reflect proximity to arctic versus boreal conditions, our observations strongly suggest that faunal activity is moderated by seasonal variations in sea ice extent that influence food supply to the benthos. Our observations help visualize how a climate-driven reorganization of the Barents Sea benthic ecosystem may be expressed, and emphasize the rapidity with which an entire region could experience a functional transformation. As strong benthic-pelagic coupling is typical across most parts of the Arctic shelf, the response of these ecosystems to a changing climate will have important ramifications for ecosystem functioning and the trophic structure of the entire food web. This article is part of the theme issue 'The changing Arctic Ocean: consequences for biological communities, biogeochemical processes and ecosystem functioning'.


Assuntos
Mudança Climática , Ecossistema , Invertebrados/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Animais , Organismos Aquáticos/classificação , Organismos Aquáticos/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Organismos Aquáticos/isolamento & purificação , Regiões Árticas , Biodiversidade , Cadeia Alimentar , Sedimentos Geológicos/química , Camada de Gelo , Invertebrados/classificação , Noruega , Oceanos e Mares , Estações do Ano
3.
Proc Biol Sci ; 286(1901): 20190287, 2019 04 24.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30991928

RESUMO

There is now strong evidence that ecosystem properties are influenced by alterations in biodiversity. The consensus that has emerged from over two decades of research is that the form of the biodiversity-functioning relationship follows a saturating curve. However, the foundation from which these conclusions are drawn mostly stems from empirical investigations that have not accounted for post-extinction changes in community composition and structure, or how surviving species respond to new circumstances and modify their contribution to functioning. Here, we use marine sediment-dwelling invertebrate communities to experimentally assess whether post-extinction compensatory mechanisms (simulated by increasing species biomass) have the potential to alter biodiversity-ecosystem function relations. Consistent with recent numerical simulations, we find that the form of the biodiversity-function curve is dependent on whether or not compensatory responses are present, the cause and extent of extinction, and species density. When species losses are combined with the compensatory responses of surviving species, both community composition, dominance structure, and the pool and relative expression of functionally important traits change and affect species interactions and behaviour. These observations emphasize the importance of post-extinction community composition in determining the stability of ecosystem functioning following extinction. Our results caution against the use of the generalized biodiversity-function curve when generating probabilistic estimates of post-extinction ecosystem properties for practical application.


Assuntos
Anfípodes/fisiologia , Biodiversidade , Biomassa , Cadeia Alimentar , Caramujos/fisiologia , Animais , Inglaterra , Sedimentos Geológicos
4.
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci ; 376(2119)2018 May 13.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29610380

RESUMO

The effectiveness of stringent climate stabilization scenarios for coastal areas in terms of reduction of impacts/adaptation needs and wider policy implications has received little attention. Here we use the Warming Acidification and Sea Level Projector Earth systems model to calculate large ensembles of global sea-level rise (SLR) and ocean pH projections to 2300 for 1.5°C and 2.0°C stabilization scenarios, and a reference unmitigated RCP8.5 scenario. The potential consequences of these projections are then considered for global coastal flooding, small islands, deltas, coastal cities and coastal ecology. Under both stabilization scenarios, global mean ocean pH (and temperature) stabilize within a century. This implies significant ecosystem impacts are avoided, but detailed quantification is lacking, reflecting scientific uncertainty. By contrast, SLR is only slowed and continues to 2300 (and beyond). Hence, while coastal impacts due to SLR are reduced significantly by climate stabilization, especially after 2100, potential impacts continue to grow for centuries. SLR in 2300 under both stabilization scenarios exceeds unmitigated SLR in 2100. Therefore, adaptation remains essential in densely populated and economically important coastal areas under climate stabilization. Given the multiple adaptation steps that this will require, an adaptation pathways approach has merits for coastal areas.This article is part of the theme issue 'The Paris Agreement: understanding the physical and social challenges for a warming world of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels'.

5.
Proc Biol Sci ; 284(1855)2017 May 31.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28566482

RESUMO

There is unequivocal evidence that altered biodiversity, through changes in the expression and distribution of functional traits, can have large impacts on ecosystem properties. However, trait-based summaries of how organisms affect ecosystem properties often assume that traits show constancy within and between populations and that species contributions to ecosystem functioning are not overly affected by the presence of other species or variations in abiotic conditions. Here, we evaluate the validity of these assumptions using an experiment in which three geographically distinct populations of intertidal sediment-dwelling invertebrates are reciprocally substituted. We find that the mediation of macronutrient generation by these species can vary between different populations and show that changes in biotic and/or abiotic conditions can further modify functionally important aspects of the behaviour of individuals within a population. Our results demonstrate the importance of knowing how, when, and why traits are expressed and suggest that these dimensions of species functionality are not sufficiently well-constrained to facilitate the accurate projection of the functional consequences of change. Information regarding the ecological role of key species and assumptions about the form of species-environment interactions needs urgent refinement.


Assuntos
Biodiversidade , Ecossistema , Invertebrados/fisiologia , Animais , Fenótipo , Dinâmica Populacional
8.
Curr Biol ; 34(12): 2580-2593.e4, 2024 Jun 17.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38781955

RESUMO

The activities of marine sediment-dwelling invertebrates play a fundamental role in mediating major biogeochemical cycles and have profoundly shaped the evolution of marine systems. Yet there remains a paucity of global marine data describing bioturbation intensities and mixed layer depths and interrogating how these vary with multiple environmental and ecological factors at a system scale. We applied an ensemble of tree-based machine learning techniques to resolve a global map and determine the environmental and ecological correlates most closely associated with bioturbation. We find that bioturbation intensity and the depth of the sediment mixed layer each reflect different associations with a consortium of environmental and ecological parameters, and that bioturbation intensities are much more readily predicted than sediment mixed layer depths from these correlates. Furthermore, we find that the bioturbation intensity, the depth of the sediment mixed layer, and their environmental and ecological correlates differ between shallow marine and open-ocean settings. Our findings provide new insights into the importance of potential drivers of ancient sediment mixing recorded by geologic archives. These results also highlight that climate change may, in the near future, drive shifts in bioturbation and reciprocal fundamental changes in benthic functioning.


Assuntos
Organismos Aquáticos , Sedimentos Geológicos , Invertebrados , Animais , Invertebrados/fisiologia , Organismos Aquáticos/fisiologia , Mudança Climática , Ecossistema , Aprendizado de Máquina , Oceanos e Mares
9.
Sci Data ; 11(1): 695, 2024 Jun 26.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38926417

RESUMO

The morphology and architecture of structures formed by sediment-dwelling invertebrates, such as excavations or burrows, are often assumed to be characteristic of a given species, consistent across a range of environmental conditions, and used to categorise species contributions to ecosystem functioning. However, very few investigations use non-invasive high-resolution techniques capable of determining fine scale variations in burrow form and complexity, or consider whether or not the form of the burrow is context dependent. Here, we provide replicate high-resolution micro-focus computed tomography data for the complete burrow systems of the Opheliid polychaete, Armandia cirrhosa, across a range of salinity and habitat conditions. These data provide reference models which can be used by ecologists investigating intraspecific variation in species traits and organism-sediment interactions and, more generally, by those tasked with pattern and shape recognition of objects that are morphologically highly variable and which adjust their architecture with changing circumstance or context.


Assuntos
Ecossistema , Poliquetos , Poliquetos/anatomia & histologia , Animais , Sedimentos Geológicos , Tomografia Computadorizada por Raios X , Microtomografia por Raio-X , Salinidade
10.
Sci Rep ; 14(1): 14985, 2024 07 01.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38951669

RESUMO

Climate change is known to affect the distribution and composition of species, but concomitant alterations to functionally important aspects of behaviour and species-environment relations are poorly constrained. Here, we examine the ecosystem ramifications of changes in sediment-dwelling invertebrate bioturbation behaviour-a key process mediating nutrient cycling-associated with near-future environmental conditions (+ 1.5 °C, 550 ppm [pCO2]) for species from polar regions experiencing rapid rates of climate change. We find that responses to warming and acidification vary between species and lead to a reduction in intra-specific variability in behavioural trait expression that adjusts the magnitude and direction of nutrient concentrations. Our analyses also indicate that species behaviour is not predetermined, but can be dependent on local variations in environmental history that set population capacities for phenotypic plasticity. We provide evidence that certain, but subtle, aspects of inter- and intra-specific variation in behavioural trait expression, rather than the presence or proportional representation of species per se, is an important and under-appreciated determinant of benthic biogeochemical responses to climate change. Such changes in species behaviour may act as an early warning for impending ecological transitions associated with progressive climate forcing.


Assuntos
Mudança Climática , Invertebrados , Oceanos e Mares , Animais , Invertebrados/fisiologia , Ecossistema , Água do Mar , Concentração de Íons de Hidrogênio , Aquecimento Global , Dióxido de Carbono/metabolismo
11.
Ecol Evol ; 14(7): e11702, 2024 Jul.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38966246

RESUMO

Multiple expressions of climate change, in particular warming-induced reductions in the type, extent and thickness of sea ice, are opening access and providing new viable development opportunities in high-latitude regions. Coastal margins are facing these challenges, but the vulnerability of species and ecosystems to the effects of fuel contamination associated with increased maritime traffic is largely unknown. Here, we show that low concentrations of the water-accommodated fraction of marine fuel oil, representative of a dilute fuel oil spill, can alter functionally important aspects of the behaviour of sediment-dwelling invertebrates. We find that the response to contamination is species specific, but that the range in response among individuals is modified by increasing fuel concentrations. Our study provides evidence that species responses to novel and/or unprecedented levels of anthropogenic activity associated with the opening up of high-latitude regions can have substantive ecological effects, even when human impacts are at, or below, commonly accepted safe thresholds. These secondary responses are often overlooked in broad-scale environmental assessments and marine planning yet, critically, they may act as an early warning signal for impending and more pronounced ecological transitions.

12.
Sci Data ; 11(1): 602, 2024 Jun 07.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38849366

RESUMO

The skeletons of long-lived bamboo coral (Family Keratoisididae) are promising archives for deep-water palaeoceanographic reconstructions as they can record environmental variation at sub-decadal resolution in locations where in-situ measurements lack temporal coverage. Yet, detailed three dimensional (3D) characterisations of bamboo coral skeletal architecture are not routinely available and non-destructive investigations into microscale variations in calcification are rare. Here, we provide high-resolution micro-focus computed tomography (µCT) data of skeletal density for two species of bamboo coral (Acanella arbuscula: 5 specimens, voxel size, 15 µm (central branch scans) and 50 µm (complete structure scan); Keratoisis sp.: 4 specimens, voxel size, 15 µm) collected from the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay deep-water basins, Eastern Canadian Arctic. These data provide reference models useful for developing methods to assess structural integrity and other fine-scale complexities in many biological, geological, and industrial systems. This will be of wider value to those investigating structural composition, arrangement and/or composition of complex architecture within the fields and subdisciplines of biology, ecology, medicine, environmental geology, and structural engineering.


Assuntos
Antozoários , Animais , Microtomografia por Raio-X , Imageamento Tridimensional , Canadá
13.
Nat Commun ; 14(1): 8023, 2023 Dec 04.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38049431

RESUMO

The microplastic body burden of marine animals is often assumed to reflect levels of environmental contamination, yet variations in feeding ecology and regional trait expression could also affect a species' risk of contaminant uptake. Here, we explore the global inventory of individual microplastic body burden for invertebrate species inhabiting marine sediments across 16 biogeographic provinces. We show that individual microplastic body burden in benthic invertebrates cannot be fully explained by absolute levels of microplastic contamination in the environment, because interspecific differences in behaviour and feeding ecology strongly determine microplastic uptake. Our analyses also indicate a degree of species-specific particle selectivity; likely associated with feeding biology. Highest microplastic burden occurs in the Yellow and Mediterranean Seas and, contrary to expectation, amongst omnivores, predators, and deposit feeders rather than suspension feeding species. Our findings highlight the inadequacy of microplastic uptake risk assessments based on inventories of environmental contamination alone, and the need to understand how species behaviour and trait expression covary with microplastic contamination.


Assuntos
Microplásticos , Poluentes Químicos da Água , Animais , Microplásticos/toxicidade , Plásticos/análise , Ecologia , Invertebrados , Organismos Aquáticos , Monitoramento Ambiental , Poluentes Químicos da Água/análise , Ecossistema
14.
R Soc Open Sci ; 10(7): 230155, 2023 Jul.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37448479

RESUMO

There is an urgent need to address coastal dynamics as a fundamental interaction between physical and biological processes, particularly when trying to predict future biological-physical linkages under anticipated changes in environmental forcing. More integrated modelling, support for observational networks and the use of management interventions as controlled experimental exercises should now be vigorously pursued.

15.
BMC Ecol ; 12: 14, 2012 Jul 30.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22846071

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: Theory suggests that biodiversity can act as a buffer against disturbances and environmental variability via two major mechanisms: Firstly, a stabilising effect by decreasing the temporal variance in ecosystem functioning due to compensatory processes; and secondly, a performance enhancing effect by raising the level of community response through the selection of better performing species. Empirical evidence for the stabilizing effect of biodiversity is readily available, whereas experimental confirmation of the performance-enhancing effect of biodiversity is sparse. RESULTS: Here, we test the effect of different environmental regimes (constant versus fluctuating temperature) on bacterial biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relations. We show that positive effects of species richness on ecosystem functioning are enhanced by stronger temperature fluctuations due to the increased performance of individual species. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide evidence for the performance enhancing effect and suggest that selection towards functionally dominant species is likely to benefit the maintenance of ecosystem functioning under more variable conditions.


Assuntos
Bactérias/metabolismo , Biodiversidade , Meio Ambiente , Modelos Biológicos , Temperatura
16.
Ambio ; 51(2): 370-382, 2022 Feb.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34628602

RESUMO

Unprecedented and dramatic transformations are occurring in the Arctic in response to climate change, but academic, public, and political discourse has disproportionately focussed on the most visible and direct aspects of change, including sea ice melt, permafrost thaw, the fate of charismatic megafauna, and the expansion of fisheries. Such narratives disregard the importance of less visible and indirect processes and, in particular, miss the substantive contribution of the shelf seafloor in regulating nutrients and sequestering carbon. Here, we summarise the biogeochemical functioning of the Arctic shelf seafloor before considering how climate change and regional adjustments to human activities may alter its biogeochemical and ecological dynamics, including ecosystem function, carbon burial, or nutrient recycling. We highlight the importance of the Arctic benthic system in mitigating climatic and anthropogenic change and, with a focus on the Barents Sea, offer some observations and our perspectives on future management and policy.


Assuntos
Ecossistema , Sedimentos Geológicos , Regiões Árticas , Mudança Climática , Camada de Gelo
17.
Environ Res ; 111(5): 635-42, 2011 Jul.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21497334

RESUMO

Fish farms typically generate a localised gradient of both organic and inorganic pollutants in the underlying sediments. The factors governing the extent of such impacts remain poorly understood, particularly when multiple sites are considered. We used regression-type techniques to examine the drivers of sediment chemistry patterns around five Scottish fish farms that ranged in size (120-2106 tonnes) and fish species, but were located within <40 km of each other. Correlations between observations made at the same farm illustrate that between-site variability can be high, even at this regional-scale. These effects must be accounted for when comparing the effects of fish farming at different locations. All measured chemical parameters declined rapidly as a function of distance from the cage edge, with the rate of decline depending on local current speeds. Only phosphorus concentrations increased directly with farm size. Increasing current speeds at farms <900 tonnes reduced the accumulation of organic carbon in the underlying sediments, whereas the opposite occurred at larger farms. The counterintuitive effect of current speed at farms above the threshold size suggests that the physical properties of the seabed at these locations favour the accumulation of organic wastes and/or that the underlying communities have a lower assimilative capacity. These imply that the environmental efficiency of fish farming activities may be further optimised by taking into account the interaction between current speed, substrate complexity and the functional characteristics of the benthos. Collectively, our analyses demonstrate that the fate of fish farm-derived wastes is complex and highlight the need for site-specific management techniques.


Assuntos
Aquicultura/estatística & dados numéricos , Sedimentos Geológicos/química , Poluentes Químicos da Água/análise , Carbono/análise , Carbono/química , Cobre/análise , Cobre/química , Monitoramento Ambiental , Substâncias Húmicas/análise , Nitrogênio/análise , Nitrogênio/química , Fósforo/análise , Fósforo/química , Escócia , Água do Mar/química , Movimentos da Água , Poluentes Químicos da Água/química , Poluição Química da Água/estatística & dados numéricos
18.
BMC Ecol ; 11: 7, 2011 Feb 14.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21320339

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: Understanding the effects of anthropogenically-driven changes in global temperature, atmospheric carbon dioxide and biodiversity on the functionality of marine ecosystems is crucial for predicting and managing the associated impacts. Coastal ecosystems are important sources of carbon (primary production) to shelf waters and play a vital role in global nutrient cycling. These systems are especially vulnerable to the effects of human activities and will be the first areas impacted by rising sea levels. Within these coastal ecosystems, microalgal assemblages (microphytobenthos: MPB) are vital for autochthonous carbon fixation. The level of in situ production by MPB mediates the net carbon cycling of transitional ecosystems between net heterotrophic or autotrophic metabolism. In this study, we examine the interactive effects of elevated atmospheric CO(2) concentrations (370, 600, and 1000 ppmv), temperature (6°C, 12°C, and 18°C) and invertebrate biodiversity on MPB biomass in experimental systems. We assembled communities of three common grazing invertebrates (Hydrobia ulvae, Corophium volutator and Hediste diversicolor) in monoculture and in all possible multispecies combinations. This experimental design specifically addresses interactions between the selected climate change variables and any ecological consequences caused by changes in species composition or richness. RESULTS: The effects of elevated CO(2) concentration, temperature and invertebrate diversity were not additive, rather they interacted to determine MPB biomass, and overall this effect was negative. Diversity effects were underpinned by strong species composition effects, illustrating the importance of individual species identity. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our findings suggest that in natural systems, the complex interactions between changing environmental conditions and any associated changes in invertebrate assemblage structure are likely to reduce MPB biomass. Furthermore, these effects would be sufficient to affect the net metabolic balance of the coastal ecosystem, with important implications for system ecology and sustainable exploitation.


Assuntos
Biodiversidade , Dióxido de Carbono/análise , Mudança Climática , Invertebrados , Temperatura , Animais , Biomassa
19.
Ecol Evol ; 11(11): 6900-6912, 2021 Jun.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34141264

RESUMO

Climate-induced changes in the ocean and sea ice environment of the Arctic are beginning to generate major and rapid changes in Arctic ecosystems, but the effects of directional forcing on the persistence and distribution of species remain poorly understood. Here, we examine the reproductive traits and population dynamics of the bivalve Astarte crenata and sea star Ctenodiscus crispatus across a north-south transect that intersects the polar front in the Barents Sea. Both species present large oocytes indicative of short pelagic or direct development that do not differ in size-frequency between 74.5 and 81.3º latitude. However, despite gametogenic maturity, we found low frequencies of certain size classes within populations that may indicate periodic recruitment failure. We suggest that recruitment of A. crenata could occur periodically when conditions are favorable, while populations of C. crispatus are characterized by episodic recruitment failures. Pyloric caeca indices in C. crispatus show that food uptake is greatest at, and north of, the polar front, providing credence to the view that interannual variations in the quantity and quality of primary production and its flux to the seafloor, linked to the variable extent and thickness of sea ice, are likely to be strong determinants of physiological fitness. Our findings provide evidence that the distribution and long-term survival of species is not only a simple function of adaptive capacity to specific environmental changes, but will also be contingent on the frequency and occurrence of years where environmental conditions support reproduction and settlement.

20.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci ; 375(1794): 20190107, 2020 03 16.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31983332

RESUMO

Innovative solutions to improve the condition and resilience of ecosystems are needed to address societal challenges and pave the way towards a climate-resilient future. Nature-based solutions offer the potential to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems while providing multiple other benefits for health, the economy, society and the environment. However, the implementation of nature-based solutions stems from a discourse that is almost exclusively derived from a terrestrial and urban context and assumes that risk reduction is resolved locally. We argue that this position ignores the importance of complex ecological interactions across a range of temporal and spatial scales and misses the substantive contribution from marine ecosystems, which are notably absent from most climate mitigation and adaptation strategies that extend beyond coastal disaster management. Here, we consider the potential of sediment-dwelling fauna and flora to inform and support nature-based solutions, and how the ecology of benthic environments can enhance adaptation plans. We illustrate our thesis with examples of practice that are generating, or have the potential to deliver, transformative change and discuss where further innovation might be applied. Finally, we take a reflective look at the realized and potential capacity of benthic-based solutions to contribute to adaptation plans and offer our perspectives on the suitability and shortcomings of past achievements and the prospective rewards from sensible prioritization of future research. This article is part of the theme issue 'Climate change and ecosystems: threats, opportunities and solutions'.


Assuntos
Mudança Climática , Conservação dos Recursos Naturais , Ecossistema , Aclimatação , Meio Ambiente
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