401
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Hull PM, Darroch SAF, Erwin DH. Rarity in mass extinctions and the future of ecosystems. Nature 2015; 528:345-51. [DOI: 10.1038/nature16160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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402
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Przeslawski R, Alvarez B, Kool J, Bridge T, Caley MJ, Nichol S. Implications of Sponge Biodiversity Patterns for the Management of a Marine Reserve in Northern Australia. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0141813. [PMID: 26606745 PMCID: PMC4659674 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine reserves are becoming progressively more important as anthropogenic impacts continue to increase, but we have little baseline information for most marine environments. In this study, we focus on the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve (CMR) in northern Australia, particularly the carbonate banks and terraces of the Sahul Shelf and Van Diemen Rise which have been designated a Key Ecological Feature (KEF). We use a species-level inventory compiled from three marine surveys to the CMR to address several questions relevant to marine management: 1) Are carbonate banks and other raised geomorphic features associated with biodiversity hotspots? 2) Can environmental (depth, substrate hardness, slope) or biogeographic (east vs west) variables help explain local and regional differences in community structure? 3) Do sponge communities differ among individual raised geomorphic features? Approximately 750 sponge specimens were collected in the Oceanic Shoals CMR and assigned to 348 species, of which only 18% included taxonomically described species. Between eastern and western areas of the CMR, there was no difference between sponge species richness or assemblages on raised geomorphic features. Among individual raised geomorphic features, sponge assemblages were significantly different, but species richness was not. Species richness showed no linear relationships with measured environmental factors, but sponge assemblages were weakly associated with several environmental variables including mean depth and mean backscatter (east and west) and mean slope (east only). These patterns of sponge diversity are applied to support the future management and monitoring of this region, particularly noting the importance of spatial scale in biodiversity assessments and associated management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Przeslawski
- Geoscience Australia, National Earth and Marine Observations Group, GPO Box 378, Canberra, Australia
| | - Belinda Alvarez
- Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, GPO Box 4646, Darwin, Australia
| | - Johnathan Kool
- Geoscience Australia, National Earth and Marine Observations Group, GPO Box 378, Canberra, Australia
| | - Tom Bridge
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB #3, Townsville MC, Townsville, Australia
| | - M. Julian Caley
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB #3, Townsville MC, Townsville, Australia
| | - Scott Nichol
- Geoscience Australia, National Earth and Marine Observations Group, GPO Box 378, Canberra, Australia
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403
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Duffy JE, Ziegler SL, Campbell JE, Bippus PM, Lefcheck JS. Squidpops: A Simple Tool to Crowdsource a Global Map of Marine Predation Intensity. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0142994. [PMID: 26599815 PMCID: PMC4657994 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We present a simple, standardized assay, the squidpop, for measuring the relative feeding intensity of generalist predators in aquatic systems. The assay consists of a 1.3-cm diameter disk of dried squid mantle tethered to a rod, which is either inserted in the sediment in soft-bottom habitats or secured to existing structure. Each replicate squidpop is scored as present or absent after 1 and 24 hours, and the data for analysis are proportions of replicate units consumed at each time. Tests in several habitats of the temperate southeastern USA (Virginia and North Carolina) and tropical Central America (Belize) confirmed the assay’s utility for measuring variation in predation intensity among habitats, among seasons, and along environmental gradients. In Belize, predation intensity varied strongly among habitats, with reef > seagrass = mangrove > unvegetated bare sand. Quantitative visual surveys confirmed that assayed feeding intensity increased with abundance and species richness of fishes across sites, with fish abundance and richness explaining up to 45% and 70% of the variation in bait loss respectively. In the southeastern USA, predation intensity varied seasonally, being highest during summer and declining in late autumn. Deployments in marsh habitats generally revealed a decline in mean predation intensity from fully marine to tidal freshwater sites. The simplicity, economy, and standardization of the squidpop assay should facilitate engagement of scientists and citizens alike, with the goal of constructing high-resolution maps of how top-down control varies through space and time in aquatic ecosystems, and addressing a broad array of long-standing hypotheses in macro- and community ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Emmett Duffy
- Tennenbaum Marine Observatories Network, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States of America
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science, The College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Shelby L. Ziegler
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science, The College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Justin E. Campbell
- Smithsonian Marine Station, Fort Pierce, Florida, United States of America
| | - Paige M. Bippus
- College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Jonathan S. Lefcheck
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science, The College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia, United States of America
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404
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Whitmee S, Haines A, Beyrer C, Boltz F, Capon AG, de Souza Dias BF, Ezeh A, Frumkin H, Gong P, Head P, Horton R, Mace GM, Marten R, Myers SS, Nishtar S, Osofsky SA, Pattanayak SK, Pongsiri MJ, Romanelli C, Soucat A, Vega J, Yach D. Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch: report of The Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission on planetary health. Lancet 2015; 386:1973-2028. [PMID: 26188744 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(15)60901-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1019] [Impact Index Per Article: 113.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Whitmee
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Andy Haines
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Chris Beyrer
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Anthony G Capon
- International Institute for Global Health, United Nations University, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Alex Ezeh
- African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Howard Frumkin
- School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Peng Gong
- Center for Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Peter Head
- The Ecological Sequestration Trust, London, UK
| | | | - Georgina M Mace
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Robert Marten
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; The Rockefeller Foundation, New York, NY, USA
| | - Samuel S Myers
- Center for the Environment, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | | | | | - Subhrendu K Pattanayak
- Sanford School of Public Policy and Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jeanette Vega
- The National Chilean Public Health Insurance Agency, Santiago, Chile
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405
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Sydeman WJ, Poloczanska E, Reed TE, Thompson SA. Climate change and marine vertebrates. Science 2015; 350:772-7. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aac9874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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406
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Variable impact of late-Quaternary megafaunal extinction in causing ecological state shifts in North and South America. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 113:856-61. [PMID: 26504219 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1505295112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Loss of megafauna, an aspect of defaunation, can precipitate many ecological changes over short time scales. We examine whether megafauna loss can also explain features of lasting ecological state shifts that occurred as the Pleistocene gave way to the Holocene. We compare ecological impacts of late-Quaternary megafauna extinction in five American regions: southwestern Patagonia, the Pampas, northeastern United States, northwestern United States, and Beringia. We find that major ecological state shifts were consistent with expectations of defaunation in North American sites but not in South American ones. The differential responses highlight two factors necessary for defaunation to trigger lasting ecological state shifts discernable in the fossil record: (i) lost megafauna need to have been effective ecosystem engineers, like proboscideans; and (ii) historical contingencies must have provided the ecosystem with plant species likely to respond to megafaunal loss. These findings help in identifying modern ecosystems that are most at risk for disappearing should current pressures on the ecosystems' large animals continue and highlight the critical role of both individual species ecologies and ecosystem context in predicting the lasting impacts of defaunation currently underway.
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407
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Combining paleo-data and modern exclosure experiments to assess the impact of megafauna extinctions on woody vegetation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 113:847-55. [PMID: 26504223 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1502545112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Until recently in Earth history, very large herbivores (mammoths, ground sloths, diprotodons, and many others) occurred in most of the World's terrestrial ecosystems, but the majority have gone extinct as part of the late-Quaternary extinctions. How has this large-scale removal of large herbivores affected landscape structure and ecosystem functioning? In this review, we combine paleo-data with information from modern exclosure experiments to assess the impact of large herbivores (and their disappearance) on woody species, landscape structure, and ecosystem functions. In modern landscapes characterized by intense herbivory, woody plants can persist by defending themselves or by association with defended species, can persist by growing in places that are physically inaccessible to herbivores, or can persist where high predator activity limits foraging by herbivores. At the landscape scale, different herbivore densities and assemblages may result in dynamic gradients in woody cover. The late-Quaternary extinctions were natural experiments in large-herbivore removal; the paleoecological record shows evidence of widespread changes in community composition and ecosystem structure and function, consistent with modern exclosure experiments. We propose a conceptual framework that describes the impact of large herbivores on woody plant abundance mediated by herbivore diversity and density, predicting that herbivore suppression of woody plants is strongest where herbivore diversity is high. We conclude that the decline of large herbivores induces major alterations in landscape structure and ecosystem functions.
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408
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Abstract
The past was a world of giants, with abundant whales in the sea and large animals roaming the land. However, that world came to an end following massive late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions on land and widespread population reductions in great whale populations over the past few centuries. These losses are likely to have had important consequences for broad-scale nutrient cycling, because recent literature suggests that large animals disproportionately drive nutrient movement. We estimate that the capacity of animals to move nutrients away from concentration patches has decreased to about 8% of the preextinction value on land and about 5% of historic values in oceans. For phosphorus (P), a key nutrient, upward movement in the ocean by marine mammals is about 23% of its former capacity (previously about 340 million kg of P per year). Movements by seabirds and anadromous fish provide important transfer of nutrients from the sea to land, totalling ∼150 million kg of P per year globally in the past, a transfer that has declined to less than 4% of this value as a result of the decimation of seabird colonies and anadromous fish populations. We propose that in the past, marine mammals, seabirds, anadromous fish, and terrestrial animals likely formed an interlinked system recycling nutrients from the ocean depths to the continental interiors, with marine mammals moving nutrients from the deep sea to surface waters, seabirds and anadromous fish moving nutrients from the ocean to land, and large animals moving nutrients away from hotspots into the continental interior.
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409
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Wiens JJ. Faster diversification on land than sea helps explain global biodiversity patterns among habitats and animal phyla. Ecol Lett 2015; 18:1234-1241. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Revised: 08/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John J. Wiens
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Arizona; Tucson AZ 85721-0081 USA
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410
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Rogers AD, Yesson C, Gravestock P. A Biophysical and Economic Profile of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands as Potential Large-Scale Antarctic Protected Areas. ADVANCES IN MARINE BIOLOGY 2015; 70:1-286. [PMID: 26296718 DOI: 10.1016/bs.amb.2015.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The current hiatus in the establishment of a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Antarctic means that other routes to conservation are required. The protection of overseas territories in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic represents one way to advance the initiation of such a network. This review of the physical and biological features of the United Kingdom (U.K.) overseas territories of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) is undertaken to estimate the importance of the islands in terms of marine conservation in the Southern Ocean and globally. The economy and management of SGSSI are also analysed, and the question of whether the islands already have sufficient protection to constitute part of an Antarctic network of MPAs is assessed. The SGSSI comprise unique geological and physical features, a diverse marine biota, including a significant proportion of endemic species and globally important breeding populations of marine predators. Regardless of past exploitation of biotic resources, such as seals, whales and finfish, SGSSI would make a significant contribution to biological diversity in an Antarctic network of MPAs. At present, conservation measures do not adequately protect all of the biological features that render the islands so important in terms of conservation at a regional and global level. However, a general lack of data on Antarctic marine ecosystems (particularly needed for SGSSSI) makes it difficult to assess this fully. One barrier to achieving more complete protection is the continuing emphasis on fishing effort in these waters by U.K. government. Other non-U.K. Antarctic overseas territories of conservation importance are also compromised as MPAs because of the exploitation of fisheries resources in their waters. The possible non-use values of SGSSI as well as the importance of ecosystem services that are indirectly used by people are outlined in this review. Technology is improving the potential for management of remote MPAs, particularly in the context of incursion by illegal fishing activities and use of satellite surveillance for enforcement of fisheries and conservation regulations. The conflict between commercial exploitation and conservation of Antarctic marine living resources is explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex D Rogers
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
| | - Christopher Yesson
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, United Kingdom
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411
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Adam TC, Kelley M, Ruttenberg BI, Burkepile DE. Resource partitioning along multiple niche axes drives functional diversity in parrotfishes on Caribbean coral reefs. Oecologia 2015; 179:1173-85. [PMID: 26245147 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3406-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2015] [Accepted: 07/16/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The recent loss of key consumers to exploitation and habitat degradation has significantly altered community dynamics and ecosystem function across many ecosystems worldwide. Predicting the impacts of consumer losses requires knowing the level of functional diversity that exists within a consumer assemblage. In this study, we document functional diversity among nine species of parrotfishes on Caribbean coral reefs. Parrotfishes are key herbivores that facilitate the maintenance and recovery of coral-dominated reefs by controlling algae and provisioning space for the recruitment of corals. We observed large functional differences among two genera of parrotfishes that were driven by differences in diet. Fishes in the genus Scarus targeted filamentous algal turf assemblages, crustose coralline algae, and endolithic algae and avoided macroalgae, while fishes in the genus Sparisoma preferentially targeted macroalgae. However, species with similar diets were dissimilar in other attributes, including the habitats they frequented, the types of substrate they fed from, and the spatial scale at which they foraged. These differences indicate that species that appear to be functionally redundant when looking at diet alone exhibit high levels of complementarity when we consider multiple functional traits. By identifying key functional differences among parrotfishes, we provide critical information needed to manage parrotfishes to enhance the resilience of coral-dominated reefs and reverse phase shifts on algal-dominated reefs throughout the wider Caribbean. Further, our study provides a framework for predicting the impacts of consumer losses in other species rich ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C Adam
- Marine Sciences Program, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, FL, 33181, USA. .,Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.
| | - Megan Kelley
- Marine Sciences Program, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, FL, 33181, USA
| | - Benjamin I Ruttenberg
- NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami, FL, 33149, USA.,Biological Sciences Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93410, USA
| | - Deron E Burkepile
- Marine Sciences Program, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, FL, 33181, USA
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412
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Perring MP, Standish RJ, Price JN, Craig MD, Erickson TE, Ruthrof KX, Whiteley AS, Valentine LE, Hobbs RJ. Advances in restoration ecology: rising to the challenges of the coming decades. Ecosphere 2015. [DOI: 10.1890/es15-00121.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 294] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
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413
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Elahi R, O’Connor M, Byrnes J, Dunic J, Eriksson B, Hensel M, Kearns P. Recent Trends in Local-Scale Marine Biodiversity Reflect Community Structure and Human Impacts. Curr Biol 2015; 25:1938-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2015] [Revised: 04/06/2015] [Accepted: 05/13/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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414
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Biology in the Anthropocene: Challenges and insights from young fossil records. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:4922-9. [PMID: 25901315 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1403660112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
With overwhelming evidence of change in habitats, biologists today must assume that few, if any, study areas are natural and that biological variability is superimposed on trends rather than stationary means. Paleobiological data from the youngest sedimentary record, including death assemblages actively accumulating on modern land surfaces and seabeds, provide unique information on the status of present-day species, communities, and biomes over the last few decades to millennia and on their responses to natural and anthropogenic environmental change. Key advances have established the accuracy and resolving power of paleobiological information derived from naturally preserved remains and of proxy evidence for environmental conditions and sample age so that fossil data can both implicate and exonerate human stressors as the drivers of biotic change and permit the effects of multiple stressors to be disentangled. Legacy effects from Industrial and even pre-Industrial anthropogenic extirpations, introductions, (de)nutrification, and habitat conversion commonly emerge as the primary factors underlying the present-day status of populations and communities; within the last 2 million years, climate change has rarely been sufficient to drive major extinction pulses absent other human pressures, which are now manifold. Young fossil records also provide rigorous access to the baseline composition and dynamics of modern-day biota under pre-Industrial conditions, where insights include the millennial-scale persistence of community structures, the dominant role of physical environmental conditions rather than biotic interactions in determining community composition and disassembly, and the existence of naturally alternating states.
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415
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Williams RC, Jackson BC, Duvaux L, Dawson DA, Burke T, Sinclair W. The genetic structure ofNautilus pompiliuspopulations surrounding Australia and the Philippines. Mol Ecol 2015; 24:3316-28. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2015] [Revised: 05/21/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel C. Williams
- Centre for Wildlife Conservation; University of Cumbria; Ambleside LA22 9BJ UK
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility; University of Sheffield; Sheffield S10 2TN UK
| | - Benjamin C. Jackson
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Sheffield; Sheffield S10 2TN UK
| | - Ludovic Duvaux
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Sheffield; Sheffield S10 2TN UK
| | - Deborah A. Dawson
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility; University of Sheffield; Sheffield S10 2TN UK
| | - Terry Burke
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility; University of Sheffield; Sheffield S10 2TN UK
| | - William Sinclair
- Centre for Wildlife Conservation; University of Cumbria; Ambleside LA22 9BJ UK
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416
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Leal MC, Pimentel T, Ricardo F, Rosa R, Calado R. Seafood traceability: current needs, available tools, and biotechnological challenges for origin certification. Trends Biotechnol 2015; 33:331-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2015.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2015] [Revised: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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417
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Finnegan S, Anderson SC, Harnik PG, Simpson C, Tittensor DP, Byrnes JE, Finkel ZV, Lindberg DR, Liow LH, Lockwood R, Lotze HK, McClain CR, McGuire JL, O'Dea A, Pandolfi JM. Extinctions. Paleontological baselines for evaluating extinction risk in the modern oceans. Science 2015; 348:567-70. [PMID: 25931558 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa6635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Marine taxa are threatened by anthropogenic impacts, but knowledge of their extinction vulnerabilities is limited. The fossil record provides rich information on past extinctions that can help predict biotic responses. We show that over 23 million years, taxonomic membership and geographic range size consistently explain a large proportion of extinction risk variation in six major taxonomic groups. We assess intrinsic risk-extinction risk predicted by paleontologically calibrated models-for modern genera in these groups. Mapping the geographic distribution of these genera identifies coastal biogeographic provinces where fauna with high intrinsic risk are strongly affected by human activity or climate change. Such regions are disproportionately in the tropics, raising the possibility that these ecosystems may be particularly vulnerable to future extinctions. Intrinsic risk provides a prehuman baseline for considering current threats to marine biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth Finnegan
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Sean C Anderson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Paul G Harnik
- Department of Earth and Environment, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA 17604, USA
| | - Carl Simpson
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - Derek P Tittensor
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK. Computational Science Laboratory, Microsoft Research, Cambridge CB1 2FB, UK. Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Jarrett E Byrnes
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - Zoe V Finkel
- Environmental Science Program, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick E4L 1A5, Canada
| | - David R Lindberg
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Lee Hsiang Liow
- Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Rowan Lockwood
- Department of Geology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187, USA
| | - Heike K Lotze
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Craig R McClain
- National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, Durham, NC 27705, USA
| | - Jenny L McGuire
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Aaron O'Dea
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, 0843-03092, Balboa, Republic of Panamá
| | - John M Pandolfi
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
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418
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Abstract
Science is an organized enterprise of inquiry which tries to tie together multiple strands of evidence to craft coherent explanations for disparate patterns in the natural world. Philosophers call this enterprise “inference towards the best explanation”. Such inferences at times depend upon detailed quantitative models, but at times one can rely upon the confluence of multiple strands of qualitative evidence. Humans are having unquestionable influences upon many aspects of the earth system at present, on land, in freshwater systems, and indeed the ocean, including devastating impacts on biodiversity. There are many patterns in the world at present – shrinking glaciers, shifting seasonal patterns in species’ life histories, and altered spatial distributions – which point to the signal of climate change, independent of the details of quantitative climate models. Yet, there are many other factors at play, often confounding clear assessment of the specific role of climate change in observed changes in the world. A deeper synoptic understanding of the drivers and impacts of climate change would be incredibly valuable and is urgently needed, even if in the end (though this seems increasingly unlikely) anthropogenic drivers were not the main factor underlying observed climate change.
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419
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Kelley NP, Pyenson ND. Evolutionary innovation and ecology in marine tetrapods from the Triassic to the Anthropocene. Science 2015; 348:aaa3716. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa3716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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420
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Classification of non-indigenous species based on their impacts: considerations for application in marine management. PLoS Biol 2015; 13:e1002130. [PMID: 25875845 PMCID: PMC4398364 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Assessment of the ecological and economic/societal impacts of the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) is one of the primary focus areas of bioinvasion science in terrestrial and aquatic environments, and is considered essential to management. A classification system of NIS, based on the magnitude of their environmental impacts, was recently proposed to assist management. Here, we consider the potential application of this classification scheme to the marine environment, and offer a complementary framework focussing on value sets in order to explicitly address marine management concerns. Since existing data on marine NIS impacts are scarce and successful marine removals are rare, we propose that management of marine NIS adopt a precautionary approach, which not only would emphasise preventing new incursions through pre-border and at-border controls but also should influence the categorisation of impacts. The study of marine invasion impacts requires urgent attention and significant investment, since we lack the luxury of waiting for the knowledge base to be acquired before the window of opportunity closes for feasible management. Classifying the impact of non-indigenous species presents special problems in marine environments. This Essay presents a framework that focuses on values and emphasizes precaution in managing the data limitations and uncertainties found in the marine context.
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