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Paxton AB, McGonigle C, Damour M, Holly G, Caporaso A, Campbell PB, Meyer-Kaiser KS, Hamdan LJ, Mires CH, Taylor JC. Shipwreck ecology: Understanding the function and processes from microbes to megafauna. Bioscience 2024; 74:12-24. [PMID: 38313562 PMCID: PMC10831220 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biad084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
An estimated three million shipwrecks exist worldwide and are recognized as cultural resources and foci of archaeological investigations. Shipwrecks also support ecological resources by providing underwater habitats that can be colonized by diverse organisms ranging from microbes to megafauna. In the present article, we review the emerging ecological subdiscipline of shipwreck ecology, which aims to understand ecological functions and processes that occur on shipwrecks. We synthesize how shipwrecks create habitat for biota across multiple trophic levels and then describe how fundamental ecological functions and processes, including succession, zonation, connectivity, energy flow, disturbance, and habitat degradation, manifest on shipwrecks. We highlight future directions in shipwreck ecology that are ripe for exploration, placing a particular emphasis on how shipwrecks may serve as experimental networks to address long-standing ecological questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avery B Paxton
- National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Beaufort, North Carolina, United States
| | - Christopher McGonigle
- School of Geography and Environmental Science, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland
| | - Melanie Damour
- Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
| | - Georgia Holly
- Edinburgh Marine Archaeology, School of History, Classics, and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Alicia Caporaso
- Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
| | - Peter B Campbell
- Cranfield Forensic Institute, Cranfield University, Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Shrivenham, England, United Kingdom
| | | | - Leila J Hamdan
- School of Ocean Science and Engineering, University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, Mississippi, United States
| | - Calvin H Mires
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States
| | - J Christopher Taylor
- National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Beaufort, North Carolina, United States
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Baxter T, Coombes M, Viles H. Intertidal biodiversity and physical habitat complexity on historic masonry walls: A comparison with modern concrete infrastructure and natural rocky cliffs. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 188:114617. [PMID: 36701972 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Maritime built heritage (e.g., historic seawalls) represents an important component of coastal infrastructure around the world. Despite this, the ecological communities supported by these structures are poorly understood. At seven locations across the UK, we compared the biodiversity and physical habitat characteristics of (1) historic (pre-1900s) masonry walls, (2) concrete walls, and (3) natural rocky cliffs. Historic masonry walls were found to support significantly more species than concrete walls, and in some locations, more diverse communities than nearby rocky cliffs. Nevertheless, community composition remained distinct between the three habitat types at each location. We also found that historic masonry walls provided substantially more cryptic space (i.e., crevices) than both concrete walls and rocky cliffs, and this is positively associated with the ecological value of these structures. Overall, our results suggest that the unique physical properties of historic masonry walls make them an important component of habitat diversity along developed coastlines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Baxter
- Oxford Resilient Buildings and Landscapes Lab (OxRBL), School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Martin Coombes
- Oxford Resilient Buildings and Landscapes Lab (OxRBL), School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Heather Viles
- Oxford Resilient Buildings and Landscapes Lab (OxRBL), School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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