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MacDonnell C, Bydalek F, Osborne TZ, Beard A, Barbour S, Leonard D, Makinia J, Inglett PW. Use of a wastewater recovery product (struvite) to enhance subtropical seagrass restoration. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 838:155717. [PMID: 35525357 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Seagrasses are in decline worldwide, and their restoration is relatively expensive and unsuccessful compared to other coastal systems. Fertilization can improve seagrass growth in restoration but can also release nutrients and pollute the surrounding ecosystem. A slow-release fertilizer may reduce excessive nutrient discharge while still providing resources to the seagrass's rhizosphere. In this study, struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate), a relatively insoluble, sustainable compound harvested in wastewater treatment plants, was compared to Osmocote™(14:14:14 Nitrogen: Phosphorus: Potassium, N:P:K), a popular polymer coated controlled release fertilizer commonly used in seagrass restoration. Two experiments compared the effectiveness of both fertilizers in a subtropical flow-through mesocosm setup. In the first experiment, single 0.5 mg of P per g dry weight (DW) doses of Osmocote™and struvite fertilizers were added to seagrass plots. Seagrass shoot counts were significantly higher in plots fertilized with struvite than both the Osmocote™and unfertilized controls (p< 0.0001). A significant difference in total P concentration was observed in porewater samples of Osmocote™vs struvite and controls (p< 0.0001), with struvite fertilized plots emitting more than controls (p ≤ 0.0001), but less than 2% of the total dissolved P (TDP) of Osmocote™fertilized plots (100+ mg/L versus x > 5 mg/L). A subsequent experiment, using smaller doses (0.01 and 0.025 mg of P per gram DW added), also found that the struvite treatments performed better than Osmocote™, with 16-114% more aboveground biomass (10-60% higher total biomass) while releasing less N and P. These results indicate the relatively rapid dissolution of Osmocote™may pose problems to restoration efforts, especially in concentrated doses and possibly leading to seagrass stress. In contrast, struvite may function as a slow-release fertilizer applicable in seagrass and other coastal restoration efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- C MacDonnell
- University of Florida, Department of Soil, Water and Ecosystem Sciences, 1692 McCarty Drive, Gainesville, FL 32603, United States of America
| | - F Bydalek
- Department of Sanitary Engineering, Gdańsk University of Technology, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
| | - T Z Osborne
- University of Florida, Department of Soil, Water and Ecosystem Sciences, 1692 McCarty Drive, Gainesville, FL 32603, United States of America; Whitney Laboratory for Biosciences, 9505 N Ocean Shore Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080, United States of America
| | - A Beard
- Whitney Laboratory for Biosciences, 9505 N Ocean Shore Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080, United States of America
| | - S Barbour
- University of Florida, Department of Soil, Water and Ecosystem Sciences, 1692 McCarty Drive, Gainesville, FL 32603, United States of America
| | - D Leonard
- University of Florida, Department of Soil, Water and Ecosystem Sciences, 1692 McCarty Drive, Gainesville, FL 32603, United States of America
| | - J Makinia
- Department of Sanitary Engineering, Gdańsk University of Technology, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
| | - P W Inglett
- University of Florida, Department of Soil, Water and Ecosystem Sciences, 1692 McCarty Drive, Gainesville, FL 32603, United States of America.
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De La Peña-Lastra S. Seabird droppings: Effects on a global and local level. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 754:142148. [PMID: 33254937 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Seabirds, with approximately 1 billion specimens, are the main exchangers of nutrients between Terrestial and Marine Systems and they have become an emerging interest group because of their effects on the planet's ecosystem. This review paper aims to highlight the impact of seabird droppings at different trophic levels, their occurrence, ecological risks and effects on soil, water, atmosphere and biota at global and local level to try to understand the ecological and climatic changes associated with the activities of these birds. Seabirds they have a very marked influence on the ecosystems where they form their colonies since, in addition to their function as predators, alongside with their depositions, they condition the primary producers and, consequently, the rest of the food chain. Their excrements contain large amounts of N, P and trace elements, most of which are bioavailable. In this study, besides bringing together the different works on nutrients and trace elements in excrements and differentiating some terms referring to these excrements, a brief historical overview of their importance for agriculture is made. In addition, the impacts produced by these birds on the ecosystem are also analysed according to two levels, at a global and local level. At each of these levels, a current state of the effects on the different compartments of the ecosystems is made, from the biota to the soils, the water or the atmosphere. This review supports the idea that more studies are needed both at the atmospheric level and in the terrestrial or marine environment for a better understanding of the changes these birds generate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saúl De La Peña-Lastra
- CRETUS Institute, Departamento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Galicia. Spain.
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Gallagher AJ, Lawrence MJ, Jain-Schlaepfer SMR, Gilmour KM, Wilson ADM, Cooke SJ. Effects of predator exposure on baseline and stress-induced glucocorticoid hormone concentrations in pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2019; 95:969-973. [PMID: 31254399 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We compared baseline and maximal cortisol concentrations between predator exposure and prey blood samples in pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus, captured using a standardised fishing event underneath osprey Pandion haliaetus nests and away from osprey nests. We did not detect differences in cortisol or glucose between sites. These findings suggest that predictable sources of predation risk may not confer stress-related costs in teleosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin J Gallagher
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
- Beneath the Waves, Inc., Herndon, Virginia, USA
| | - Michael J Lawrence
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Sofia M R Jain-Schlaepfer
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
| | | | - Alexander D M Wilson
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
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Faletti ME, Chacin DH, Peake JA, MacDonald TC, Stallings CD. Population dynamics of Pinfish in the eastern Gulf of Mexico (1998-2016). PLoS One 2019; 14:e0221131. [PMID: 31437179 PMCID: PMC6705858 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Forage fishes play an important role in marine ecosystems by transferring energy and nutrients through the food web. The population dynamics of forage species can therefore have cascading effects across multiple trophic levels. Here, we analyzed a 19-year dataset on Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides) across four eastern Gulf of Mexico estuaries to investigate population dynamics, inter- and intra-annual synchrony, metapopulation portfolio effects, growth, and habitat effects. Young-of-year growth rates did not differ among estuaries. The population dynamics of these four systems were stable in the long-term, but highly dynamic inter-annually. Intra-annual dynamics were stable and predictable despite variation in long-term means. Some estuaries exhibited positive inter-annual synchrony, and all four estuaries were synchronous intra-annually. There was evidence for stronger portfolio effects for the entire four-estuary metapopulation, as well as for the two northern estuaries while the southern estuaries appeared to act as a single population. Submerged aquatic vegetation was by far the most important predictor for both presence and abundance of Pinfish. It is important to understand the factors driving forage fish population fluctuations to better predict ecosystem effects, including those to species of economic and ecological importance. These predictors can be useful for the implementation of ecosystem-based management decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meaghan E. Faletti
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Dinorah H. Chacin
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, United States of America
| | - Jonathan A. Peake
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, United States of America
| | - Timothy C. MacDonald
- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, St. Petersburg, FL, United States of America
| | - Christopher D. Stallings
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, United States of America
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Blubaugh CK, Widick IV, Kaplan I. Does fear beget fear? Risk-mediated habitat selection triggers predator avoidance at lower trophic levels. Oecologia 2017; 185:1-11. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-017-3909-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Gallagher AJ, Lawrence MJ, Jain-Schlaepfer SM, Wilson AD, Cooke SJ. Avian predators transmit fear along the air–water interface influencing prey and their parental care. CAN J ZOOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2016-0164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The nonconsumptive consequences of predators on prey behavior, survival, and demography have recently garnered significant attention by ecologists. However, the impacts of top predators on free-ranging prey are challenging to evaluate because the most common fright response for prey is to leave the area of risk. Additionally, the top-down impacts of avian predators on aquatic environments are surprisingly overlooked. Here we investigated the nonconsumptive effects of avian predators on parental care in pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus (L., 1758)) through use of a realistic model of a predatory bird, the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus (L., 1758)). Our predator model exacted dramatic metabolic fright responses and inducible defenses in experimental fish resulting in significant behavioral changes with respect to their parental care. Key parental behaviors including in-nest rotations and egg and nest maintenance were noticeably altered by predator treatments demonstrating as much as an order of magnitude difference in parental performance, suggesting that even transient predation risk might decrease reproductive fitness. Our data provide important new insights on how the landscape of fear operates along the air–water interface and suggests that avian predators may have greater controlling effects on fish populations than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin J. Gallagher
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, USA
- Beneath the Waves, Inc., Miami, FL 3313, USA
| | - Michael J. Lawrence
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Sofia M.R. Jain-Schlaepfer
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Alexander D.M. Wilson
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, VIC 3261, Australia
| | - Steven J. Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
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Wüst M, Menzel F. I smell where you walked - how chemical cues influence movement decisions in ants. OIKOS 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.03332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Wüst
- Inst. of Zoology; Univ. of Mainz; J.-v.-Müller-Weg 6 DE-55099 Mainz Germany
| | - Florian Menzel
- Inst. of Zoology; Univ. of Mainz; J.-v.-Müller-Weg 6 DE-55099 Mainz Germany
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