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Meijer KJ, Gusmao JB, Bruil L, Franken O, Grimm IA, van der Heide T, Hijner N, Holthuijsen SJ, Hübner L, Thieltges DW, Olff H, Eriksson BK, Govers LL. The seafloor from a trait perspective. A comprehensive life history dataset of soft sediment macrozoobenthos. Sci Data 2023; 10:808. [PMID: 37978182 PMCID: PMC10656422 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02728-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological trait analysis (BTA) is a valuable tool for evaluating changes in community diversity and its link to ecosystem processes as well as environmental and anthropogenic perturbations. Trait-based analytical techniques like BTA rely on standardised datasets of species traits. However, there are currently only a limited number of datasets available for marine macrobenthos that contain trait data across multiple taxonomic groups. Here, we present an open-access dataset of 16 traits for 235 macrozoobenthic species recorded throughout multiple sampling campaigns of the Dutch Wadden Sea; a dynamic soft bottom system where humans have long played a substantial role in shaping the coastal environment. The trait categories included in this dataset cover a variety of life history strategies that are tightly linked to ecosystem functioning and the resilience of communities to (anthropogenic) perturbations and can advance our understanding of environmental changes and human impacts on the functioning of soft bottom systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasper J Meijer
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Joao Bosco Gusmao
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geoquímica: Petróleo e Meio Ambiente (POSPETRO) Institute of Geosciences, Federal University of Bahia (IGEO, UFBA), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
- Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, 20500, Turku, Finland
| | - Lisa Bruil
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Oscar Franken
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Ise A Grimm
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Tjisse van der Heide
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Nadia Hijner
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sander J Holthuijsen
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
- Rijkswaterstaat Noord Nederland, P.O. Box 2232, 3500 GE, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Lisa Hübner
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - David W Thieltges
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Han Olff
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Britas Klemens Eriksson
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Laura L Govers
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands.
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands.
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Biodiversity and Habitat Assessment of Coastal Benthic Communities in a Sub-Arctic Industrial Harbor Area. WATER 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/w12092424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Coastal ecosystems face increasing anthropogenic pressures worldwide and their management requires a solid assessment and understanding of the cumulative impacts from human activities. This study evaluates the spatial variation of benthic macrofaunal communities, sediments, and heavy metals in the sub-Arctic coastal ecosystems around Sept-Îles (Québec, Canada)—a major port area in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Physical sediment properties varied in the studied area, with a general sandy-silty profile except for specific locations in Baie des Sept Îles where higher organic matter and heavy metal concentrations were detected. Macrofaunal assemblages were evaluated for two taxa size classes (organisms > 0.5 mm and > 1 mm) and linked to habitat parameters using regression models. Communities of smaller organisms showed signs of perturbation for one assemblage close to industrial activities at Baie des Sept Îles, with an increased number of tolerant and opportunistic species, contrasting to neighboring regions whose compositions were similar to other ecosystems in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This study enhances the understanding of sub-Arctic benthic communities and will contribute to monitoring programs for industrial harbor ecosystems.
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Lacoste É, Weise AM, Lavoie MF, Archambault P, McKindsey CW. Changes in infaunal assemblage structure influence nutrient fluxes in sediment enriched by mussel biodeposition. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 692:39-48. [PMID: 31336300 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.235] [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: 04/12/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Although many studies have described the influence of bivalve aquaculture on the benthic environment, effects on benthic functional diversity are poorly known, as are links with ecosystem processes. We investigated the response of a benthic ecosystem in terms of taxonomic and functional diversity (infauna >500 μm), biogeochemical indicators (organic matter content, redox potential, sulfides level, bacteria) and metabolism (nutrient fluxes), subjected to various levels of mussel biodeposition as a general model of organic enrichment. Results show that local benthic conditions may recover fairly quickly depending on environmental conditions whereas modifications of the benthic community structure persist over a longer time scale with an impact on benthic ecosystem functioning. Fauna-mediated oxidation of the sediment likely increased nitrogen recycling through nitrification whereas binding and release of phosphorus to the water column seems to be driven by more complex processes. Results highlight the importance of species identity (ecological traits) on biogeochemical cycling and solute exchange across the sediment-water interface, with implications for the ecological functioning of exploited areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Élise Lacoste
- Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 850 route de la Mer, Mont-Joli G5H 3Z4, Canada.
| | - Andréa M Weise
- Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 850 route de la Mer, Mont-Joli G5H 3Z4, Canada
| | - Marie-France Lavoie
- Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 850 route de la Mer, Mont-Joli G5H 3Z4, Canada
| | - Philippe Archambault
- Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, 1045, av. de la Médecine, Quebec G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Christopher W McKindsey
- Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 850 route de la Mer, Mont-Joli G5H 3Z4, Canada
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4
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Oleszczuk B, Michaud E, Morata N, Renaud PE, Kędra M. Benthic macrofaunal bioturbation activities from shelf to deep basin in spring to summer transition in the Arctic Ocean. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2019; 150:104746. [PMID: 31306869 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2019.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Revised: 06/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/09/2019] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess bioturbation rates in relation to macrozoobenthos and environmental variables in the Svalbard fjords, Barents Sea and Nansen Basin during spring to summer transition. The results showed differences in benthic community structure across sampled area in relation to sediment type and phytopigment content. Fjords, Barents Sea and the shallow parts of Nansen Basin (<400 m) were characterized by high functional groups diversity, and by biodiffusive and non-local rates ranging from 0.05 to 1.75 cm-2 y-1 and from 0.2 to 3.2 y-1, respectively. The deeper parts of Nansen Basin (>400m), dominated by conveyors species, showed only non-local transport rates (0.1-1 y-1). Both coefficients intensity varied with benthic biomass. Non-local transport increased with species richness and density and at stations with mud enriched by fresh phytopigments, whereas biodiffusion varied with sediment type and organic matter quantity. This study quantified for the first time the two modes of sediment mixing in the Arctic, each of which being driven by different environmental and biological situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Oleszczuk
- Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences (IOPAN), Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712, Sopot, Poland.
| | - Emma Michaud
- Laboratoire des Sciences de L'environnement Marin (LEMAR), UMR 6539 (CNRS/UBO/ IRD/Ifremer), Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, rue Dumont d'Urville, 29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Nathalie Morata
- Laboratoire des Sciences de L'environnement Marin (LEMAR), UMR 6539 (CNRS/UBO/ IRD/Ifremer), Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, rue Dumont d'Urville, 29280, Plouzané, France; Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre for Climate and the Environment, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Paul E Renaud
- Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre for Climate and the Environment, Tromsø, Norway; The University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Norway
| | - Monika Kędra
- Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences (IOPAN), Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712, Sopot, Poland
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Jabr N, Archambault P, Cameron CB. Biogeography and adaptations of torquaratorid acorn worms (Hemichordata: Enteropneusta) including two new species from the Canadian Arctic. CAN J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2017-0214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The enteropneust family Torquaratoridae, discovered in 2005, has the fewest species of the four living families. It is composed of seven species that live on the cold, deep-sea floor. Torquarator bullocki Holland, Clague, Gordon, Gebruk, Pawson and Vecchione, 2005 was the first species described and collected from the Northeastern Pacific. Two new species of Torquaratoridae were collected from the Eastern Pacific and described as Tergivelum baldwinae Holland, Jones, Ellena, Ruhl and Smith, 2009 and Allapasus aurantiacus Holland, Kuhnz and Osborn, 2012. A further three species have been collected from the North Atlantic: Yoda purpurata Priede, Osborn, Gebruk, Jones, Shale, Rogacheva and Holland, 2012, Allapasus isidis Priede, Osborn, Gebruk, Jones, Shale, Rogacheva and Holland, 2012, and Tergivelum cinnabarinum Priede, Osborn, Gebruk, Jones, Shale, Rogacheva and Holland, 2012. The latest Torquaratoridae species was collected from the Russian Arctic in 2013. We add two new species to the Torquaratoridae from Baffin Bay and Viscount Melville Sound, in the eastern Arctic of Canada. Terminstomo arcticus gen. nov. and sp. nov. was collected at a depth of 505 m and is characterized by lacking a heart and a stomochord that extends from the posterior end of the proboscis through the entire length of the collar. Allapasus fuscus sp. nov. was collected from a depth of 444 m and is characterized by a typhlosole process along the dorsal midline of the collar buccal cavity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noura Jabr
- Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Philippe Archambault
- Département de Biologie, Québec-Océan, Takuvik, Université Laval, Pavillon Alexandre Vachon, 1045, avenue de la Médecine, Québec-Océan, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Christopher B. Cameron
- Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
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Lacoursière‐Roussel A, Howland K, Normandeau E, Grey EK, Archambault P, Deiner K, Lodge DM, Hernandez C, Leduc N, Bernatchez L. eDNA metabarcoding as a new surveillance approach for coastal Arctic biodiversity. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:7763-7777. [PMID: 30250661 PMCID: PMC6144963 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Because significant global changes are currently underway in the Arctic, creating a large-scale standardized database for Arctic marine biodiversity is particularly pressing. This study evaluates the potential of aquatic environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to detect Arctic coastal biodiversity changes and characterizes the local spatio-temporal distribution of eDNA in two locations. We extracted and amplified eDNA using two COI primer pairs from ~80 water samples that were collected across two Canadian Arctic ports, Churchill and Iqaluit, based on optimized sampling and preservation methods for remote regions surveys. Results demonstrate that aquatic eDNA surveys have the potential to document large-scale Arctic biodiversity change by providing a rapid overview of coastal metazoan biodiversity, detecting nonindigenous species, and allowing sampling in both open water and under the ice cover by local northern-based communities. We show that DNA sequences of ~50% of known Canadian Arctic species and potential invaders are currently present in public databases. A similar proportion of operational taxonomic units was identified at the species level with eDNA metabarcoding, for a total of 181 species identified at both sites. Despite the cold and well-mixed coastal environment, species composition was vertically heterogeneous, in part due to river inflow in the estuarine ecosystem, and differed between the water column and tide pools. Thus, COI-based eDNA metabarcoding may quickly improve large-scale Arctic biomonitoring using eDNA, but we caution that aquatic eDNA sampling needs to be standardized over space and time to accurately evaluate community structure changes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kimberly Howland
- Central and Arctic RegionFisheries and Oceans CanadaFreshwater InstituteWinnipegMBCanada
| | - Eric Normandeau
- Department of BiologyInstitut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS)Université LavalQuébecQCCanada
| | - Erin K. Grey
- Division of Science, Mathematics and TechnologyGovernors State UniversityUniversity ParkILUSA
| | | | - Kristy Deiner
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZürichSwitzerland
| | - David M. Lodge
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyCornell UniversityIthacaNYUSA
| | - Cecilia Hernandez
- Department of BiologyInstitut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS)Université LavalQuébecQCCanada
| | - Noémie Leduc
- Department of BiologyInstitut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS)Université LavalQuébecQCCanada
| | - Louis Bernatchez
- Department of BiologyInstitut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS)Université LavalQuébecQCCanada
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Mäkelä A, Witte U, Archambault P. Benthic macroinfaunal community structure, resource utilisation and trophic relationships in two Canadian Arctic Archipelago polynyas. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183034. [PMID: 28850574 PMCID: PMC5574606 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change driven alterations to patterns of Arctic marine primary production, with increasing phytoplankton- and decreasing ice algal production, have the potential to change the resource utilisation and trophic structure of the benthic communities relying on the algae for food. To predict the benthic responses to dietary changes, we studied the macroinfaunal community compositions, and used the faunal δ13C and δ15N signatures to investigate their main food sources and trophic positions in North Water (NOW) and Lancaster Sound (LS) polynyas in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Macroinfaunal density (10 952 ind. m-2) and biomass (3190 mg C m-2) recorded in NOW were higher than previously found in the Arctic at depths >500m, and significantly higher than in LS (8355 ind. m-2 and 2110 mg C m-2). This was attributed to higher particulate organic matter fluxes to seafloor in NOW. Polychaetes were significant taxa at both sites in terms of density and biomass, and in addition crustacean density in NOW and bivalve density in LS were high. Facultative filter and surface deposit feeders were highly prevalent at both sites, suggesting feeding plasticity is a successful strategy for accessing different food sources. The macrofaunal δ13C signatures reflected the signatures of pelagic particulate organic matter at the sites, and an isotope mixing model confirmed phytoplankton as the main food source for most taxa and feeding guilds. The food web length in LS was longer than in NOW (3.2 vs. 2.8 trophic levels). This was attributed to a larger reliance on reworked organic matter by the benthic community in LS, whereas the high export fluxes at the highly productive NOW resulted in higher rates of selective consumption of fresh algal matter. Despite studies suggesting that loss of ice algae from consumer diets in the Arctic might have a negative impact on the benthos, this study suggests that Arctic macrobenthic communities thrive using phytoplankton as their main food source and should thus be able to cope or even benefit from predicted changes to patterns of primary production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anni Mäkelä
- Oceanlab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Ursula Witte
- Oceanlab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom
| | - Philippe Archambault
- Institut des Sciences de la mer de Rimouski, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Canada
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, United States of America
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Environmental Drivers of Benthic Flux Variation and Ecosystem Functioning in Salish Sea and Northeast Pacific Sediments. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0151110. [PMID: 26942608 PMCID: PMC4778862 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The upwelling of deep waters from the oxygen minimum zone in the Northeast Pacific from the continental slope to the shelf and into the Salish Sea during spring and summer offers a unique opportunity to study ecosystem functioning in the form of benthic fluxes along natural gradients. Using the ROV ROPOS we collected sediment cores from 10 sites in May and July 2011, and September 2013 to perform shipboard incubations and flux measurements. Specifically, we measured benthic fluxes of oxygen and nutrients to evaluate potential environmental drivers of benthic flux variation and ecosystem functioning along natural gradients of temperature and bottom water dissolved oxygen concentrations. The range of temperature and dissolved oxygen encountered across our study sites allowed us to apply a suite of multivariate analyses rarely used in flux studies to identify bottom water temperature as the primary environmental driver of benthic flux variation and organic matter remineralization. Redundancy analysis revealed that bottom water characteristics (temperature and dissolved oxygen), quality of organic matter (chl a:phaeo and C:N ratios) and sediment characteristics (mean grain size and porosity) explained 51.5% of benthic flux variation. Multivariate analyses identified significant spatial and temporal variation in benthic fluxes, demonstrating key differences between the Northeast Pacific and Salish Sea. Moreover, Northeast Pacific slope fluxes were generally lower than shelf fluxes. Spatial and temporal variation in benthic fluxes in the Salish Sea were driven primarily by differences in temperature and quality of organic matter on the seafloor following phytoplankton blooms. These results demonstrate the utility of multivariate approaches in differentiating among potential drivers of seafloor ecosystem functioning, and indicate that current and future predictive models of organic matter remineralization and ecosystem functioning of soft-muddy shelf and slope seafloor habitats should consider bottom water temperature variation. Bottom temperature has important implications for estimates of seasonal and spatial benthic flux variation, benthic–pelagic coupling, and impacts of predicted ocean warming at high latitudes.
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Norkko J, Gammal J, Hewitt JE, Josefson AB, Carstensen J, Norkko A. Seafloor Ecosystem Function Relationships: In Situ Patterns of Change Across Gradients of Increasing Hypoxic Stress. Ecosystems 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-015-9909-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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10
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Piacenza SE, Thurman LL, Barner AK, Benkwitt CE, Boersma KS, Cerny-Chipman EB, Ingeman KE, Kindinger TL, Lindsley AJ, Nelson J, Reimer JN, Rowe JC, Shen C, Thompson KA, Heppell SS. Evaluating Temporal Consistency in Marine Biodiversity Hotspots. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0133301. [PMID: 26200354 PMCID: PMC4511790 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 06/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
With the ongoing crisis of biodiversity loss and limited resources for conservation, the concept of biodiversity hotspots has been useful in determining conservation priority areas. However, there has been limited research into how temporal variability in biodiversity may influence conservation area prioritization. To address this information gap, we present an approach to evaluate the temporal consistency of biodiversity hotspots in large marine ecosystems. Using a large scale, public monitoring dataset collected over an eight year period off the US Pacific Coast, we developed a methodological approach for avoiding biases associated with hotspot delineation. We aggregated benthic fish species data from research trawls and calculated mean hotspot thresholds for fish species richness and Shannon's diversity indices over the eight year dataset. We used a spatial frequency distribution method to assign hotspot designations to the grid cells annually. We found no areas containing consistently high biodiversity through the entire study period based on the mean thresholds, and no grid cell was designated as a hotspot for greater than 50% of the time-series. To test if our approach was sensitive to sampling effort and the geographic extent of the survey, we followed a similar routine for the northern region of the survey area. Our finding of low consistency in benthic fish biodiversity hotspots over time was upheld, regardless of biodiversity metric used, whether thresholds were calculated per year or across all years, or the spatial extent for which we calculated thresholds and identified hotspots. Our results suggest that static measures of benthic fish biodiversity off the US West Coast are insufficient for identification of hotspots and that long-term data are required to appropriately identify patterns of high temporal variability in biodiversity for these highly mobile taxa. Given that ecological communities are responding to a changing climate and other environmental perturbations, our work highlights the need for scientists and conservation managers to consider both spatial and temporal dynamics when designating biodiversity hotspots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan E. Piacenza
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Lindsey L. Thurman
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Allison K. Barner
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Cassandra E. Benkwitt
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Kate S. Boersma
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
- Department of Biology, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | | | - Kurt E. Ingeman
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Tye L. Kindinger
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Amy J. Lindsley
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Jake Nelson
- Department of Geography, Environmental Sciences and Marine Resource Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
- Department of Information Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Jessica N. Reimer
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Jennifer C. Rowe
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Chenchen Shen
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Kevin A. Thompson
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Selina S. Heppell
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
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11
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Kozlov MV, Filippov BY, Zubrij NA, Zverev V. Abrupt changes in invertebrate herbivory on woody plants at the forest–tundra ecotone. Polar Biol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-015-1655-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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12
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13
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Roy V, Iken K, Archambault P. Environmental drivers of the Canadian Arctic megabenthic communities. PLoS One 2014; 9:e100900. [PMID: 25019385 PMCID: PMC4096404 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0100900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2013] [Accepted: 06/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental gradients and their influence on benthic community structure vary over different spatial scales; yet, few studies in the Arctic have attempted to study the influence of environmental gradients of differing spatial scales on megabenthic communities across continental-scales. The current project studied for the first time how megabenthic community structure is related to several environmental factors over 2000 km of the Canadian Arctic, from the Beaufort Sea to northern Baffin Bay. Faunal trawl samples were collected between 2007 and 2011 at 78 stations from 30 to 1000 m depth and patterns in biomass, density, richness, diversity, and taxonomic composition were examined in relation to indirect/spatial gradients (e.g., depth), direct gradients (e.g., bottom oceanographic variables), and resource gradients (e.g., food supply proxies). Six benthic community types were defined based on their biomass-based taxonomic composition. Their distribution was significantly, but moderately, associated with large-scale (100–1000 km) environmental gradients defined by depth, physical water properties (e.g., bottom salinity), and meso-scale (10–100 km) environmental gradients defined by substrate type (hard vs. soft) and sediment organic carbon content. We did not observe a strong decline of bulk biomass, density and richness with depth or a strong increase of those community characteristics with food supply proxies, contrary to our hypothesis. We discuss how local- to meso-scale environmental conditions, such as bottom current regimes and polynyas, sustain biomass-rich communities at specific locations in oligotrophic and in deep regions of the Canadian Arctic. This study demonstrates the value of considering the scales of variability of environmental gradients when interpreting their relevance in structuring of communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginie Roy
- Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Katrin Iken
- School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States of America
| | - Philippe Archambault
- Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, Canada
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