1
|
Friedland KD, Ganley LC, Dimarchopoulou D, Gaichas S, Morse RE, Jordaan A. Change in body size in a rapidly warming marine ecosystem: Consequences of tropicalization. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 903:166117. [PMID: 37572904 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is profoundly affecting the physical environment and biota of the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf ecosystem. To understand adaptations to climate change, in particular warming temperatures, we used bottom trawl survey data to describe the size of individual fish and macroinvertebrates. Using species distribution models to estimate abundance and biomass, we determined body size in weight for all modeled species. We demonstrate a tendency for increased abundance and biomass and a concomitant decline in body size over time. An analysis of length frequency data supports this assertion. There was no trend in the combined anthropogenic removals from the ecosystem, i.e. catches, suggesting a limited role of fisheries in influencing these changes. The changes in the fish and macroinvertebrate communities are consistent with the hypothesis of a tropicalization of this ecosystem, where the ecosystem experiences a change in diversity, abundance, biomass, and the size of individuals consistent with lower latitudes. The changes in how productivity is expressed in the ecosystem factors into how human populations relate to it; in a practical sense, change in body size will likely influence the strategies and efficiencies of harvest procedures and the industries built to support them.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura C Ganley
- Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, New England Aquarium, Boston, MA, 02110, USA
| | - Donna Dimarchopoulou
- Biology Department, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford St, PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS, B3H4R2, Canada; Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 360 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, MA, 02540, USA
| | - Sarah Gaichas
- Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 Water St, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA
| | - Ryan E Morse
- Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Narragansett, RI, 02882, USA; CASE Consultants International, 1 Haywood St Suite 451, Asheville, NC, 28801, USA
| | - Adrian Jordaan
- Gloucester Marine Station and Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Holdsworth Hall, 160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
King K, Burgess M, Schultz ET, Knighton J. Forecasting hydrologic controls on juvenile anadromous fish out-migration with process-based modeling and machine learning. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 344:118420. [PMID: 37336016 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118420] [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: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
River herring (Alosa sp.) are ecologically and economically foundational species in freshwater streams, estuaries, and oceanic ecosystems. The migration between fresh and saltwater is a key life stage of river herring, where the timing and magnitude of out-migration by juveniles can be limited when streams dry and hydrologic connectivity is lost. Operational decisions by water managers (e.g., restricting community water use) can impact out-migration success; however, these decisions are largely made without reliable predictions of outmigration potential across the migration season. This research presents a model to generate short-term forecasts of the probability of herring out-migration loss. We monitored streamflow and herring out-migration for 2 years at three critical runs along Long Island Sound (CT, USA) to develop empirical understandings of the hydrologic controls on out-migration. We used calibrated Soil and Water Assessment Tool hydrologic models of each site to generate 10,000 years of daily synthetic meteorological and streamflow records. These synthetic meteorological and streamflow data were used to train random forest models to provide rapid within-season forecasts of out-migration loss from two simple predictors: current spawning reservoir depth and the previous 30-day precipitation total. The resulting models were approximately 60%-80% accurate with a 1.5-month lead time and 70-90% accurate within 2 weeks. We anticipate that this tool will support regional decisions on spawning reservoir operations and community water withdrawals. The architecture of this tool provides a framework to facilitate broader predictions of the ecological consequences of streamflow connectivity loss in human-impacted watersheds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine King
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Michael Burgess
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Eric T Schultz
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - James Knighton
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ouellet V, Collins MJ, Kocik JF, Saunders R, Sheehan TF, Ogburn MB, Trinko Lake T. The diadromous watersheds-ocean continuum: Managing diadromous fish as a community for ecosystem resilience. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1007599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Diadromous fishes play important ecological roles by delivering ecosystem services and making crucial connections along the watersheds-ocean continuum. However, it is difficult to fully understand the community-level impacts and cumulative benefits of diadromous fish migrations, as these species are most often considered individually or in small groups. Their interactions at a community level (e.g., interdependencies such as predation, co-migration, and habitat conditioning) and the connections between their ecosystem roles and functions (e.g., cumulative marine-derived nutrient contributions, impacts on stream geomorphology) are yet to be fully understood. Similarly, freshwater, estuarine, and marine ecosystems are often considered as independent parts, limiting understanding of the importance of connections across systems. We argue that not considering the ecosystem interdependence and importance of diadromous fish as a community currently hinders the implementation of the large-scale management required to increase ecosystem resilience and fish productivity across the full range of these species. We developed a conceptual model, the Diadromous Watersheds-Ocean Continuum (DWOC), that uses ecosystem services to promote a more holistic approach to the management of the diadromous community and encourages an integrated understanding of the ecosystem connections made by these species. DWOC provides a framework for discussions that can help identify research and management needs, discuss the trade-offs of different management options, and analyze what pressing questions impede the implementation of large-scale management solutions toward a more ecosystem-based management approach.
Collapse
|
4
|
Roy SG, McGreavy B, Quiring T, Druschke CG. Damming news: Geospatial media discourse analysis of dams. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 70:840-854. [PMID: 36112142 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-022-01715-7] [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: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Dams are a globally important social-ecological issue, and the practice of removing aging or obsolete dams is increasing in many countries where rivers have been used to fuel industrial growth. News media play an important role in providing information and raising awareness about dam-related decision making and patterns in news media coverage can shape public sense-making about potentially controversial dam decisions. This research focuses on spatial patterns of news media references to "dam removal" georeferenced to a New England dams database, the types of dam removal characteristics that contribute to newsworthiness, and specific media framing strategies. We develop a method, known as DAMMDA, that combines a large geodatabase of dam features and corpus of news media articles. We find that spatial patterns of "dam removal" news media coverage do not necessarily coincide with the actual occurrence of removed dams, nor the distribution of extant dams, in the landscape. Instead, a minority of dams with specific characteristics make up the majority of dam media references. Such "newsworthy dams" are capable of generating hydroelectricity, are situated on large rivers, are located in urban areas, or have already been removed. Further, references to newsworthy dams are often used to frame discussions about future dam decisions in other locations in New England and across the United States. We conclude by reflecting on how this approach is relevant for understanding complex and interconnected factors that can shape controversial sustainability issues, such as the relationships between news media and social-ecological characteristics of infrastructures within landscapes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel G Roy
- Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA.
- School of Earth and Climate Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA.
| | - Bridie McGreavy
- Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA
| | - Tyler Quiring
- Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Cooke SJ, Bergman JN, Twardek WM, Piczak ML, Casselberry GA, Lutek K, Dahlmo LS, Birnie-Gauvin K, Griffin LP, Brownscombe JW, Raby GD, Standen EM, Horodysky AZ, Johnsen S, Danylchuk AJ, Furey NB, Gallagher AJ, Lédée EJI, Midwood JD, Gutowsky LFG, Jacoby DMP, Matley JK, Lennox RJ. The movement ecology of fishes. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2022; 101:756-779. [PMID: 35788929 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Movement of fishes in the aquatic realm is fundamental to their ecology and survival. Movement can be driven by a variety of biological, physiological and environmental factors occurring across all spatial and temporal scales. The intrinsic capacity of movement to impact fish individually (e.g., foraging) with potential knock-on effects throughout the ecosystem (e.g., food web dynamics) has garnered considerable interest in the field of movement ecology. The advancement of technology in recent decades, in combination with ever-growing threats to freshwater and marine systems, has further spurred empirical research and theoretical considerations. Given the rapid expansion within the field of movement ecology and its significant role in informing management and conservation efforts, a contemporary and multidisciplinary review about the various components influencing movement is outstanding. Using an established conceptual framework for movement ecology as a guide (i.e., Nathan et al., 2008: 19052), we synthesized the environmental and individual factors that affect the movement of fishes. Specifically, internal (e.g., energy acquisition, endocrinology, and homeostasis) and external (biotic and abiotic) environmental elements are discussed, as well as the different processes that influence individual-level (or population) decisions, such as navigation cues, motion capacity, propagation characteristics and group behaviours. In addition to environmental drivers and individual movement factors, we also explored how associated strategies help survival by optimizing physiological and other biological states. Next, we identified how movement ecology is increasingly being incorporated into management and conservation by highlighting the inherent benefits that spatio-temporal fish behaviour imbues into policy, regulatory, and remediation planning. Finally, we considered the future of movement ecology by evaluating ongoing technological innovations and both the challenges and opportunities that these advancements create for scientists and managers. As aquatic ecosystems continue to face alarming climate (and other human-driven) issues that impact animal movements, the comprehensive and multidisciplinary assessment of movement ecology will be instrumental in developing plans to guide research and promote sustainability measures for aquatic resources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jordanna N Bergman
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - William M Twardek
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Morgan L Piczak
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Grace A Casselberry
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Keegan Lutek
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lotte S Dahlmo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Laboratory for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kim Birnie-Gauvin
- Section for Freshwater Fisheries and Ecology, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Lucas P Griffin
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jacob W Brownscombe
- Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Graham D Raby
- Biology Department, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emily M Standen
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrij Z Horodysky
- Department of Marine and Environmental Science, Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia, USA
| | - Sönke Johnsen
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, North Caroline, USA
| | - Andy J Danylchuk
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Nathan B Furey
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, USA
| | | | - Elodie J I Lédée
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jon D Midwood
- Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lee F G Gutowsky
- Environmental & Life Sciences Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - David M P Jacoby
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Jordan K Matley
- Program in Aquatic Resources, St Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Robert J Lennox
- Laboratory for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Guo LW, Jordaan A, Schultz ET, McCormick SD. Identification of supraoptimal temperatures in juvenile blueback herring ( Alosa aestivalis) using survival, growth rate and scaled energy reserves. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 10:coac022. [PMID: 35492413 PMCID: PMC9040283 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coac022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
For young fishes, growth of somatic tissues and energy reserves are critical steps for survival and progressing to subsequent life stages. When thermal regimes become supraoptimal, routine metabolic rates increase and leave less energy for young fish to maintain fitness-based activities and, in the case of anadromous fishes, less energy to prepare for emigration to coastal habitats. Thus, understanding how energy allocation strategies are affected by thermal regimes in young anadromous fish will help to inform climate-ready management of vulnerable species and their habitat. Blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) are an anadromous fish species that remain at historically low population levels and are undergoing southern edge-range contraction, possibly due to climate change. We examined the effects of temperature (21°C, 24°C, 27°C, 30°C, 33°C) on survival, growth rate and energy reserves of juveniles collected from the mid-geographic range of the species. We identified a strong negative relationship between temperature and growth rate, resulting in smaller juveniles at high temperatures. We observed reduced survival at both 21°C and 33°C, increased fat and lean mass-at-length at high temperatures, but no difference in energy density. Juveniles were both smaller and contained greater scaled energy reserves at higher temperatures, indicating growth in length is more sensitive to temperature than growth of energy reserves. Currently, mid-geographic range juvenile blueback herring populations may be well suited for local thermal regimes, but continued warming could decrease survival and growth rates. Blueback herring populations may benefit from mitigation actions that maximize juvenile energy resources by increasing the availability of cold refugia and food-rich habitats, as well as reducing other stressors such as hypoxic zones.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lian W Guo
- Corresponding author: 230 Stockbridge Road, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
| | - Adrian Jordaan
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, 160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Eric T Schultz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 69 N Eagleville Rd, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Stephen D McCormick
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, 160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
- US Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Centre, S.O. Conte Research Laboratory, 1 Migratory Way, Turners Falls, MA 01376, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Guo LW, McCormick SD, Schultz ET, Jordaan A. Direct and size-mediated effects of temperature and ration-dependent growth rates on energy reserves in juvenile anadromous alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus). JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2021; 99:1236-1246. [PMID: 34101179 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14824] [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: 01/07/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Growth rate and energy reserves are important determinants of fitness and are governed by endogenous and exogenous factors. Thus, examining the influence of individual and multiple stressors on growth and energy reserves can help estimate population health under current and future conditions. In young anadromous fishes, freshwater habitat quality determines physiological state and fitness of juveniles emigrating to marine habitats. In this study, the authors tested how temperature and food availability affect survival, growth and energy reserves in juvenile anadromous alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus), a forage fish distributed along the eastern North American continent. Field-collected juvenile anadromous A. pseudoharengus were exposed for 21 days to one of two temperatures (21°C and 25°C) and one of two levels of food rations (1% or 2% tank biomass daily) and compared for differences in final size, fat mass-at-length, lean mass-at-length and energy density. Increased temperature and reduced ration both led to lower growth rates, and the effect of reduced ration was greater at higher temperature. Fat mass-at-length decreased with dry mass, and energy density increased with total length, suggesting size-based endogenous influences on energy reserves. Lower ration also directly decreased fat mass-at-length, lean mass-at-length and energy density. Given the fitness implications of size and energy reserves, temperature and food availability should be considered important indicators of nursery habitat quality and incorporated in A. pseudoharengus life-history models to improve forecasting of population health under climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lian W Guo
- Program in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Stephen D McCormick
- US Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Centre, Conte Research Laboratory, Turners Falls, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Eric T Schultz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Adrian Jordaan
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
|