1
|
Martins M, Sousa F, Soares C, Sousa B, Pereira R, Rubal M, Fidalgo F. Beach wrack: Discussing ecological roles, risks, and sustainable bioenergy and agricultural applications. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 356:120526. [PMID: 38492423 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120526] [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: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
The equilibrium of the marine ecosystem is currently threatened by several constraints, among which climate change and anthropogenic activities stand out. Indeed, these factors favour the growth of macroalgae, which sometimes end up stranded on the beaches at the end of their life cycle, forming what is known as beach wrack. Despite its undeniable important ecological role on beaches, as it is an important source of organic matter (OM), and provides food and habitat for several invertebrates, reptiles, small mammals, and shorebirds, the overaccumulation of beach wrack is often associated with the release of greenhouse gases, negatively impacting tourist activities, and generating economic expenses for its removal. Although currently beach wrack is mainly treated as a waste, it can be used for numerous potential applications in distinct areas. This review aimed at providing a solid point of view regarding the process of wrack formation, its spatiotemporal location, as well as its importance and risks. It also contains the current advances of the research regarding sustainable alternatives to valorise this organic biomass, that range from bioenergy production to the incorporation of wrack in agricultural soils, considering a circular economy concept. Although there are some concerns regarding wrack utilisation, from its variable availability to a possible soil contamination with salts and other contaminants, this review comprises the overall beneficial effects of the incorporation of this residue particularly in the organic agricultural model, strengthening the conversion of this wasted biomass into a valuable resource.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Martins
- GreenUPorto - Sustainable Agrifood Production Research Centre and INOV4AGRO, Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Filipa Sousa
- GreenUPorto - Sustainable Agrifood Production Research Centre and INOV4AGRO, Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Cristiano Soares
- GreenUPorto - Sustainable Agrifood Production Research Centre and INOV4AGRO, Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Bruno Sousa
- GreenUPorto - Sustainable Agrifood Production Research Centre and INOV4AGRO, Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ruth Pereira
- GreenUPorto - Sustainable Agrifood Production Research Centre and INOV4AGRO, Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Marcos Rubal
- Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA/ARNET), Department of Biology, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
| | - Fernanda Fidalgo
- GreenUPorto - Sustainable Agrifood Production Research Centre and INOV4AGRO, Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ostendorp W, Hofmann H, Armbruster JP. Wrack line formation and composition on shores of a large Alpine lake: The role of littoral topography and wave exposure. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0294752. [PMID: 38033046 PMCID: PMC10688906 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Wrack lines are a key formation along shorelines that provide organic matter and bring ecological diversity to the local environment. Although wrack line formation has been extensively studied along marine beaches and estuaries, in contrast, knowledge about the environmental variables that promote wrack line formation within inland lakes is widely lacking. In one of the first studies to focus on wrack line formation on lakesides, we analysed the dimensions, volume, elevation and particulate composition of 36 wrack lines across 20 shore sections of a large, oligotrophic Alpine lake with natural water level fluctuations (Lake Constance-Obersee). Using multivariate partial least squares (PLS) regression, we identified the key environmental variables that drive wrack accumulation in lakeside areas. Our results demonstrate that wrack line volume increased with (1) the width of the eulittoral zone as an indicator of the swash conditions (up-rush vs. down-wash), (2) high exposure to wind waves as indicated by the total effective fetch, (3) high exposure to ship waves (catamaran ferry), and (4) the width of the sublittoral zone as an indicator of the availability of source material (Chara spp.) and of the wave energy dissipation rate of the incoming deep water waves. Sediment texture played only a minor role. Wide eulittoral zones and high ship wave exposure favoured high proportions of lake-borne components (Chara remains, mollusc shells), while the reverse was true for land-based components. Anthropogenic wastes were only present in small proportions. We discuss four main factor groups influencing the amount of wrack in marine beaches and on lakeshores considering similarities (waves, breakers, swash, dissipation, relief) and differences (tides vs. annual water level fluctuations) of the two systems, and point out research gaps. We demonstrate that wrack line formation is also important in large inland lakes and can be analysed using basic ideas from relevant marine studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Ostendorp
- Environmental Physics Group, Limnological Institute, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Hilmar Hofmann
- Staff Unit Sustainability, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jens Peter Armbruster
- Institute for Landscape Ecology and Nature Conservation (ILN) Südwest, Kirchheim u. T., Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Kalvaitienė G, Vaičiūtė D, Bučas M, Gyraitė G, Kataržytė M. Macrophytes and their wrack as a habitat for faecal indicator bacteria and Vibrio in coastal marine environments. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 194:115325. [PMID: 37523954 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Waterborne pathogenic bacteria, including faecal indicator bacteria and potentially pathogenic Vibrio, are a global concern for diseases transmitted through water. A systematic review was conducted to analyse publications that investigated these bacteria in relation to macrophytes (seagrasses and macroalgae) in coastal marine environments. The highest quantities of FIB were found on brown algae and seagrasses, and the highest quantities of Vibrio bacteria were on red algae. The most extensively studied macrophyte group was brown algae, green algae were the least researched. Macrophyte wrack was found to favor the presence of FIB, but there is a lack of information about Vibrio quantities in this environment. To understand the role of Vibrio bacteria that are pathogenic to humans, molecular methods complementary to cultivation methods should be used. Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of FIB and potentially pathogenic Vibrio with macrophytes and their microbiome in the coastal marine environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Greta Kalvaitienė
- Klaipėda University, Marine Research Institute, University Avenue 17, 92295 Klaipėda, Lithuania.
| | - Diana Vaičiūtė
- Klaipėda University, Marine Research Institute, University Avenue 17, 92295 Klaipėda, Lithuania.
| | - Martynas Bučas
- Klaipėda University, Marine Research Institute, University Avenue 17, 92295 Klaipėda, Lithuania.
| | - Greta Gyraitė
- Klaipėda University, Marine Research Institute, University Avenue 17, 92295 Klaipėda, Lithuania.
| | - Marija Kataržytė
- Klaipėda University, Marine Research Institute, University Avenue 17, 92295 Klaipėda, Lithuania.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ulaski BP, Sikes DS, Konar B. Beach-cast and drifting seaweed wrack is an important resource for marine and terrestrial macroinvertebrates in high latitudes. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 187:105970. [PMID: 37004498 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.105970] [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: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Seaweeds are foundation species across near-subtidal and intertidal zones, including when detached and free-floating and then cast ashore as wrack. Wrack is sometimes removed by humans for aesthetics or to be used as fertilizer. The study of wrack as an important habitat and resource for macroinvertebrates in high latitudes has been limited. To determine which taxa might be impacted when wrack is removed, the composition and relative abundance of macroinvertebrates were quantified monthly and compared in areas with and without wrack in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Relationships were assessed between macroinvertebrates and wrack line (tidal height, moisture content, seaweed biomass) and beach characteristics (wave exposure, beach slope, substrate types). Approximately 47,000 animals were counted and a total of 87 taxa were identified from beach-cast wrack, drifting wrack, and bare sediment habitats. Macroinvertebrate communities within beach-cast wrack and bare sediment habitats were significantly different. Beach-cast wrack generally had more terrestrially-derived animals, especially Coleoptera and Diptera. Bare beach sediment was predominantly occupied by Enchytraeida (annelids). Macroinvertebrate communities were most strongly influenced by seaweed biomass and tidal height of the wrack line. Beach-cast wrack and bare sediments were also compared to drifting wrack in shallow, nearshore waters. Drifting wrack was different and generally occupied by more marine-derived animals, especially Amphipoda, Gastropoda, Mytilida, and Polychaeta. Ecological succession in decaying beach-cast wrack was documented, with decomposers (e.g., Amphipoda and Diptera) being early colonizers, and predators (e.g., Coleoptera and Hymenoptera) arriving later. Understanding the importance of this unique and ecologically important habitat to macroinvertebrates is essential, as removals and reductions in wrack availability could influence macroinvertebrate community structure, higher trophic level consumers, and key ecological processes on beaches. This study is the first direct investigation into seaweed wrack-associated macroinvertebrate communities in a sub-Arctic system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian P Ulaski
- College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 757220, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7220, USA.
| | - Derek S Sikes
- University of Alaska Museum, Department of Biology & Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1962 Yukon Drive, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-6960, USA
| | - Brenda Konar
- College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 757220, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7220, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Duke BM, Emery KA, Dugan JE, Hubbard DM, Joab BM. Uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons via high-energy water accommodated fraction (HEWAF) by beach hoppers (Amphipoda, Talitridae) using different sandy beach exposure pathways. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 190:114835. [PMID: 37023547 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114835] [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: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Sandy beach ecosystems are highly dynamic coastal environments subject to a variety of anthropogenic pressures and impacts. Pollution from oil spills can damage beach ecosystems through the toxic effects of hydrocarbons on organisms and the disruptive nature of large-scale clean-up practices. On temperate sandy beaches, intertidal talitrid amphipods are primary consumers of macrophyte wrack subsidies and serve as prey for higher trophic level consumers, such as birds and fish. These integral organisms of the beach food web can be exposed to hydrocarbons by direct contact with oiled sand through burrowing and by the consumption of oiled wrack. We experimentally evaluated the primary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure pathway via high-energy water accommodated fraction (HEWAF) for a species of talitrid amphipod (Megalorchestia pugettensis). Our results indicated that tissue PAH concentrations in talitrids were six-fold higher in treatments that included oiled sand compared to those with only oiled kelp and the controls.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bryand M Duke
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States of America.
| | - Kyle A Emery
- Marine Science Institute, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States of America; Department of Geography, UC Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States of America
| | - Jenifer E Dugan
- Marine Science Institute, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States of America
| | - David M Hubbard
- Marine Science Institute, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States of America
| | - Bruce M Joab
- Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 95605, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Li Y, Gundersen H, Poulsen RN, Xie L, Ge Z, Hancke K. Quantifying seaweed and seagrass beach deposits using high-resolution UAV imagery. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 331:117171. [PMID: 36623360 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117171] [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: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Macroalgae and seagrass wash ashore by tidal waters and episodic events and create an ocean-to-land transport of carbon and nutrients. On land, these deposits (beach wrack) are consumed by macrofauna, remineralized by microorganisms, or washed back to the sea, during which recycling of carbon and nitrogen affect the biochemical cycles in coastal zones. Manual quantification of beach wracks is time-consuming and often difficult due to complex topography and remote locations. Here, we present a novel method using Unoccupied Aerial Vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry combined with in situ measurements of carbon and nitrogen contents of wrack to quantify marine carbon and nutrient deposits in beach zones. The UAV method was tested against placed cubes ranging from 125 to 88,218 cm3 and demonstrated a high accuracy (R2 > 0.99) for volume acquisition when compared to manual measurements. Also, the UAV-based assessments of the cross-sectional area of beach deposits demonstrated a high accuracy when compared to manual and high-precision GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) measurements without significant differences between the methods. This demonstrated that UAVs can provide detailed spatial maps, three-dimensional (3D) surface models, and accurate volumetric assessments of beach wrack deposits. In three case studies, combined with carbon and nitrogen measures, total organic carbon and nitrogen deposits in beach wracks were quantified ranging from 4.3 to 9.7 and from 0.3 to 0.5 kg per meter coastline, respectively. In conclusion, this UAV method demonstrated an effective tool to quantify ecosystem carbon and nitrogen deposits relevant to ecosystem assessments and quantification of blue carbon stocks. The method is optimal when the terrain below beach wrack deposits is known, as in the case with before-and-after or repeated surveys. Further, UAVs display strong time- and cost-effective advantages over manual methods which is amplified with increasing project scale. We propose it as a valuable method for multiple scientific and commercial applications related to environmental monitoring and management, including marine resource exploration and exploitation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yalei Li
- Section for Marine Biology, Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo, Norway; State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, Institute of Eco-Chongming, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Hege Gundersen
- Section for Marine Biology, Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo, Norway.
| | | | - Lina Xie
- Section for Marine Biology, Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo, Norway; State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, Institute of Eco-Chongming, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zhenming Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, Institute of Eco-Chongming, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Kasper Hancke
- Section for Marine Biology, Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo, Norway.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Laurino IRA, Lima TP, Turra A. Effects of natural and anthropogenic storm-stranded debris in upper-beach arthropods: Is wrack a prey hotspot for birds? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 857:159468. [PMID: 36257422 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Storm-stranded debris (i.e., wrack) are important components for the functioning of beach ecosystems. With the current increase in extreme storm events, beached wrack is expected to change globally. However, little is known about how different types of wrack can affect beach biodiversity. Here, we hypothesized that natural debris (algae and land-plant debris) would optimize the short-term aggregation of benthic arthropods on the beach ecosystem, while anthropogenic debris (plastics) would not perform this function. We also expected that short-term aggregations of arthropods in the natural debris would create a transient prey hotspot (i.e., points of high prey concentration) for birds on the beach. Thus, we performed manipulative field experiments with debris addition and predator exclusion by cage on a short temporal scale (maximum 20 days). We found that natural debris aggregated higher community abundances than anthropic debris and treatments without debris, while community richness was not affected by wrack. No differences were noted when comparing the community aggregation on plastic debris and treatments without debris. The coleopterans were the group responsible for this aggregation, mainly represented by Phaleria testacea, which aggregated on natural debris with abundances five times greater than those on plastic debris. Nevertheless, we did not find any evidence of increased predation by birds on the coleopterans aggregated in the natural debris. We conclude that arthropod aggregation in the wrack is a phenomenon primarily associated with natural debris, not occurring in plastic debris, although the role of this faunal aggregation as a prey hotspot for birds was not evident in the short term. These results showed that the wrack type matters in terms of consequences for beach arthropods, creating concerns against beach cleaning methods that are adopted indiscriminately, also signaling the need for long-term studies to proceed with investigating the wrack functions for top predators on sandy beaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Rodrigo Abrão Laurino
- Oceanographic Institute, University of São Paulo (USP), Praça do Oceanográfico, 191, Cidade Universitária, CEP: 05508-120 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Tamiris Pereira Lima
- Biosciences Institute, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Coastal Campus, Praça Infante Dom Henrique, s/n, Parque Bitaru, CEP: 11330-900 São Vicente, SP, Brazil.
| | - Alexander Turra
- Oceanographic Institute, University of São Paulo (USP), Praça do Oceanográfico, 191, Cidade Universitária, CEP: 05508-120 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Björk M, Rosenqvist G, Gröndahl F, Bonaglia S. Methane emissions from macrophyte beach wrack on Baltic seashores. AMBIO 2023; 52:171-181. [PMID: 36029461 PMCID: PMC9666566 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-022-01774-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Beach wrack of marine macrophytes is a natural component of many beaches. To test if such wrack emits the potent greenhouse gas methane, field measurements were made at different seasons on beach wrack depositions of different ages, exposure, and distance from the water. Methane emissions varied greatly, from 0 to 176 mg CH4-C m-2 day-1, with a clear positive correlation between emission and temperature. Dry wrack had lower emissions than wet. Using temperature data from 2016 to 2020, seasonal changes in fluxes were calculated for a natural wrack accumulation area. Such calculated average emissions were close to zero during winter, but peaked in summer, with very high emissions when daily temperatures exceeded 20 °C. We conclude that waterlogged beach wrack significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and that emissions might drastically increase with increasing global temperatures. When beach wrack is collected into heaps away from the water, the emissions are however close to zero.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mats Björk
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gunilla Rosenqvist
- Blue Centre Gotland, Uppsala University-Campus Gotland, 621 67 Visby, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Gröndahl
- KTH, Royale Institute of Technology, KTH Teknikringen 10B, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Stefano Bonaglia
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 461, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Hyndes GA, Berdan EL, Duarte C, Dugan JE, Emery KA, Hambäck PA, Henderson CJ, Hubbard DM, Lastra M, Mateo MA, Olds A, Schlacher TA. The role of inputs of marine wrack and carrion in sandy-beach ecosystems: a global review. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:2127-2161. [PMID: 35950352 PMCID: PMC9804821 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Sandy beaches are iconic interfaces that functionally link the ocean with the land via the flow of organic matter from the sea. These cross-ecosystem fluxes often comprise uprooted seagrass and dislodged macroalgae that can form substantial accumulations of detritus, termed 'wrack', on sandy beaches. In addition, the tissue of the carcasses of marine animals that regularly wash up on beaches form a rich food source ('carrion') for a diversity of scavenging animals. Here, we provide a global review of how wrack and carrion provide spatial subsidies that shape the structure and functioning of sandy-beach ecosystems (sandy beaches and adjacent surf zones), which typically have little in situ primary production. We also examine the spatial scaling of the influence of these processes across the broader land- and seascape, and identify key gaps in our knowledge to guide future research directions and priorities. Large quantities of detrital kelp and seagrass can flow into sandy-beach ecosystems, where microbial decomposers and animals process it. The rates of wrack supply and its retention are influenced by the oceanographic processes that transport it, the geomorphology and landscape context of the recipient beaches, and the condition, life history and morphological characteristics of the macrophyte taxa that are the ultimate source of wrack. When retained in beach ecosystems, wrack often creates hotspots of microbial metabolism, secondary productivity, biodiversity, and nutrient remineralization. Nutrients are produced during wrack breakdown, and these can return to coastal waters in surface flows (swash) and aquifers discharging into the subtidal surf. Beach-cast kelp often plays a key trophic role, being an abundant and preferred food source for mobile, semi-aquatic invertebrates that channel imported algal matter to predatory invertebrates, fish, and birds. The role of beach-cast marine carrion is likely to be underestimated, as it can be consumed rapidly by highly mobile scavengers (e.g. foxes, coyotes, raptors, vultures). These consumers become important vectors in transferring marine productivity inland, thereby linking marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Whilst deposits of organic matter on sandy-beach ecosystems underpin a range of ecosystem functions and services, they can be at variance with aesthetic perceptions resulting in widespread activities, such as 'beach cleaning and grooming'. This practice diminishes the energetic base of food webs, intertidal fauna, and biodiversity. Global declines in seagrass beds and kelp forests (linked to global warming) are predicted to cause substantial reductions in the amounts of marine organic matter reaching many beach ecosystems, likely causing flow-on effects for food webs and biodiversity. Similarly, future sea-level rise and increased storm frequency are likely to alter profoundly the physical attributes of beaches, which in turn can change the rates at which beaches retain and process the influxes of wrack and animal carcasses. Conservation of the multi-faceted ecosystem services that sandy beaches provide will increasingly need to encompass a greater societal appreciation and the safeguarding of ecological functions reliant on beach-cast organic matter on innumerable ocean shores worldwide.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Glenn A. Hyndes
- Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, School of ScienceEdith Cowan UniversityJoondalupWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Emma L. Berdan
- Department of Marine SciencesUniversity of GothenburgGöteborgSweden
| | - Cristian Duarte
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la VidaUniversidad Andres BelloSantiagoChile
| | - Jenifer E. Dugan
- Marine Science InstituteUniversity of CaliforniaSanta BarbaraCA93106USA
| | - Kyle A. Emery
- Marine Science InstituteUniversity of CaliforniaSanta BarbaraCA93106USA
| | - Peter A. Hambäck
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant SciencesStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Christopher J. Henderson
- School of Science, Technology, and EngineeringUniversity of the Sunshine CoastMaroochydoreQueenslandAustralia
| | - David M. Hubbard
- Marine Science InstituteUniversity of CaliforniaSanta BarbaraCA93106USA
| | - Mariano Lastra
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Edificio CC ExperimentaisUniversidade de Vigo, Campus de Vigo36310VigoSpain
| | - Miguel A. Mateo
- Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, School of ScienceEdith Cowan UniversityJoondalupWestern AustraliaAustralia,Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasBlanesSpain
| | - Andrew Olds
- School of Science, Technology, and EngineeringUniversity of the Sunshine CoastMaroochydoreQueenslandAustralia
| | - Thomas A. Schlacher
- School of Science, Technology, and EngineeringUniversity of the Sunshine CoastMaroochydoreQueenslandAustralia
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Obrist DS, Fitzpatrick OT, Brown NEM, Hanly PJ, Nijland W, Reshitnyk LY, Wickham SB, Darimont CT, Reynolds JD, Starzomski BM. Scale-dependent effects of marine subsidies on the island biogeographic patterns of plants. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9270. [PMID: 36177118 PMCID: PMC9461347 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Although species richness can be determined by different mechanisms at different spatial scales, the role of scale in the effects of marine inputs on island biogeography has not been studied explicitly. Here, we evaluated the potential influence of island characteristics and marine inputs (seaweed wrack biomass and marine‐derived nitrogen in the soil) on plant species richness at both a local (plot) and regional (island) scale on 92 islands in British Columbia, Canada. We found that the effects of subsidies on species richness depend strongly on spatial scale. Despite detecting no effects of marine subsidies at the island scale, we found that as plot level subsidies increased, species richness decreased; plots with more marine‐derived nitrogen in the soil hosted fewer plant species. We found no effect of seaweed wrack at either scale. To identify potential mechanisms underlying the decrease in diversity, we fit a spatially explicit joint species distribution model to evaluate species level responses to marine subsidies and effects of biotic interactions among species. We found mixed evidence for competition for both light and nutrients, and cannot rule out an alternative mechanism; the observed decrease in species richness may be due to disturbances associated with animal‐mediated nutrient deposits, particularly those from North American river otters (Lontra canadensis). By evaluating the scale‐dependent effects of marine subsidies on island biogeographic patterns of plants and revealing likely mechanisms that act on community composition, we provide novel insights on the scale dependence of a fundamental ecological theory, and on the rarely examined links between marine and terrestrial ecosystems often bridged by animal vectors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Debora S Obrist
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences Simon Fraser University Burnaby British Columbia Canada.,Hakai Institute Heriot Bay British Columbia Canada
| | - Owen T Fitzpatrick
- Hakai Institute Heriot Bay British Columbia Canada.,School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria Victoria British Columbia Canada
| | - Norah E M Brown
- Hakai Institute Heriot Bay British Columbia Canada.,School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria Victoria British Columbia Canada
| | - Patrick J Hanly
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences Simon Fraser University Burnaby British Columbia Canada.,Hakai Institute Heriot Bay British Columbia Canada.,Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Michigan State University East Lansing Michigan USA
| | - Wiebe Nijland
- Hakai Institute Heriot Bay British Columbia Canada.,School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria Victoria British Columbia Canada.,Department of Physical Geography Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
| | | | - Sara B Wickham
- Hakai Institute Heriot Bay British Columbia Canada.,School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria Victoria British Columbia Canada
| | - Chris T Darimont
- Hakai Institute Heriot Bay British Columbia Canada.,Department of Geography University of Victoria Victoria British Columbia Canada.,Raincoast Conservation Foundation Sidney British Columbia Canada
| | - John D Reynolds
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences Simon Fraser University Burnaby British Columbia Canada.,Hakai Institute Heriot Bay British Columbia Canada
| | - Brian M Starzomski
- Hakai Institute Heriot Bay British Columbia Canada.,School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria Victoria British Columbia Canada
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Dolliver J, O’Connor N. Whole System Analysis Is Required To Determine The Fate Of Macroalgal Carbon: A Systematic Review. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2022; 58:364-376. [PMID: 35397178 PMCID: PMC9325415 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The role of marine primary producers in capturing atmospheric CO2 has received increased attention in the global mission to mitigate climate change. Yet, our understanding of carbon sequestration performed by macroalgae has been limited to a relatively small number of studies that have estimated the ultimate fate of macroalgal-derived carbon. This systematic review was conducted to provide a timely synthesis of the methods used to determine the fate of macroalgal carbon in this rapidly expanding research area. It also aimed to provide suggestions for more effective future research. We found that the most common methods to estimate the fate of macroalgal carbon can be categorized into groups based on those that quantify: (i) export of macroalgal carbon to other environments-known as horizontal transport; (ii) sequestration of macroalgal carbon into deep-sea sediments-known as vertical transport; (iii) burial of macroalgal carbon directly beneath a benthic community; (iv) the loss of macroalgal carbon as particulate carbon or dissolved carbon to the water column; (v) the loss of macroalgal carbon to primary consumers; and finally (vi) those studies that combined multiple methods in one location. Based on this review, several recommendations for future research were formulated, which require the combination of multiple methods in a whole system analysis approach.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessie Dolliver
- Department of ZoologyTrinity College DublinDublinD02 F6N2Ireland
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of OxfordOxfordOX1 3RBUK
| | - Nessa O’Connor
- Department of ZoologyTrinity College DublinDublinD02 F6N2Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Compa M, Alomar C, Morató M, Álvarez E, Deudero S. Spatial distribution of macro- and micro-litter items along rocky and sandy beaches of a Marine Protected Area in the western Mediterranean Sea. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 178:113520. [PMID: 35339063 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the spatial distribution and physical characteristics of beach macro- and micro-litter within the Cabrera Archipelago Maritime-Terrestrial National Park (Cabrera MPA), in the Balearic Islands have been analysed. For macro-litter items, a mean concentration of 1.9 ± 2.4 items/m2 weighing a total of 13 kg was quantified. In terms of beach composition, cobble beaches with deposited seagrass had almost twice as much marine litter as other beaches. For beach micro-litter items, white and transparent microplastics within the size class of 1-2 mm were the most abundant on all the beaches, and the most common polymer types were polyethylene (64%) and polypropylene (17.2%). Overall, for both macro- and micro-litter items, plastic was the most dominant material (90%) identified on all beaches surveyed within Cabrera MPA, indicating areas of low anthropogenic pressures are increasingly becoming sinks for marine litter.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Montserrat Compa
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC), Muelle de Poniente s/n, Mallorca 07015, Spain.
| | - Carme Alomar
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC), Muelle de Poniente s/n, Mallorca 07015, Spain
| | - Mercè Morató
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC), Muelle de Poniente s/n, Mallorca 07015, Spain
| | - Elvira Álvarez
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC), Muelle de Poniente s/n, Mallorca 07015, Spain
| | - Salud Deudero
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC), Muelle de Poniente s/n, Mallorca 07015, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Assessing Numerical Model Skill at Simulating Coastal Flooding Using Field Observations of Deposited Debris and Photographic Evidence. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14040589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Despite the growing range and availability of resources to support coastal flood hazard model development, there is often a scarcity of data to support critical assessment of the performance of community-scale coastal inundation models. Even where long-term tide gauge measurements are available in close proximity to the study area, the records provide little insight into the spatial distribution and limits of overland flooding, or the influence of topographic features and structures on flooding pathways. We present methods to support the assessment of model performance using field observations in lieu of, or supplementary to, conventional water-level records. A high-resolution, numerical coastal flood hazard model was developed to simulate storm surge-driven flooding in the Acadian Peninsula region of New Brunswick, Canada. Owing to the remoteness of the study area from tide gauge stations, model performance was assessed based on a comparison with field measurements of deposited wrack and debris, as well as photographic and video evidence of coastal flooding, for two significant storm surge events in recent history. Our research findings illustrate the value of observational and qualitative data for characterizing coastal flood hazards, lending gravity to the importance of non-conventional data sources, particularly in data-scarce regions.
Collapse
|
14
|
Peng D, Montelongo DC, Wu L, Armitage AR, Kominoski JS, Pennings SC. A hurricane alters the relationship between mangrove cover and marine subsidies. Ecology 2022; 103:e3662. [PMID: 35157321 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
As global change alters the composition and productivity of ecosystems, the importance of subsidies from one habitat to another may change. We experimentally manipulated black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) cover in ten large plots and over five years (2014-2019) quantifying the effects of mangrove cover on subsidies of floating organic material (wrack) into coastal wetlands. As mangrove cover increased from zero to 100%, wrack cover and thickness decreased by ~60%, the distance that wrack penetrated into the plots decreased by ~70%, and the percentage of the wrack trapped in the first six m of the plot tripled. These patterns observed during four "normal" years disappeared in a fifth year following Hurricane Harvey (2017), when large quantities of wrack were pushed far into the interior of all the plots, regardless of mangrove cover. Prior to the storm, the abundance of animals collected in grab samples increased with wrack biomass. Wrack composition did not affect animal abundance or composition. Experimental outplants of two types of wrack (red algae and seagrass) revealed that animal abundance and species composition varied between the fringe and interior of the plots, and between microhabitats dominated by salt marsh versus mangrove vegetation. The importance of wrack to overall carbon stocks varied as a function of autochthonous productivity: wrack inputs (per m2 ) based on survey data were greater than aboveground plant biomass in the plots (42 × 24 m) dominated by salt marsh vegetation, but decreased to 5% of total aboveground biomass in plots dominated by mangroves. Our results illustrate that increasing mangrove cover decreases the relative importance of marine subsidies into the intertidal at the plot level, but concentrates subsidies at the front edge of the mangrove stand. Storms, however, may temporarily override mangrove attenuation of wrack inputs. Our results highlight the importance of understanding how changes in plant species composition due to global change will impact marine subsidies and exchanges among ecosystems, and foster a broader understanding of the functional interdependence of adjacent habitats within coastal ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dan Peng
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Texas, USA.,Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Denise C Montelongo
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Texas, USA.,Current address: Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Leslie Wu
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Anna R Armitage
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - John S Kominoski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States
| | - Steven C Pennings
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Texas, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Mainardis M, Magnolo F, Ferrara C, Vance C, Misson G, De Feo G, Speelman S, Murphy F, Goi D. Alternative seagrass wrack management practices in the circular bioeconomy framework: A life cycle assessment approach. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 798:149283. [PMID: 34375248 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Despite providing important ecological functions, seagrass accumulation causes environmental and economic issues, including eutrophication and tourism reduction. Nowadays, seagrass wrack is commonly removed from the beaches and landfilled, which is considered the least desirable practice according to the European Union (EU) Waste Framework Directive. In this study, different management strategies for seagrass valorisation, including anaerobic digestion (AD), composting and ecological restoration, were considered using a life cycle assessment (LCA) perspective. The aim of the work was to evaluate more ecological and economic alternatives to landfill and to provide a robust evaluation method for public and private companies. An economic assessment was subsequently conducted, considering both direct and indirect impacts with a life cycle costing (LCC) approach. A selected beach located in the Northeast Mediterranean Sea was considered as a relevant case-study. The environmental impacts of the seagrass management scenarios were evaluated with the method ReCiPe 2016H, using both midpoint and endpoint levels. LCA results showed that ecological restoration and AD were the best alternatives in terms of environmental performances because of biogas production used as a renewable energy source. The impacts of the alternative management strategies were significantly lower than the current landfill strategy, -70% considering the categories of human health, ecosystems and resources, and -95% considering global warming potential category. The LCC analysis proved that composting was the best alternative (NPV > 1.27 M€), due to lower operating costs and higher fertilizer value. The obtained results can help beach management companies and public administrations to select the best operational strategies to reduce the environmental and economic impact of seagrass collection and treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matia Mainardis
- Department Polytechnic of Engineering and Architecture (DPIA), University of Udine, Via del Cotonificio 108, 33100 Udine, Italy.
| | - Francesca Magnolo
- Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
| | - Carmen Ferrara
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano, Sa, Italy.
| | - Charlene Vance
- School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, University College Dublin (UCD), Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
| | - Gloria Misson
- Department Polytechnic of Engineering and Architecture (DPIA), University of Udine, Via del Cotonificio 108, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Giovanni De Feo
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano, Sa, Italy.
| | - Stijn Speelman
- Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
| | - Fionnuala Murphy
- School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, University College Dublin (UCD), Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
| | - Daniele Goi
- Department Polytechnic of Engineering and Architecture (DPIA), University of Udine, Via del Cotonificio 108, 33100 Udine, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Davidson KH, Starzomski BM, El‐Sabaawi R, Hocking MD, Reynolds JD, Wickham SB, Darimont CT. Marine subsidy promotes spatial and dietary niche variation in an omnivore, the Keen's mouse ( Peromyscus keeni). Ecol Evol 2021; 11:17700-17722. [PMID: 35003633 PMCID: PMC8717356 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine-derived resource subsidies can generate intrapopulation variation in the behaviors and diets of terrestrial consumers. How omnivores respond, given their multiple trophic interactions, is not well understood. We sampled mice (Peromyscus keeni) and their food sources at five sites on three islands of the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada, to test predictions regarding variation in the spatial behavior and consumption of marine-subsidized foods among individuals. About 50% of detections (n = 27 recaptures) occurred at traps closest to shoreline (25 m), with capture frequencies declining significantly inland (up to 200 m). Stable isotope signatures (δ 13C and δ 15N), particularly δ 15N, in plant foods, forest arthropod prey, and mouse feces were significantly enriched near shorelines compared with inland, while δ 13C patterns were more variable. Bayesian isotope mixing models applied to isotope values in mouse hair indicated that over one-third (35-37%) of diet was comprised of beach-dwelling arthropods, a marine-derived food source. Males were more abundant near the shoreline than females and consumed more marine-derived prey, regardless of reproductive status or availability of other food sources. Our results identify how multiple pathways of marine nutrient transfer can subsidize terrestrial omnivores and how subsets of recipient populations can show variation in spatial and dietary response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katie H. Davidson
- Department of GeographyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Hakai InstituteHeriot BayBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Brian M. Starzomski
- Hakai InstituteHeriot BayBritish ColumbiaCanada
- School of Environmental StudiesUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Rana El‐Sabaawi
- Department of BiologyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Morgan D. Hocking
- School of Environmental StudiesUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Ecofish Research Ltd.VictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - John D. Reynolds
- Hakai InstituteHeriot BayBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Department of Biological SciencesSimon Fraser UniversityBurnabyBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Sara B. Wickham
- Hakai InstituteHeriot BayBritish ColumbiaCanada
- School of Environmental StudiesUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Present address:
School of Environment, Resources and SustainabilityUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
| | - Chris T. Darimont
- Department of GeographyUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Hakai InstituteHeriot BayBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Raincoast Conservation FoundationSidneyBritish ColumbiaCanada
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Vázquez-Delfín E, Freile-Pelegrín Y, Salazar-Garibay A, Serviere-Zaragoza E, Méndez-Rodríguez LC, Robledo D. Species composition and chemical characterization of Sargassum influx at six different locations along the Mexican Caribbean coast. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 795:148852. [PMID: 34247081 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In the last decade, unprecedented arrivals of pelagic Sargassum (Sargassum influx) have been reported for the Caribbean coasts causing severe ecological and economical affectations and remarking the necessity to characterize the phenomenon. In the north coast of the Mexican Caribbean, spatial characterization of Sargassum influx was performed in terms of its abundance, species composition and chemical content using a combination of in situ sampling and remote sensing evaluations. Sargassum influx was detected within the 25 km fringe near to Quintana Roo coast in coincidence with beach-cast events during September 2018. Significant spatial variation in abundance and species composition of the stranded biomass was found for the six localities studied, which was related to the local environmental conditions. Pelagic species of Sargassum were the main component ranging from 78.1 to 99.6% of the total beach-cast (wrack) fresh biomass, whereas benthic macrophytes (seagrasses and macroalgae) were a minor component reaching up to 21% in some localities. The biochemical composition of beach-cast Sargassum resulted spatially homogeneous for most of the components analyzed; only carbon tissue content, ash metals (particularly Fe and As) and isotopic composition changed spatially. This study represents baseline information for the region. Long-term seasonal evaluations of Sargassum influx along Mexican Caribbean are required to define adequate management strategies and exploitation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Adán Salazar-Garibay
- CONACYT-Centro de Investigación en Geografía y Geomática, CentroGEO Unidad Mérida, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
| | - Elisa Serviere-Zaragoza
- Center for Biological Research of the Northwest S. C., Inst. Politécnico Nacional 195, La Paz, BCS C.P. 23096, Mexico
| | - Lia C Méndez-Rodríguez
- Center for Biological Research of the Northwest S. C., Inst. Politécnico Nacional 195, La Paz, BCS C.P. 23096, Mexico
| | - Daniel Robledo
- Marine Resources Department, CINVESTAV, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Page HM, Schamel J, Emery KA, Schooler NK, Dugan JE, Guglielmino A, Schroeder DM, Palmstrom L, Hubbard DM, Miller RJ. Diet of a threatened endemic fox reveals variation in sandy beach resource use on California Channel Islands. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258919. [PMID: 34710148 PMCID: PMC8553077 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The coastal zone provides foraging opportunities for insular populations of terrestrial mammals, allowing for expanded habitat use, increased dietary breadth, and locally higher population densities. We examined the use of sandy beach resources by the threatened island fox (Urocyon littoralis) on the California Channel Islands using scat analysis, surveys of potential prey, beach habitat attributes, and stable isotope analysis. Consumption of beach invertebrates, primarily intertidal talitrid amphipods (Megalorchestia spp.) by island fox varied with abundance of these prey across sites. Distance-based linear modeling revealed that abundance of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) wrack, rather than beach physical attributes, explained the largest amount of variation in talitrid amphipod abundance and biomass across beaches. δ13C and δ15N values of fox whisker (vibrissae) segments suggested individualism in diet, with generally low δ13C and δ15N values of some foxes consistent with specializing on primarily terrestrial foods, contrasting with the higher isotope values of other individuals that suggested a sustained use of sandy beach resources, the importance of which varied over time. Abundant allochthonous marine resources on beaches, including inputs of giant kelp, may expand habitat use and diet breadth of the island fox, increasing population resilience during declines in terrestrial resources associated with climate variability and long-term climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Henry M. Page
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Juliann Schamel
- Channel Islands National Park, Ventura, California, United States of America
| | - Kyle A. Emery
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - Nicholas K. Schooler
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - Jenifer E. Dugan
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - Angela Guglielmino
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Donna M. Schroeder
- Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Camarillo, California, United States of America
| | - Linnea Palmstrom
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - David M. Hubbard
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - Robert J. Miller
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Lemay MA, Davis KM, Martone PT, Parfrey LW. Kelp-associated Microbiota are Structured by Host Anatomy 1. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2021; 57:1119-1130. [PMID: 33749821 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Seaweed-associated microbiota are essential for the health and resilience of nearshore ecosystems, marine biogeochemical cycling, and host health. Yet much remains unknown about the ecology of seaweed-microbe symbioses. In this study, we quantified fine-scale patterns of microbial community structure across distinct anatomical regions of the kelp Laminaria setchellii. These anatomical regions represent a gradient of tissue ages: perennial holdfasts can be several years old, whereas stipe epicortex and blades are younger annual structures. Within blades, new growth occurs at the base, while the blade tips may be several months old and undergoing senescence. We hypothesized that microbial communities will differ across anatomical regions (holdfast, stipe, blade base, and blade tip), such that younger tissues will harbor fewer microbes that are more consistent across replicate individuals. Our data support this hypothesis, with the composition of bacterial (16S rRNA gene) and microeukaryote (18S rRNA gene) communities showing significant differences across the four anatomical regions, with the surfaces of older tissues (holdfast and blade tips) harboring significantly greater microbial richness compared to the younger tissues of the meristematic region. Additional samples collected from the surfaces of new L. setchellii recruits (<1y old) also showed differences in microbial community structure across anatomical regions, which demonstrates that these microbial differences are established early. We also observed this pattern in two additional algal species, suggesting that microbial community structure across host anatomy may be a common feature of the seaweed microbiome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Lemay
- Hakai Institute, PO Box 309, Heriot Bay, British Columbia, V0P 1H0, Canada
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Katherine M Davis
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Patrick T Martone
- Hakai Institute, PO Box 309, Heriot Bay, British Columbia, V0P 1H0, Canada
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Laura Wegener Parfrey
- Hakai Institute, PO Box 309, Heriot Bay, British Columbia, V0P 1H0, Canada
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 4200-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Zeigler SL, Gutierrez BT, Hecht A, Plant NG, Sturdivant EJ. Piping plovers demonstrate regional differences in nesting habitat selection patterns along the U.S. Atlantic coast. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sara L. Zeigler
- United States Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center St. Petersburg Florida33701USA
| | - Benjamin T. Gutierrez
- United States Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Woods Hole Massachusetts02543USA
| | - Anne Hecht
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sudbury Massachusetts01776USA
| | - Nathaniel G. Plant
- United States Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center St. Petersburg Florida33701USA
| | - Emily J. Sturdivant
- United States Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Woods Hole Massachusetts02543USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Critchley LP, Bugnot AB, Dafforn KA, Marzinelli EM, Bishop MJ. Comparison of wrack dynamics between mangrove forests with and without seawalls. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 751:141371. [PMID: 32882543 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The supply and fate of wrack (dead organic matter) is a critical determinant of the structure and function of shoreline ecosystems, and their role as carbon repositories. The increasingly common practise of armouring urbanised shorelines with seawalls impacts wrack deposits of unvegetated estuarine and coastal shorelines by truncating the intertidal zone and/or by modifying the physical and biological processes that deliver and remove wrack. This study tested whether such effects also extend to mangrove forests. A survey of wrack deposits in mangrove forests with and without seawalls along the Parramatta River, Sydney, Australia, revealed that at sites with seawalls placed at a mid-intertidal elevation wrack deposits were shifted from the high- to mid-intertidal but were otherwise of similar cover and composition. Experiments tracking the fate of wrack determined that, as compared to the mid-intertidal zone of unarmoured shorelines, wrack deposits at sites with seawalls were more readily mobilised. This was in some instances countered by the reduction in Casuarina glauca litter on armoured shorelines, as experiments revealed that Avicennia marina leaf decomposition was slower in the absence than the presence of C. glauca. Overall, the results suggest that effects of armouring on wrack composition and dynamics may be weaker in mangrove forests than on unvegetated shorelines. This could reflect the predominantly autochthonous source of wrack in mangrove forests, the habitat structure of forests minimizing hydrodynamic impacts of seawalls, and/or the differing reasons for which hard structures are constructed in low hydrodynamic energy vegetated as opposed to high hydrodynamic energy unvegetated settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lincoln P Critchley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia.
| | - Ana B Bugnot
- The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Coastal and Marine Ecosystems, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; Sydney Institute of Marine Science, 19 Chowder Bay Rd, Mosman 2088, Australia
| | - Katherine A Dafforn
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science, 19 Chowder Bay Rd, Mosman 2088, Australia; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Ezequiel M Marzinelli
- The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Coastal and Marine Ecosystems, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; Sydney Institute of Marine Science, 19 Chowder Bay Rd, Mosman 2088, Australia; Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Melanie J Bishop
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Lonsdale JA, Blake S, Griffith A. A novel systematic, risk based approach to support the designation of aquatic disposal sites. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 162:111874. [PMID: 33310542 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Humans rely fundamentally on the marine environment, which is at the same time subject to an increasingly broad range of anthropogenic pressures, leading to growing concerns and the need for effective management for marine protection. One activity is the dredging of ports and harbours which is necessary to maintain safe channels for commercial and recreational navigation. Regulatory authorities in developing countries have few resources to conduct full EIAs for determining dredged material disposal sites but are required to do so under international obligations. The Tool in this paper provides an effective, pragmatic, transparent, consistent, and robust approach to protect the environment whilst using limited technical and scientific resources through a risk based approach to defining need, characterising and designating disposal sites at sea for dredged material. Whilst this approach for dredged material disposal sites was developed for use in UK, this process is equally applicable to other waste types, worldwide.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jemma-Anne Lonsdale
- Cefas, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft NR33 0HT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| | - Sylvia Blake
- Cefas, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft NR33 0HT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Andrew Griffith
- Cefas, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft NR33 0HT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Spatio-Temporal Variability of Anthropogenic and Natural Wrack Accumulations along the Driftline: Marine Litter Overcomes Wrack in the Northern Sandy Beaches of Portugal. JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/jmse8120966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Marine litter can end up deposited on sandy beaches and become entangled in the natural wrack, threatening its roles in ecosystems. However, it is currently unknown whether the storage of both artificial and natural accumulations on sandy beaches is correlated. Here, we quantified and compared, by first time, the litter and natural wrack on five sandy beaches in the north of Portugal. Results showed that the amount of marine litter and natural wrack were not correlated. Most of the sandy beaches had more litter than wrack and both artificial and natural accumulations disclosed high spatio-temporal variability. In summer, annual and opportunistic macroalgae dominated the wrack, while the litter was mainly formed by cigarette butts and leftover food. In winter, perennial taxa were more abundant in the wrack and plastics from mussel farming and cotton bud sticks dominated the litter. The macroalga Fucus spp., plastic pieces and materials from fishing were frequent in both periods. This study confirms that, currently, more litter than natural wrack reaches the Northern Portuguese sandy beaches, evidencing the need to take urgent measures against this contamination. Future management measures should consider this spatio-temporal variability to quantify both depositions.
Collapse
|
24
|
Warming and Wrack Supply Will Accelerate CO2 Emission and Nutrients Release on Antarctic Sedimentary Shores: A Case Study on a Volcanic Island. Ecosystems 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-020-00553-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
25
|
Heiss JW. Whale burial and organic matter impacts on biogeochemical cycling in beach aquifers and leachate fluxes to the nearshore zone. JOURNAL OF CONTAMINANT HYDROLOGY 2020; 233:103656. [PMID: 32554099 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2020.103656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Coastal managers are increasingly faced with the challenge of disposing of stranded whale carcasses on beaches. Direct burial in the beach is often used as a cost effective method of disposal. However, whale burial management plans are often met with public resistance owing to the perceived risk of shark attraction to burial leachate that may discharge from the seabed. A reactive transport model was combined with a numerical variable-density groundwater flow model to assess buried whale leachate plume formation, transport, influence on beach aquifer reactivity, and discharge to coastal surface water for a range of burial setback distances, depths, and whale sizes. A second set of simulations was performed to evaluate aquifer nitrate removal efficiencies for a range of buried wrack scenarios and to evaluate the role of organic carbon source on beach reactivity. A sensitivity analysis was performed for both sets of models across ten physical and reaction parameters. Simulations using the best estimate parameter set showed that whale burials can produce DOC and ammonium leachate plumes in the beach aquifer that are transported to and discharge near the low tide line in water depths of 0.4-2.4 m. DOC and ammonium concentrations in discharging whale leachate were1.6 and 26 times higher than typical surf zone concentrations, respectively. Of the factors tested, the burial distance inland from the high tide line was the most important factor affecting leachate fluxes to surface water. Burials placed farther inland led to smaller DOC fluxes to surface water, but increased ammonium fluxes. Burial depth also affected whale leachate to the subtidal zone, with deeper burials resulting in smaller fluxes of DOC. Leached DOC from whale decomposition and from buried wrack can fuel denitrification hotspots within beach sediments. The sensitivity analysis showed that nitrate removal supported by buried wrack and whale leachate fluxes are highly dependent on beach properties, hydrologic forcing, and reaction parameters. The wrack model results have implications for beach scraping and the whale burial models show that whale leachate can be delivered to the shallow subtidal zone via groundwater discharge pathways, with potential implications for shark attraction and whale burial management practices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James W Heiss
- Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Reijers VC, Lammers C, de Rond AJA, Hoetjes SCS, Lamers LPM, van der Heide T. Resilience of beach grasses along a biogeomorphic successive gradient: resource availability vs. clonal integration. Oecologia 2020; 192:201-212. [PMID: 31802199 PMCID: PMC6974500 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04568-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Coastal ecosystems are often formed through two-way interactions between plants and their physical landscape. By expanding clonally, landscape-forming plants can colonize bare unmodified environments and stimulate vegetation-landform feedback interactions. Yet, to what degree these plants rely on clonal integration for overcoming physical stress during biogeomorphological succession remains unknown. Here, we investigated the importance of clonal integration and resource availability on the resilience of two European beach grasses (i.e. Elytrigia juncea and Ammophila arenaria) over a natural biogeomorphic dune gradient from beach (unmodified system) to foredune (biologically modified system). We found plant resilience, as measured by its ability to recover and expand following disturbance (i.e. plant clipping), to be independent on the presence of rhizomal connections between plant parts. Instead, resource availability over the gradient largely determined plant resilience. The pioneer species, Elytrigia, demonstrated a high resilience to physical stress, independent of its position on the biogeomorphic gradient (beach or embryonic dune). In contrast, the later successional species (Ammophila) proved to be highly resilient on the lower end of its distribution (embryonic dune), but it did not fully recover on the foredunes, most likely as a result of nutrient deprivation. We argue that in homogenously resource-poor environments as our beach system, overall resource availability, instead of translocation through a clonal network, determines the resilience of plant species. Hence, the formation of high coastal dunes may increase the resistance of beach grasses to the physical stresses of coastal flooding, but the reduced marine nutrient input may negatively affect the resilience of plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valérie C Reijers
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
- Department Coastal Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, 1790 AB, Den Burg, The Netherlands.
| | - Carlijn Lammers
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department Coastal Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, 1790 AB, Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | - Anne J A de Rond
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Sean C S Hoetjes
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Leon P M Lamers
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Tjisse van der Heide
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department Coastal Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, 1790 AB, Den Burg, The Netherlands
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Steibl S, Laforsch C. Disentangling the environmental impact of different human disturbances: a case study on islands. Sci Rep 2019; 9:13712. [PMID: 31548552 PMCID: PMC6757039 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49555-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Coastal ecosystems suffer substantially from the worldwide population growth and its increasing land demands. A common approach to investigate anthropogenic disturbance in coastal ecosystems is to compare urbanized areas with unaffected control sites. However, the question remains whether different types of anthropogenic disturbance that are elements of an urbanized area have the same impact on beach ecosystems. By investigating small islands that are utilized for tourism, inhabited by the local population, or remained completely uninhabited, we disentangled different anthropogenic disturbances and analysed their impacts on hermit crabs as indicator species. We observed a negative impact on abundance on tourist islands and a negative impact on body size on local islands. In comparison to the uninhabited reference, both disturbances had an overall negative impact. As both forms of disturbance also impacted the underlying food resource and habitat availability differently, we propose that the findings from our study approach are valid for most obligate beach species in the same system. This demonstrates that in urbanized areas, the coastal ecosystem is not always impacted identically, which emphasizes the importance of considering the particular type of anthropogenic disturbance when planning conservation action in urbanized areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Steibl
- University of Bayreuth and BayCEER, Department Animal Ecology I, Universitaetsstr. 30, D-95440, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Christian Laforsch
- University of Bayreuth and BayCEER, Department Animal Ecology I, Universitaetsstr. 30, D-95440, Bayreuth, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Zuercher R, Galloway AWE. Coastal marine ecosystem connectivity: pelagic ocean to kelp forest subsidies. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Zuercher
- University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz California 95060 USA
| | - Aaron W. E. Galloway
- Oregon Institute of Marine Biology University of Oregon Charleston Oregon 97420 USA
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Lastra M, López J, Rodil IF. Warming intensify CO 2 flux and nutrient release from algal wrack subsidies on sandy beaches. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:3766-3779. [PMID: 29668041 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2018] [Revised: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Algal wrack subsidies underpin most of the food web structure of exposed sandy beaches and are responsible of important biogeochemical processes that link marine and terrestrial ecosystems. The response in decomposition of algal wrack deposits to global warming has not been studied in ocean-exposed sandy beaches to date. With this aim, passive open top chambers (OTCs) were used to increase soil temperature within the range predicted by the IPCC for western Europe (between 0.5 and 1.5°C), following the hypothesis that the biogeochemical processing of macroalgal wrack subsidies would accelerate in response to temperature increase. The effect of temperature manipulation on three target substrates: fresh and aged macroalgae, and bare sand, was tested. Results indicated that a small warming (<0.5°C) affected the wrack decomposition process through traceable increases in soil respiration through CO2 flux, inorganic nutrients within the interstitial environment (N and P), sediment organic contents measured through the amount of proteins and microbial pool through the total soil DNA. The different responses of soil variables in the studied substrates indicated that the decomposition stage of stranded macroalgae influences the biogeochemical processing of organic matter in sandy beaches. Thus, CO2 fluxes, releases of organic and inorganic nutrients and microbial activity intensify in aged wrack deposits. Our results predict that expected global warming will increase the release of inorganic nutrients to the coastal ocean by 30% for the N (21 Gg/year) and 5.9% for P (14 Gg/year); that increase for the flow of C to the atmosphere as CO2 was estimated in 8.2% (523 Gg/year). This study confirms the key role of sandy beaches in recycling ocean-derived organic matter, highlighting their sensitivity to a changing scenario of global warming that predicts significant increases in temperature over the next few decades.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mariano Lastra
- Department of Ecology and Animal Biology, Marine Science Faculty, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain
- Toralla Marine Science Station (ECIMAT), University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | - Jesús López
- Department of Ecology and Animal Biology, Marine Science Faculty, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain
- Toralla Marine Science Station (ECIMAT), University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | - Iván F Rodil
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, Hanko, Finland
- Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Chubarenko IP, Esiukova EE, Bagaev AV, Bagaeva MA, Grave AN. Three-dimensional distribution of anthropogenic microparticles in the body of sandy beaches. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 628-629:1340-1351. [PMID: 30045555 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- I P Chubarenko
- Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 36, Nahimovskiy prospekt, Moscow 117997, Russia.
| | - E E Esiukova
- Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 36, Nahimovskiy prospekt, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - A V Bagaev
- Federal State Budget Scientific Institution "Marine Hydrophysical Institute of RAS", 2, Kapitanskaya str., Sevastopol 299011, Russia
| | - M A Bagaeva
- Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 36, Nahimovskiy prospekt, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - A N Grave
- Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 36, Nahimovskiy prospekt, Moscow 117997, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Naman SM, Rosenfeld JS, Kiffney PM, Richardson JS. The energetic consequences of habitat structure for forest stream salmonids. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:1383-1394. [PMID: 29737519 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Increasing habitat availability (i.e. habitat suitable for occupancy) is often assumed to elevate the abundance or production of mobile consumers; however, this relationship is often nonlinear (threshold or unimodal). Identifying the mechanisms underlying these nonlinearities is essential for predicting the ecological impacts of habitat change, yet the functional forms and ultimate causation of consumer-habitat relationships are often poorly understood. Nonlinear effects of habitat on animal abundance may manifest through physical constraints on foraging that restrict consumers from accessing their resources. Subsequent spatial incongruence between consumers and resources should lead to unimodal or saturating effects of habitat availability on consumer production if increasing the area of habitat suitable for consumer occupancy comes at the expense of habitats that generate resources. However, the shape of this relationship could be sensitive to cross-ecosystem prey subsidies, which may be unrelated to recipient habitat structure and result in more linear habitat effects on consumer production. We investigated habitat-production relationships for juveniles of stream-rearing Pacific salmon and trout (Oncorhynchus spp.), which typically forage in low-velocity pool habitats, while their prey (drifting benthic invertebrates) are produced upstream in high-velocity riffles. However, juvenile salmonids also consume subsidies of terrestrial invertebrates that may be independent of pool-riffle structure. We measured salmonid biomass production in 13 experimental enclosures each containing a downstream pool and upstream riffle, spanning a gradient of relative pool area (14%-80% pool). Increasing pool relative to riffle habitat area decreased prey abundance, leading to a nonlinear saturating effect on fish production. We then used bioenergetics model simulations to examine how the relationship between pool area and salmonid biomass is affected by varying levels of terrestrial subsidy. Simulations indicated that increasing terrestrial prey inputs linearized the effect of habitat availability on salmonid biomass, while decreasing terrestrial inputs exaggerated a "hump-shaped" effect. Our results imply that nonlinear effects of habitat availability on consumer production can arise from trade-offs between habitat suitable for consumer occupancy and habitat that generates prey. However, cross-ecosystem prey subsidies can effectively decouple this trade-off and modify consumer-habitat relationships in recipient systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sean M Naman
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jordan S Rosenfeld
- Applied Freshwater Ecology Research Unit, British Columbia Ministry of the Environment, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Peter M Kiffney
- Fish Ecology Division, Watershed Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Mukilteo, Washington
| | - John S Richardson
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Buckner EV, Hernández DL, Samhouri JF. Conserving connectivity: Human influence on subsidy transfer and relevant restoration efforts. AMBIO 2018; 47:493-503. [PMID: 29127669 PMCID: PMC5884764 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-017-0989-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Revised: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Conservation efforts tend to focus on the direct impacts humans have on their surrounding environment; however there are also many ways in which people indirectly affect ecosystems. Recent research on ecological subsidies-the transfer of energy and nutrients from one ecosystem to another-has highlighted the importance of nutrient exchange for maintaining productivity and diversity at a landscape scale, while also pointing toward the fragility of ecotones and vulnerability of subsidies to human activities. We review the recent literature on landscape connectivity and ecosystem subsidies from aquatic systems to terrestrial systems. Based on this review, we propose a conceptual model of how human activities may alter or eliminate the flow of energy and nutrients between ecosystems by influencing the delivery of subsidies along the pathway of transfer. To demonstrate the utility of this conceptual model, we discuss it in the context of case studies of subsidies derived from salmon, marine mammals, sea turtles, sea birds, and shoreline debris. Subsidy restoration may require a different set of actions from simply reversing the pathway of degradation. We suggest that effective restoration and conservation efforts will require a multifaceted approach, targeting many steps along the subsidy transfer pathway, to address these issues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily V. Buckner
- Department of Biology, Carleton College, 1 North College Street, Northfield, MN 55057 USA
- Present Address: 3324 E Laurelhurst DR NE, Seattle, WA 98105 USA
| | - Daniel L. Hernández
- Department of Biology, Carleton College, 1 North College Street, Northfield, MN 55057 USA
| | - Jameal F. Samhouri
- Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112 USA
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Sandy Beaches as Biogeochemical Hotspots: The Metabolic Role of Macroalgal Wrack on Low-productive Shores. Ecosystems 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-018-0253-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
|
34
|
Lemay MA, Martone PT, Keeling PJ, Burt JM, Krumhansl KA, Sanders RD, Wegener Parfrey L. Sympatric kelp species share a large portion of their surface bacterial communities. Environ Microbiol 2018; 20:658-670. [PMID: 29124859 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Revised: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Kelp forest ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots, providing habitat for dense assemblages of marine organisms and nutrients for marine and terrestrial food webs. The surfaces of kelps support diverse microbial communities that facilitate the transfer of carbon from algal primary production to higher trophic levels. We quantified the diversity of bacteria on the surfaces of eight sympatric kelp species from four sites in British Columbia. Kelp-associated bacterial communities are significantly different from their environment, even though 86% of their bacterial taxa are shared with seawater and 97% are shared with rocky substrate. This differentiation is driven by differences in relative abundance of the bacterial taxa present. Similarly, a large portion of bacterial taxa (37%) is shared among all eight kelp species, yet differential abundance of bacterial taxa underlies differences in community structure among species. Kelp-associated bacterial diversity does not track host phylogeny; instead bacterial community composition is correlated with the life-history strategy of the host, with annual and perennial kelps supporting divergent bacterial communities. These data provide the first community-scale investigation of kelp forest-associated bacterial diversity. More broadly, this study provides insight into mechanisms that may structure bacterial communities among closely related sympatric host species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Lemay
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
- Hakai Institute, PO Box 309, Heriot Bay, BC, Canada V0P 1H0
| | - Patrick T Martone
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
- Hakai Institute, PO Box 309, Heriot Bay, BC, Canada V0P 1H0
| | - Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
- Hakai Institute, PO Box 309, Heriot Bay, BC, Canada V0P 1H0
| | - Jenn M Burt
- Hakai Institute, PO Box 309, Heriot Bay, BC, Canada V0P 1H0
- School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6
| | - Kira A Krumhansl
- Hakai Institute, PO Box 309, Heriot Bay, BC, Canada V0P 1H0
- School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6
| | - Rhea D Sanders
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
- Hakai Institute, PO Box 309, Heriot Bay, BC, Canada V0P 1H0
| | - Laura Wegener Parfrey
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
- Hakai Institute, PO Box 309, Heriot Bay, BC, Canada V0P 1H0
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 4200-6270 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Patterns of biophonic periodicity on coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef. Sci Rep 2017; 7:17459. [PMID: 29234024 PMCID: PMC5727085 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15838-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The coral reefs surrounding Lizard Island in the Great Barrier Reef have a diverse soundscape that contains an array of bioacoustic phenomena, notably choruses produced by fishes. Six fish choruses identified around Lizard Island exhibited distinctive spatial and temporal patterns from 2014 to 2016. Several choruses displayed site fidelity, indicating that particular sites may represent important habitat for fish species, such as fish spawning aggregations sites. The choruses displayed a broad range of periodicities, from diel to annual, which provides new insights into the ecology of vocalising reef fish species and the surrounding ecosystem. All choruses were affected by one or more environmental variables including temperature and moonlight, the latter of which had a significant influence on the timing and received sound levels. These findings highlight the utility of passive acoustic tools for long-term monitoring and management of coral reefs, which is highly relevant in light of recent global disturbance events, particularly coral bleaching.
Collapse
|
36
|
Responses of orb-weaving spider aggregations to spatiotemporal variation in lake-to-land subsidies at Lake Mývatn, Iceland. Polar Biol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-017-2202-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|
37
|
Li S, Pennings SC. Timing of disturbance affects biomass and flowering of a saltmarsh plant and attack by stem‐boring herbivores. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shanze Li
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry University of Houston 3455 Cullen Blvd, Suite 342 Houston Texas 77204 USA
| | - Steven C. Pennings
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry University of Houston 3455 Cullen Blvd, Suite 342 Houston Texas 77204 USA
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
López BA, Macaya EC, Tala F, Tellier F, Thiel M. The variable routes of rafting: stranding dynamics of floating bull kelp Durvillaea antarctica (Fucales, Phaeophyceae) on beaches in the SE Pacific. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2017; 53:70-84. [PMID: 27734500 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.12479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 09/05/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Dispersal on floating seaweeds depends on availability, viability, and trajectories of the rafts. In the southern hemisphere, the bull kelp Durvillaea antarctica is one of the most common floating seaweeds, but phylogeographic studies had shown low connectivity between populations from continental Chile, which could be due to limitations in local supply and dispersal of floating kelps. To test this hypothesis, the spatiotemporal dynamics of kelp strandings were examined in four biogeographic districts along the Chilean coast (28°-42°S). We determined the biomass and demography of stranded individuals on 33 beaches for three subsequent years (2013, 2014, 2015) to examine whether rafting is restricted to certain districts and seasons (winter or summer). Stranded kelps were found on all beaches. Most kelps had only one stipe (one individual), although we also frequently found coalesced holdfasts with mature males and females, which would facilitate successful rafting dispersal, gamete release, and reproduction upon arrival. High biomasses of stranded kelps occurred in the northern-central (30°S-33°S) and southernmost districts (37°S-42°S), and lower biomasses in the northernmost (28°S-30°S) and southern-central districts (33°S-37°S). The highest percentages and sizes of epibionts (Lepas spp.), indicative of prolonged floating periods, were found on stranded kelps in the northernmost and southernmost districts. Based on these results, we conclude that rafting dispersal can vary regionally, being more common in the northernmost and southernmost districts, depending on intrinsic (seaweed biology) and extrinsic factors (shore morphology and oceanography) that affect local supply of kelps and regional hydrodynamics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Boris A López
- Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte, Larrondo 1281, Coquimbo, Chile
- Departamento de Acuicultura y Recursos Agroalimentarios, Universidad de Los Lagos, Avenida Fuchslocher 1305, Osorno, Chile
| | - Erasmo C Macaya
- Laboratorio de Estudios Algales (ALGALAB), Departamento de Oceanografía, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Island (ESMOI), Coquimbo, Chile
- Centro FONDAP de Investigaciones en Dinámica de Ecosistemas Marinos de Altas Latitudes (IDEAL), Valdivia, Chile
| | - Fadia Tala
- Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte, Larrondo 1281, Coquimbo, Chile
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Algas (CIDTA), Universidad Católica del Norte, Larrondo 1281, Coquimbo, Chile
| | - Florence Tellier
- Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Casilla 297, Concepción, Chile
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ambientes Sustentables (CIBAS), Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Casilla 297, Concepción, Chile
| | - Martin Thiel
- Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte, Larrondo 1281, Coquimbo, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Island (ESMOI), Coquimbo, Chile
- Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas, CEAZA, Coquimbo, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Esiukova E. Plastic pollution on the Baltic beaches of Kaliningrad region, Russia. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2017; 114:1072-1080. [PMID: 27726936 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Revised: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 10/02/2016] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Contamination of sandy beaches of the Baltic Sea in Kaliningrad region is evaluated on the base of surveys carried out from June 2015 to January 2016. Quantity of macro/meso/microplastic objects in the upper 2cm of the sandy sediments of the wrack zone at 13 sampling sites all along the Russian coast is reported. Occurrence of paraffin and amber pieces at the same sites is pointed out. Special attention is paid to microplastics (range 0.5-5mm): its content ranges between 1.3 and 36.3 items per kg dry sediment. The prevailing found type is foamed plastic. No sound differences in contamination are discovered between beaches with high and low anthropogenic load. Mean level of contamination is of the same order of magnitude as has been reported by other authors for the Baltic Sea beaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elena Esiukova
- Atlantic Branch of P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect Mira, 1, Kaliningrad 236022, Russia.
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Macreadie PI, Trevathan-Tackett SM, Baldock JA, Kelleway JJ. Converting beach-cast seagrass wrack into biochar: A climate-friendly solution to a coastal problem. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 574:90-94. [PMID: 27623530 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2016] [Revised: 09/02/2016] [Accepted: 09/03/2016] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Excessive accumulation of plant 'wrack' on beaches as a result of coastal development and beach modification (e.g. groin installation) is a global problem. This study investigated the potential for converting beach-cast seagrass wrack into biochar as a 'climate-friendly' disposal option for resource managers. Wrack samples from 11 seagrass species around Australia were initially screened for their biochar potential using pyrolysis techniques, and then two species - Posidonia australis and Zostera muelleri - underwent detailed analyses. Both species had high levels of refractory materials and high conversion efficiency (48-57%) of plant carbon into biochar carbon, which is comparable to high-quality terrestrial biochar products. P. australis wrack gave higher biochar yields than Z. muelleri consistent with its higher initial carbon content. According to 13C NMR, wrack predominantly comprised carbohydrates, protein, and lignin. Aryl carbon typical of pyrogenic materials dominated the spectrum of the thermally-altered organic materials. Overall, this study provides the first data on the feasibility of generating biochar from seagrass wrack, showing that biocharring offers a promising climate-friendly alternative to disposal of beach wrack in landfill by avoiding a portion of the greenhouse gas emissions that would otherwise occur if wrack was left to decompose.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter I Macreadie
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Victoria 3125, Australia; Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
| | - Stacey M Trevathan-Tackett
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Victoria 3125, Australia; Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | | | - Jeffrey J Kelleway
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia; Department of Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Liebowitz DM, Nielsen KJ, Dugan JE, Morgan SG, Malone DP, Largier JL, Hubbard DM, Carr MH. Ecosystem connectivity and trophic subsidies of sandy beaches. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Dina M. Liebowitz
- California Ocean Science Trust 1330 Broadway, Suite 1530 Oakland California 94612 USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz California 95060 USA
| | - Karina J. Nielsen
- Department of Biology Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies San Francisco State University Tiburon California 94920 USA
| | - Jenifer E. Dugan
- Marine Science Institute University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara California 93106 USA
| | - Steven G. Morgan
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy Bodega Marine Laboratory University of California Davis Bodega Bay California 94923 USA
| | - Daniel P. Malone
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz California 95060 USA
| | - John L. Largier
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy Bodega Marine Laboratory University of California Davis Bodega Bay California 94923 USA
| | - David M. Hubbard
- Marine Science Institute University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara California 93106 USA
| | - Mark H. Carr
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz California 95060 USA
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Holden JJ, Dudas SE, Juanes F. Is commercial harvesting of beach-cast seaweed ecologically sustainable? INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2016; 12:825-827. [PMID: 27640421 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.1795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 05/23/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica J Holden
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - Sarah E Dudas
- Centre for Shellfish Research, Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Francis Juanes
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Miller RJ, Page HM, Reed DC. Trophic versus structural effects of a marine foundation species, giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera). Oecologia 2015; 179:1199-209. [PMID: 26358195 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3441-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 08/30/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Foundation species create milieus in which ecosystems evolve, altering species abundances and distribution often to a dramatic degree. Although much descriptive work supports their importance, there remains little definitive information on the mechanisms by which foundation species alter their environment. These mechanisms fall into two basic categories: provision of food or other materials, and modification of the physical environment. Here, we manipulated the abundance of a marine foundation species, the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera, in 40 × 40-m plots at Mohawk Reef off Santa Barbara, California and found that its biomass had a strong positive effect on the abundance of bottom-dwelling sessile invertebrates. We examined the carbon (C) stable isotope values of seven species of sessile invertebrates in the treatment plots to test the hypothesis that this positive effect resulted from a nutritional supplement of small suspended particles of kelp detritus, as many studies have posited. We found no evidence from stable isotope analyses to support the hypothesis that kelp detritus is an important food source for sessile suspension-feeding invertebrates. The isotope composition of invertebrates varied with species and season, but was not affected by kelp biomass, with the exception of two species: the tunicate Styela montereyensis, which exhibited a slight enrichment in C stable isotope composition with increasing kelp biomass, and the hydroid Aglaophenia sp., which showed the opposite effect. These results suggest that modification of the physical habitat, rather than nutritional subsidy by kelp detritus, likely accounts for increased abundance of sessile invertebrates within giant kelp forests.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Miller
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
| | - Henry M Page
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Daniel C Reed
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Rodil IF, Fernandes JP, Mucha AP. Disentangling the effects of solar radiation, wrack macroalgae and beach macrofauna on associated bacterial assemblages. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2015; 112:104-12. [PMID: 26498844 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2015.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2015] [Revised: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Wrack detritus plays a significant role in shaping community dynamics and food-webs on sandy beaches. Macroalgae is the most abundant beach wrack, and it is broken down by the combination of environmental processes, macrofauna grazing, and microbial degradation before returning to the sea as nutrients. The role of solar radiation, algal species and beach macrofauna as ecological drivers for bacterial assemblages associated to wrack was investigated by experimental manipulation of Laminaria ochroleuca and Sargassum muticum. We examined the effects of changes in solar radiation on wrack-associated bacterial assemblages by using cut-off filters: PAR + UVA + UVB (280-700 nm; PAB), PAR + UVA (320-700 nm; PA), PAR (400-700 nm; P), and a control with no filter (C). Results showed that moderate changes in UVR are capable to promote substantial differences on bacterial assemblages so that wrack patches exposed to full sunlight treatments (C and PAB) showed more similar assemblages among them than compared to patches exposed to treatments that blocked part of the solar radiation (P and PA). Our findings also suggested that specific algal nutrient quality-related variables (i.e. nitrogen, C:N ratio and phlorotannins) are main determinants of bacterial dynamics on wrack deposits. We showed a positive relationship between beach macrofauna, especially the most abundant and active wrack-users, the amphipod Talitrus saltator and the coleopteran Phaleria cadaverina, and both bacterial abundance and richness. Moderate variations in natural solar radiation and shifts in the algal species entering beach ecosystems can modify the role of wrack in the energy-flow of nearshore environments with unknown ecological implications for coastal ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Iván F Rodil
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Joana P Fernandes
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana P Mucha
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Fox CH, Paquet PC, Reimchen TE. Novel species interactions: American black bears respond to Pacific herring spawn. BMC Ecol 2015; 15:14. [PMID: 26013706 PMCID: PMC4445564 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-015-0045-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2014] [Accepted: 04/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In addition to the decline and extinction of the world’s species, the decline and eventual loss of species interactions is one of the major consequences of the biodiversity crisis. On the Pacific coast of North America, diminished runs of salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) drive numerous marine–terrestrial interactions, many of which have been intensively studied, but marine–terrestrial interactions driven by other species remain relatively unknown. Bears (Ursus spp.) are major vectors of salmon into terrestrial ecosystems, but their participation in other cross-ecosystem interactions is similarly poorly described. Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), a migratory forage fish in coastal marine ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean and the dominant forage fish in British Columbia (BC), spawn in nearshore subtidal and intertidal zones. Spawn resources (eggs, milt, and spawning adults) at these events are available to coastal predators and scavengers, including terrestrial species. In this study, we investigated the interaction between American black bears (Ursus americanus) and Pacific herring at spawn events in Quatsino Sound, BC, Canada. Results Using remote cameras to monitor bear activity (1,467 camera days, 29 sites, years 2010–2012) in supratidal and intertidal zones and a machine learning approach, we determined that the quantity of Pacific herring eggs in supratidal and intertidal zones was a leading predictor of black bear activity, with bears positively responding to increasing herring egg masses. Other important predictors included day of the year and Talitrid amphipod (Traskorchestia spp.) mass. A complementary analysis of black bear scats indicated that Pacific herring egg mass was the highest ranked predictor of egg consumption by bears. Pacific herring eggs constituted a substantial yet variable component of the early springtime diet of black bears in Quatsino Sound (frequency of occurrence 0–34%; estimated dietary content 0–63%). Other major dietary items included graminoids (grasses and sedges), Phaeophyta (brown algae), Zosteraceae (seagrasses), and Talitrid amphipods. Conclusion This research represents the first scientific evidence of a cross-ecosystem interaction between Pacific herring and American black bears. Our findings also expand knowledge of the ecological roles of both species. Combined, evidence of anthropogenic constraints on both black bears and Pacific herring suggests that bear-herring interactions were potentially stronger and more widespread in the past.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Hazel Fox
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, PO Box 2429, Sidney, BC, V8L 3Y3, Canada. .,Department of Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada. .,Department of Geography, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada.
| | - Paul Charles Paquet
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, PO Box 2429, Sidney, BC, V8L 3Y3, Canada. .,Department of Geography, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada.
| | - Thomas Edward Reimchen
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Sex- and habitat-specific movement of an omnivorous semi-terrestrial crab controls habitat connectivity and subsidies: a multi-parameter approach. Oecologia 2015; 178:999-1015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3271-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2014] [Accepted: 02/11/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
|
47
|
Rodil IF, Lucena-Moya P, Olabarria C, Arenas F. Alteration of Macroalgal Subsidies by Climate-Associated Stressors Affects Behavior of Wrack-Reliant Beach Consumers. Ecosystems 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-014-9836-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
|
48
|
Barrineau P, Wernette P, Weymer B, Trimble S, Hammond B, Houser C. The Critical Zone of Coastal Barrier Systems. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63369-9.00016-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
|
49
|
Hooton N, Miller DL, Thetford M, Sean Claypool B. Survival and Growth of PlantedUniola paniculataand Dune Building Using Surrogate Wrack on Perdido Key Florida, U.S.A. Restor Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Deborah L. Miller
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, West Florida Research and Education Center; 5988 Highway 90, Building 4900 Milton FL 32583 U.S.A
| | - Mack Thetford
- Department of Environmental Horticulture; University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, West Florida Research and Education Center; 5988 Highway 90, Building 4900 Milton FL 32583 U.S.A
| | - B. Sean Claypool
- University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agriculture Science, West Florida Research and Education Center; 5988 Highway 90, Building 4900 Milton FL 32583 U.S.A
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Hammann S, Zimmer M. Wind-Driven Dynamics of Beach-Cast Wrack in a Tide-Free System. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.4236/ojms.2014.42009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
|