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Srednick G, Swearer SE. Effects of protection and temperature variation on temporal stability in a marine reserve network. Conserv Biol 2023. [PMID: 37937466 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the drivers of ecosystem stability has been a key focus of modern ecology as the impacts of the Anthropocene become more prevalent and extreme. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are tools used globally to promote biodiversity and mediate anthropogenic impacts. However, assessing the stability of natural ecosystems, and responses to management actions, is inherently challenging due to the complex dynamics of communities with many interdependent taxa. Here we assess whether a MPA network in the Channel Islands, USA creates spatiotemporal heterogeneity in trophic networks, which reduces interaction strength and synchrony among prey, in-turn promoting temporal stability in community structure of trophic networks at community and metacommunity scales. At the community scale, only trophic networks within MPAs at Santa Rosa Island showed greater temporal stability than reference sites, likely driven by reduced prey synchrony. Across islands, competition was sometimes greater and predation always greater in MPAs compared to reference sites. These increases in interaction strength resulted in lower temporal stability of trophic networks. While MPAs also reduced prey synchrony at the metacommunity scale, this was insufficient to stabilize trophic networks. In contrast, temporal variation in sea surface temperature had strong positive direct effects on stability at the regional scale, and indirect effects at the local scale, through reductions in competition and predation strength. Although MPAs can be effective management strategies for protecting certain species or locations, our findings for this MPA network suggest that temperature variation has a stronger influence on metacommunity temporal stability by mediating species interactions and promoting a mosaic of spatiotemporal variation in community structure of trophic networks. By capturing the full spectrum of environmental variation in network planning, MPAs will have the greatest capacity to promote ecosystem stability in response to climate change. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Griffin Srednick
- National Centre for Coasts and Climate, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne
| | - Stephen E Swearer
- National Centre for Coasts and Climate, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne
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2
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Pine C, Erickson K, Gribben PE, Figueira WF. Observation of juvenile Eastern Blue Groper (Achoerodus viridis) on remnant oyster reefs in New South Wales, Australia. Ecology 2022; 103:e3824. [PMID: 35861048 PMCID: PMC10078396 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Pine
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Syndey, NSW, Australia
| | - Katherine Erickson
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Syndey, NSW, Australia.,Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Paul E Gribben
- Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, NSW, Australia
| | - Will F Figueira
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Syndey, NSW, Australia
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3
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Hayden B, Kovačić M, Kirinčić M, Marčić Z. Comparative trophic ecology of microhabitat-associated guilds of reef fishes in the Adriatic Sea. J Fish Biol 2022. [PMID: 35578982 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Reef ecosystems are characterized by highly heterogenous habitats and functionally diverse fish communities. Few studies have examined how functional diversity differs among habitats within these communities, i.e., species associated with a specific habitat may have similar trophic ecologies meaning that the functional diversity within the community is driven by habitat diversity or, conversely, high functional diversity within each habitat would indicate that resource segregation also occurs at the habitat level. We used stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen to estimate trophic position, resource use and ontogenetic niche shifts of 15 reef fishes associated with four distinct habitat types (cryptobenthic, epibenthic sand, epibenthic rock and hyperbenthic) on the Croatian coast of the Adriatic Sea. Trophic ecology was quite similar across fish assemblages, but there was strong evidence of niche segregation among fish species within each assemblage showing high functional diversity within each microhabitat. The sampled fish community contained benthic and pelagic resource users, along with multiple intermediate generalists. Consumer stable isotope ratios revealed considerable interspecific variation in resource use among fishes within each habitat type. The cryptobenthic fishes were a notable exception to this trend with the narrow range of resource use values, indicating reliance of these species on a single resource. The greatest diversity of trophic positions within a guild was observed in cryptobenthic and rock-associated epibenthic fishes. The majority of observed ontogenetic variation in studied fish species reflected an increase in benthic resource use and trophic position. However, the degree of ontogenetic variation in trophic ecology of studied species, if present, was generally low, showing no dramatic change in the ecology of any species. The size structuring among guilds was considerable, with cryptobenthic fishes the smallest on average and hyperbenthic fishes the largest, despite guilds having similar ranges of trophic positions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Hayden
- Biology Department, Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | | | | | - Zoran Marčić
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
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Blain CO, Hansen SC, Shears NT. Coastal darkening substantially limits the contribution of kelp to coastal carbon cycles. Glob Chang Biol 2021; 27:5547-5563. [PMID: 34382288 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Macroalgal-dominated habitats are rapidly gaining recognition as important contributors to marine carbon cycles and sequestration. Despite this recognition, relatively little is known about the production and fate of carbon originating from these highly productive ecosystems, or how anthropogenic- and climate-related stressors affect the role of macroalgae in marine carbon cycles. Here, we examine the impact of increasing turbidity on carbon storage, fixation and loss in southern hemisphere kelp forests. We quantified net primary production (NPP) and biomass accumulation (BA), and estimated carbon release via detritus and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) across a large-scale turbidity gradient. We show that increased turbidity, resulting in a 63% reduction in light, can result in a 95% reduction in kelp productivity. When averaged annually, estimates of NPP and BA per plant at high-light sites were nearly six and two times greater than those at low-light sites, respectively. Furthermore, the quantity of carbon fixed annually by kelp forests was up to 4.7 times greater than that stored as average annual standing stock. At low-light sites, the majority of C goes directly into tissue growth and is subsequently eroded. In contrast, excess production at high-light sites accounts for up to 39% of the total carbon fixed and is likely released as DOC. Turbidity is expected to increase in response to climate change and our results suggest this will have significant impacts on the capacity of kelp forests to contribute to carbon sequestration pathways. In addition to demonstrating that turbidity significantly reduces the quantity of carbon fixed by kelp forests, and subsequently released as detritus, our results highlight the negative impacts of turbidity on a large source of previously unaccounted for carbon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin O Blain
- Leigh Marine Laboratory, Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Warkworth, New Zealand
| | - Sandra Christine Hansen
- Leigh Marine Laboratory, Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Warkworth, New Zealand
| | - Nick T Shears
- Leigh Marine Laboratory, Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Warkworth, New Zealand
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5
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Gomi K, Nakamura Y, Kanda M, Honda K, Nakaoka M, Honma C, Adachi M. Diel vertical movements and feeding behaviour of blue humphead parrotfish Scarus ovifrons in a temperate reef of Japan. J Fish Biol 2021; 99:131-142. [PMID: 33595112 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The feeding ecology of scarinine parrotfishes on tropical coral reefs has received considerable attention in the past few decades; nonetheless, relatively few studies have been conducted in high-latitude reefs. Among the Indo-Pacific Scarus species, Scarus ovifrons is unique, being largely restricted to the warm temperate waters of Japan. Nonetheless, there is very little information available on the feeding ecology of this species. In this study, the authors used acoustic telemetry to detect the diel vertical movement patterns of S. ovifrons, video survey to detect its feeding depths and substrata and focal follow survey and genetic analysis to identify algae composition on the feeding scars at Kashiwajima Island, southwestern Japan (32° 46' N, 132° 38' E). Acoustic telemetry revealed that S. ovifrons spent most of its time in shallow water (<10 m) during the day and slept in deeper water (10-15 m) at night. Video and focal follow surveys revealed that most fishes of various sizes regularly took bites on epilithic algae and detrital materials on rocky substrata at depths of <10 m, but large fishes (>40 cm total length) sometimes took bites directly on live corals (Acropora solitaryensis) at the 5 m depth zone where live tabular corals dominated the benthos. Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that epilithic algae collected from feeding scars were mainly composed of Rhodophyta, and coralline algae were less often targeted. Overall, this study revealed that S. ovifrons feeds mostly at depths <10 m, and the feeding algae substrata of the species are similar to those of tropical coral reef parrotfishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuma Gomi
- Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Kochi University, Nankoku, Japan
| | - Yohei Nakamura
- Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Kochi University, Nankoku, Japan
- Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, Nankoku, Japan
| | | | - Kentaro Honda
- Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Masahiro Nakaoka
- Akkeshi Marine Station, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Akkeshi, Japan
| | - Chiho Honma
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan
| | - Masao Adachi
- Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, Nankoku, Japan
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan
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Pessarrodona A, Moore PJ, Sayer MDJ, Smale DA. Carbon assimilation and transfer through kelp forests in the NE Atlantic is diminished under a warmer ocean climate. Glob Chang Biol 2018; 24:4386-4398. [PMID: 29862600 PMCID: PMC6120504 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Global climate change is affecting carbon cycling by driving changes in primary productivity and rates of carbon fixation, release and storage within Earth's vegetated systems. There is, however, limited understanding of how carbon flow between donor and recipient habitats will respond to climatic changes. Macroalgal-dominated habitats, such as kelp forests, are gaining recognition as important carbon donors within coastal carbon cycles, yet rates of carbon assimilation and transfer through these habitats are poorly resolved. Here, we investigated the likely impacts of ocean warming on coastal carbon cycling by quantifying rates of carbon assimilation and transfer in Laminaria hyperborea kelp forests-one of the most extensive coastal vegetated habitat types in the NE Atlantic-along a latitudinal temperature gradient. Kelp forests within warm climatic regimes assimilated, on average, more than three times less carbon and donated less than half the amount of particulate carbon compared to those from cold regimes. These patterns were not related to variability in other environmental parameters. Across their wider geographical distribution, plants exhibited reduced sizes toward their warm-water equatorward range edge, further suggesting that carbon flow is reduced under warmer climates. Overall, we estimated that Laminaria hyperborea forests stored ~11.49 Tg C in living biomass and released particulate carbon at a rate of ~5.71 Tg C year-1 . This estimated flow of carbon was markedly higher than reported values for most other marine and terrestrial vegetated habitat types in Europe. Together, our observations suggest that continued warming will diminish the amount of carbon that is assimilated and transported through temperate kelp forests in NE Atlantic, with potential consequences for the coastal carbon cycle. Our findings underline the need to consider climate-driven changes in the capacity of ecosystems to fix and donate carbon when assessing the impacts of climate change on carbon cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Pessarrodona
- The Citadel Hill LaboratoryMarine Biological Association of the United KingdomPlymouthUK
- Present address:
UWA Oceans Institute and School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Western AustraliaCrawleyWAAustralia
| | - Pippa J. Moore
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural SciencesAberystwyth UniversityAberystwythUK
- Centre for Marine Ecosystems ResearchSchool of Natural SciencesEdith Cowan UniversityJoondalupWAAustralia
| | - Martin D. J. Sayer
- NERC National Facility for Scientific DivingScottish Association for Marine ScienceObanUK
| | - Dan A. Smale
- The Citadel Hill LaboratoryMarine Biological Association of the United KingdomPlymouthUK
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7
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Bradley DJ, Gladstone W, Gribben PE. Relationships between the spread of Caulerpa filiformis and fish communities on temperate rocky reefs. J Fish Biol 2018; 93:12-20. [PMID: 29882355 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The previously sub-dominant native marine macrophyte Caulerpa filiformis is now dominant on many sub-tidal rocky reefs in New South Wales (NSW), Australia and is expanding its distribution. As C. filiformis is highly chemically defended and structurally different to co-occurring habitat-forming macrophytes, two key attributes that govern fish assemblages, we hypothesized that fish assemblages, particularly herbivorous fishes, would be different at sites where C. filiformis occurred from where it was previously absent and within sites, fish community structure would be correlated to the cover of C. filiformis. We investigated these hypotheses by determining reef-associated fish assemblage attributes (assemblage structure, species richness, total abundance, Shannon-Weiner diversity, abundance of herbivorous species) along transects within sites where C. filiformis was present and absent. Surprisingly, despite large patches and very high densities of C. filiformis on the reefs we sampled, at larger spatial scales (i.e., among sites) no fish assemblage metrics differed between sites with large stands of C. filiformis and sites without the alga. Moreover the abundance of one dominant herbivore, the rock cale Aplodactylus lophodon, was greater at sites within large beds of C. filiformis. At smaller spatial scales, however, i.e. within sites where C. filiformis was present, fish assemblages did vary as a function of C. filiformis cover along transects, although this was not consistent across sampling times. Overall, our results suggest that the potential effects of the spread of this alga on faunal communities warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Bradley
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - William Gladstone
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Paul E Gribben
- Centre for Marine Bio-innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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Marzloff MP, Melbourne-Thomas J, Hamon KG, Hoshino E, Jennings S, van Putten IE, Pecl GT. Modelling marine community responses to climate-driven species redistribution to guide monitoring and adaptive ecosystem-based management. Glob Chang Biol 2016; 22:2462-2474. [PMID: 26990671 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2015] [Revised: 03/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/08/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
As a consequence of global climate-driven changes, marine ecosystems are experiencing polewards redistributions of species - or range shifts - across taxa and throughout latitudes worldwide. Research on these range shifts largely focuses on understanding and predicting changes in the distribution of individual species. The ecological effects of marine range shifts on ecosystem structure and functioning, as well as human coastal communities, can be large, yet remain difficult to anticipate and manage. Here, we use qualitative modelling of system feedback to understand the cumulative impacts of multiple species shifts in south-eastern Australia, a global hotspot for ocean warming. We identify range-shifting species that can induce trophic cascades and affect ecosystem dynamics and productivity, and evaluate the potential effectiveness of alternative management interventions to mitigate these impacts. Our results suggest that the negative ecological impacts of multiple simultaneous range shifts generally add up. Thus, implementing whole-of-ecosystem management strategies and regular monitoring of range-shifting species of ecological concern are necessary to effectively intervene against undesirable consequences of marine range shifts at the regional scale. Our study illustrates how modelling system feedback with only limited qualitative information about ecosystem structure and range-shifting species can predict ecological consequences of multiple co-occurring range shifts, guide ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change and help prioritise future research and monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Pierre Marzloff
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart, Tas., 7001, Australia
| | - Jessica Melbourne-Thomas
- Department of the Environment, Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tas., 7005, Australia
- Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, Private Bag 80, Hobart, Tas., 7001, Australia
| | - Katell G Hamon
- LEI - Wageningen UR, PO Box 29703, 2502 LS, 'S Gravenhage, The Netherlands
| | - Eriko Hoshino
- Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 84, Hobart, Tas., 7001, Australia
- CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Castray Esplanade, Hobart, Tas., 7001, Australia
| | - Sarah Jennings
- Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 84, Hobart, Tas., 7001, Australia
- Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tas., 7001, Australia
| | - Ingrid E van Putten
- CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Castray Esplanade, Hobart, Tas., 7001, Australia
- Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tas., 7001, Australia
| | - Gretta T Pecl
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart, Tas., 7001, Australia
- Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tas., 7001, Australia
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