Article
Environmental Sciences
Daniel S. S. Swadling, Greg J. J. West, Peter T. T. Gibson, Roger J. J. Laird, Tim M. M. Glasby
Summary: This study examined how anthropogenic disturbances affect the habitat fragmentation of seagrass meadows, specifically looking at an endangered seagrass species in estuaries along the coastline of New South Wales, Australia. The results showed that habitat fragmentation was more severe in estuaries near highly populated areas, with boat moorings being the most significant factor. The findings suggest that as human population and estuarine development continue to grow, seagrass meadow fragmentation will become more pervasive.
AQUATIC CONSERVATION-MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Gianluca Mancini, Gianluca Mastrantonio, Alessio Pollice, Giovanna Jona Lasinio, Andrea Belluscio, Edoardo Casoli, Daniela Silvia Pace, Giandomenico Ardizzone, Daniele Ventura
Summary: Using a combination of historical aerial photography interpretation and Bayesian modeling, we mapped the upper limits of P. oceanica meadows and identified the key disturbance factors along the coast of Giglio Island. The study revealed that human-mediated impacts such as harbour expansion, mining, and anchoring had significant effects on seagrass coverage. The findings highlight the importance of implementing management actions to mitigate these adverse effects and preserve P. oceanica beds.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kristen A. Kaufman, Susan S. Bell
Summary: A retrospective study using aerial imagery and GIS techniques conducted fine-scale seagrass mapping, revealing the spatial heterogeneity and changes within seagrass habitats. Results showed that fine-scale mapping had less seagrass compared to broad-scale mapping, as well as detecting previously unrecognized seagrass distribution. These findings suggest the importance of using appropriate scales for mapping to accurately represent seagrass habitats.
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Dejan Radovan Dordevic, Uros Duric, Sasa Tomislav Bakrac, Sinisa Milanko Drobnjak, Stevan Radojcic
Summary: This paper discusses the application of remote sensing methods in monitoring soil movement caused by landslides, using the Umka landslide as an example for historical survey analysis.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Anderson Dantas, Carlos Roberto Fonseca
Summary: Habitat loss and chronic anthropogenic disturbances have a synergistic effect on ant communities, impacting ant richness. However, the effect of habitat loss on habitat specialist ants is similar to non-specialist ants. Although habitat amount is an important predictor of local biodiversity integrity, estimates of habitat quality should also be considered.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Wenjia Hu, Dian Zhang, Bin Chen, Xinming Liu, Xiaomin Ye, Qutu Jiang, Xinqing Zheng, Jianguo Du, Shiquan Chen
Summary: This study proposed a framework for prioritizing conservation and restoration objectives in seagrass meadows, modeling suitable habitats and estimating anthropogenic pressures in the Southern bioregion of China. The results identified a large conservation gap and priority sites for seagrass management, aiming to promote the sustainability of seagrass habitats.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kathryn McMahon, Kieryn Kilminster, Robert Canto, Chris Roelfsema, Mitchell Lyons, Gary A. Kendrick, Michelle Waycott, James Udy
Summary: This study conducted a cumulative risk analysis of seagrass habitat associated with the Australian continent and identified multiple threats, with nutrient and sediment pollution posing significant risks. The study highlights the danger of focusing management on a single strategy and emphasizes the importance of considering future threats in risk assessment.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Amanda K. Martin, Jennifer A. Sheridan
Summary: Alterations in body size have significant impacts on an organism's life history and ecology, and are influenced by climate and land use changes. Climate warming leads to smaller body sizes, while urbanization primarily results in body size increases. However, few studies have explored the combined effects of climate and land use changes on body size.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Francis M. Rowney, Ralph M. Fyfe, Leonard Baker, Henry French, Martha B. Koot, Havananda Ombashi, Rhys G. O. Timms
Summary: Upland moorlands in Europe have been degraded due to human activities, and their protection and restoration are important. An analysis of paleoecological data from upland peatland sites on Exmoor in the UK revealed that drainage in the 19th century led to decreases in Sphagnum and non-arboreal taxon richness, while burning and grazing were associated with changes in vegetation abundance and taxon richness over longer timescales. Restoration activities aiming to increase Sphagnum abundances, taxon richness, and reduce graminoid dominance align with the long-term dynamics of peatland systems.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Isabel Casal-Porras, Alba Yamuza-Magdaleno, Rocio Jimenez-Ramos, Luis G. Egea, J. Lucas Perez-Llorens, Fernando G. Brun
Summary: This study investigates the impact of chronic reduction in shoot density on a temperate seagrass population and its community components and functioning. The findings suggest that lower shoot densities can promote the presence of macroalgae and microphytobenthos in the community, resulting in reduced net community production and carbon metabolism. The study highlights the importance of chronic impacts on seagrass communities and their ecological services.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jueying Wu, Jinli Hu, Xinyu Zhao, Yangyang Sun, Guang Hu
Summary: This study investigated the bird diversity and vegetation conditions in 30 tea plantations in Anji County, Zhejiang Province, China. The results showed that tea plantations play an important role in maintaining bird diversity and act as a transitional zone between natural habitats and urban areas, reducing the impact of urbanization. Landscape factors surrounding the tea plantations mainly affected the bird richness, while the vegetation structure in the tea plantations strongly influenced the abundance of the birds.
Article
Ecology
F. Mestre, B. Silva
Summary: The lconnect R package is a user-friendly tool for assessing landscape connectivity and prioritizing habitat patches, which helps understand and address the challenges in biodiversity conservation.
ECOLOGICAL MODELLING
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Ehsan Rahimi, Chuleui Jung
Summary: The topology of plant-pollinator networks is influenced by species abundance and random interactions. These networks can be studied in the context of a landscape, where local populations of pollinators can form a metanetwork. Habitat fragmentation can affect the topology of plant-pollinator metanetworks, but it is unclear whether fragmented or aggregated landscapes can accommodate networks with higher specialization.
ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ashley M. McDonald, Rachel B. McDonald, Just Cebrian, Jose Luis Sanchez Lizaso
Summary: This study found that reconstructed shoot age and interannual growth metrics can detect anthropogenic impact effects on Posidonia oceanica production. The impacts varied depending on the type, with sewage outfall resulting in an older-skewed age distribution and trawling leading to reduced vertical growth and leaf production. A stress event period was detected for older shoots, with little recovery observed in trawling impacted areas. Reconstructed age and growth metrics provide a simple and effective method for identifying declining resilience in P. oceanica before catastrophic losses occur.
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Roger H. Lee, Ivan H. Y. Kwong, Toby P. N. Tsang, Mark K. L. Wong, Benoit Guenard
Summary: Early naturalists recognized the influence of topography and human disturbances on vegetation and animal communities, and this holistic view continues to shape conservation and restoration strategies. However, the potential of remote sensing to predict insect community structure has not been fully explored.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Christopher A. Lepczyk, Lisa M. Wedding, Gregory P. Asner, Simon J. Pittman, Tristan Goulden, Marc A. Linderman, Jeanne Gang, Rosalie Wright
Summary: Landscape ecology has shifted from a focus on two-dimensional spatial patterning to studying three-dimensional structures, enabling ecologists to gain new insights into the relationship between spatial patterns and ecological processes. Technological advances in high-resolution remote sensing have allowed for the mapping of complex ecosystem structures in three dimensions, leading to more realistic models of the environment and paving the way for future ecological research.
Article
Fisheries
Hayden P. Borland, Ben L. Gilby, Christopher J. Henderson, Javier X. Leon, Thomas A. Schlacher, Rod M. Connolly, Simon J. Pittman, Marcus Sheaves, Andrew D. Olds
Summary: The structure of seafloor terrain has widespread effects on fish species and assemblages, with differences in effects among different seascapes. However, the consequences of human modification of seafloor terrain for fish and fisheries are rarely measured in most seascapes.
FISH AND FISHERIES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Hayden P. Borland, Ben L. Gilby, Christopher J. Henderson, Rod M. Connolly, Bob Gorissen, Nicholas L. Ortodossi, Ashley J. Rummell, Simon J. Pittman, Marcus Sheaves, Andrew D. Olds
Summary: This study examined the effects of terrain variation on fish assemblages in 29 estuaries in eastern Australia and found that seafloor dredging significantly altered the terrain and affected fish distribution. However, plasticity in terrain use might be characteristic of fish assemblages in urban landscapes.
Review
Limnology
Denise J. B. Swanborn, Veerle A. Huvenne, Simon J. Pittman, Lucy C. Woodall
Summary: Seascape ecology is a new pattern-oriented and integrative science that focuses on quantifying ecological patterns in the sea and linking spatial patterns to biodiversity and ecological processes. It provides a framework for understanding and managing marine ecosystems by generating new scientific insights at relevant spatial and temporal scales.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Rolando O. Santos, W. Ryan James, James A. Nelson, Jennifer S. Rehage, Joseph Serafy, Simon J. Pittman, Diego Lirman
Summary: Habitat fragmentation of submerged aquatic vegetation alters the spatial pattern of seascapes and affects ecological processes such as food web function and energy flow.
Article
Geography
D. Mateos-Molina, S. J. Pittman, M. Antonopoulou, R. Baldwin, A. Chakraborty, J. A. Garcia-Charton, O. J. S. Taylor
Summary: Coastal habitat mapping is a powerful tool for informing strategies in coastal planning, biodiversity conservation, and blue carbon accounting. By integrating traditional remote sensing methods with local stakeholders' knowledge, a mixed-methods habitat mapping framework filled a knowledge gap in the Arabian Gulf region, producing an accurate and cost-effective coastal habitat map with local relevance and socio-ecological considerations. This map enables actions to address sustainable development and biodiversity conservation policy targets in the Arabian Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates.
Article
Ecology
Hayden P. Borland, Ben L. Gilby, Christopher J. Henderson, Rod M. Connolly, Bob Gorissen, Nicholas L. Ortodossi, Ashley J. Rummell, Ivan Nagelkerken, Simon J. Pittman, Marcus Sheaves, Andrew D. Olds
Summary: Mangroves and seagrasses are important nurseries for marine species, and the seafloor terrain influences nursery function. Factors such as depth, curvature, and roughness affect the abundance and diversity of fish. Mangrove nursery species are most abundant in flat areas with concave holes, rough substrates, and moderate depths, while seagrass nursery species are most abundant in areas adjacent to deep channels with soft mounds and ledges.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Simon J. Pittman, Kostantinos A. Stamoulis, Marina Antonopoulou, Himansu S. Das, Mohammad Shahid, Jade M. S. Delevaux, Lisa M. Wedding, Daniel Mateos-Molina
Summary: Coastal seascapes are valuable land-sea systems that provide numerous benefits but are increasingly under threat from human activities. To protect, sustainably manage, and restore these seascapes, evidence-based site selection and an integrated framework are essential.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
D. J. B. Swanborn, N. Fassbender, V. A. Huvenne, S. J. Pittman, P. Stefanoudis, L. C. Woodall
Summary: Mesophotic and rariphotic deeper reef habitats are understudied but important for ecology and conservation. Predictive models using terrain variables can help understand the environmental patterns and processes driving their distributions. In this study, we used high-resolution multibeam sonar and underwater video surveys to analyze the relationships between seafloor geomorphology and sessile benthic assemblages in Seychelles. Our results demonstrate that terrain derivatives extracted over multiple scales can predict deeper reef assemblages reliably.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Arianna Liconti, Simon J. Pittman, Sian E. Rees, Nova Mieszkowska
Summary: By integrating data from multiple sources, this study investigated gorgonian forests in Italian coastal waters, evaluated their biological complexity, impacts, and vulnerable species, and identified areas of special interest. The study found that areas outside marine protected areas had higher abundance and complexity of gorgonian species.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hayden P. Borland, Ben L. Gilby, Christopher J. Henderson, Rod M. Connolly, Bob Gorissen, Nicholas L. Ortodossi, Ashley J. Rummell, Simon J. Pittman, Marcus Sheaves, Andrew D. Olds
Summary: Landscape modification has a significant impact on animal assemblages and ecosystem functioning. This study focuses on the effects of dredging on the functional diversity of fish assemblages in estuaries. Surprisingly, dredged estuaries have higher functional diversity due to the presence of generalist species with wider functional niches. However, these positive effects are spatially restricted and are dependent on the area and orientation of terrain modification. Restricting the spatial extent and orientation of dredging operations could minimize impacts on ecosystem functioning in urban seascapes.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Denise J. B. Swanborn, Paris V. Stefanoudis, Veerle A. I. Huvenne, Simon J. Pittman, Lucy C. Woodall
Summary: The benthic components of tropical mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) are important habitats for diverse fish assemblages. This study aimed to investigate the influence of fine-scale benthic seascape structure and broad-scale environmental characteristics on MCE fish. The results revealed that spatial variations in benthic seascape structure significantly influenced the fish assemblages at different depths. The study highlights the potential of spatial pattern metrics to understand the habitat associations of MCE fish and suggests incorporating finer-scale perspectives in future marine survey and conservation strategies.
REMOTE SENSING IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
D. J. B. Swanborn, V. A. Huvenne, S. J. Pittman, A. D. Rogers, M. L. Taylor, L. C. Woodall
Summary: This study maps, quantifies, and compares the spatial heterogeneity of seamounts, revealing quantitative differences in seascape composition and configuration. The findings have important implications for understanding and managing the ecological functioning of seamounts.
Correction
Marine & Freshwater Biology
D. J. B. Swanborn, N. Fassbender, V. A. I. Huvenne, S. J. Pittman, P. V. Stefanoudis, L. C. Woodall
Article
Oceanography
D. J. B. Swanborn, V. A. I. Huvenne, T. Malpas, S. J. Pittman, A. D. Rogers, M. L. Taylor, L. C. Woodall
Summary: This study examines the influence of seamount physical characteristics as fish habitat on commercially important fish families, and highlights the importance of informing conservation and ecosystem-based management. The geographic location and water depth have the strongest influence on fish-habitat associations. Continuous summit habitat and complex shaped ridge features support high abundance and diversity of commercial fish families.
DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART I-OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH PAPERS
(2023)