Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Paolo Magni, Seyed Ehsan Vesal, Jacopo Giampaoletti, Serena Como, Maria Flavia Gravina
Summary: This study assessed the effectiveness of biological trait analysis (BTA) as an ecological indicator in a Mediterranean transitional system. The results showed spatial changes in macrobenthic assemblage diversity along the riverine-lagoon-sea gradient, which were well reflected in the Ecological Quality Status (EQS) values based on M-AMBI. The BTA approach appeared to be a promising method for assessing the environmental quality of brackish-water systems.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alice Oprandi, Fabrizio Atzori, Annalisa Azzola, Carlo Nike Bianchi, Nicoletta Cadoni, Lara Carosso, Elena Desidera, Francesca Frau, Maria Leonor Garcia Gutierrez, Paolo Guidetti, Carla Morri, Luigi Piazzi, Federica Poli, Monica Montefalcone
Summary: In the last decades, climate change and human pressures have had a significant impact on the ocean, leading to the urgent need for actions to protect coastal marine ecosystems. The European Commission has set ambitious targets for member states through the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). This study compared the performance of 11 biotic indices in assessing the environmental status of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of Capo Carbonara and found that all indices were consistent in confirming the good status of the MPA.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jian-Yu Dong, Xin Sun, Yuyang Zhang, Qipeng Zhan, Xiumei Zhang
Summary: Evaluation of the benthic ecological status in the coastal waters of Sanshandao, China using sensitivity/tolerance-based indices showed good quality but differences in classification. It is recommended to use different indices, especially sensitivity/tolerance-based indices, for more accurate assessment of similar marine ecosystems in China's coastal waters.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Robert B. Thorpe, Nina L. Arroyo, Georges Safi, Nathalie Niquil, Izaskun Preciado, Michael Heath, Matthew C. Pace, Christopher P. Lynam
Summary: Achieving Good Environmental Status (GES) requires managing ecosystems subject to a variety of pressures such as climate change, eutrophication, and fishing. This study uses an end-to-end ecosystem model for the North Sea to evaluate the impacts of warming and fishing on the foodweb structure and function, highlighting the importance of an ecosystem approach for management of human activities and the need to improve understanding of bottom-up processes.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Florian Mauffrey, Tristan Cordier, Laure Apotheloz-Perret-Gentil, Kristina Cermakova, Thomas Merzi, Matthieu Delefosse, Philippe Blanc, Jan Pawlowski
Summary: This study demonstrates that eDNA metabarcoding is a more efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional morphology-based monitoring, as seen through the analysis of benthic eukaryotic communities near offshore oil and gas platforms in the North Sea.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
David Langlet, Aron Westholm
Summary: In the past two decades, the EU has adopted ambitious legislation to achieve good environmental status in freshwater and marine ecosystems. However, the current legal frameworks for EU water and marine management do not fully incorporate advances in social-ecological systems science. Research suggests that using marine spatial planning could bridge the gap between social and ecological dimensions, potentially improving coastal water governance in Europe.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Janja France, Ioanna Varkitzi, Elena Stanca, Francesco Cozzoli, Sanda Skejic, Nicola Ungaro, Ivano Vascotto, Patricija Mozetic, Zivana Nincevic Gladan, Georgia Assimakopoulou, Alexandra Pavlidou, Soultana Zervoudaki, Kalliopi Pagou, Alberto Basset
Summary: The study suggests that phytoplankton diversity indicators are efficient for environmental assessments, but further testing on a broader spatial scale is recommended. Expert knowledge can be used to define impact categories and consider specific pressure types in sub-regional assessments in the Mediterranean Sea. Different diversity indices can distinguish between impact levels, especially showing higher sensitivity in the southern and eastern regions.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Valentina Pitacco, Michele Mistri, Tommaso Granata, Letizia Moruzzi, Maria Laura Meloni, Francesca Massara, Adriano Sfriso, Andrea Augusto Sfriso, Cristina Munari
Summary: Discrepancies were found between Ecological Status of sediments evaluated through the analysis of macrobenthic community and chemical analyses along a heavily trafficked and contaminated maritime seaway in Tyrrhenian Sea. Chemical analyses showed some sites highly contaminated by PAHs and metals with values exceeding thresholds for Good Chemical status and representing potential toxicological risk for benthic animals. Conversely, macrobenthic communities were highly rich and diverse, with Ecological Status (through M-AMBI) Good and High at each site. Sampling depth, total organic carbon, and total nitrogen were the major factors influencing biotic indices (AMBI, M-AMBI, S, H), even if concentrations of PAHs and metals (V, As, and Fe) contributed in explaining a part of indices variability. Habitat heterogeneity of sampled sites is likely acting as a confounding factor for two reasons: (1) high variability of environmental parameters leads to high richness and diversity, to which M-AMBI is sensitive, and (2) environmental parameters explained part of the variability of indices, together with contaminants. Our results suggested the importance of considering natural variability as a fundamental step of environmental impact assessment, for the correct interpretation of biotic indices.
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Donald F. Charles, Martyn G. Kelly, R. Jan Stevenson, Sandra Poikane, Susanna Theroux, Aleksandra Zgrundo, Marco Cantonati
Summary: This review compares concepts, approaches, and methods of benthic algal-based assessments between the EU and US, focusing on the Water Framework Directive in the EU and the Clean Water Act in the US, as well as differences in sampling design and laboratory methods. Commonalities such as the focus on diatoms and key differences like the more widespread use of multimetric indices in the US emerged during the process.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Water Resources
Joerg Schneider, Timo Seufert
Summary: High discharges in anthropogenically influenced watercourses can lead to river relocation and structural improvements, creating new high-quality habitat structures that enhance the entire aquatic species community.
Article
Fisheries
Didier Pont, Alice Valentini, Mathieu Rocle, Anthony Maire, Olivier Delaigue, Pauline Jean, Tony Dejean
Summary: Most EU Water Framework Directive compliant fish-based assessment methods for European rivers are calculated from traditional electrofishing (TEF) samples, but the use of environmental (e)DNA metabarcoding techniques has shown potential for various ecological applications.
JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
A. Oprandi, C. N. Bianchi, O. Karayali, C. Morri, I. Rigo, M. Montefalcone
Summary: This study investigated the effectiveness and consistency of 11 indices and descriptors working at different ecological complexity levels of P. oceanica ecosystem and proposed a new method named RESQUE to provide a comprehensive measure of seagrass meadows' ecological status. RESQUE proved to be an effective approach in incorporating various indices responses and integrating relevant information into an overall expression of meadow health.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
David S. Clare, Leonie A. Robinson, Silvana N. R. Birchenough
Summary: The chronic effect of bottom trawling on benthic invertebrate biomass is influenced by local sea temperature, which is under the influence of climate change. The impact of bottom trawling on biomass varies with water temperature, with warmer waters showing a positive relationship and colder waters showing a negative relationship.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Bulent Yorulmaz, Alperen Ertas
Summary: The main objective of this study was to investigate the water quality of the Selendi Stream and compare the performance of different indices. Biotic and diversity indices based on benthic macroinvertebrates were found to be more suitable for assessing water quality.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Laurene Pecuchet, Lis Lindal Jorgensen, Andreyv Dolgov, Elena Eriksen, Berengere Husson, Mette Skern-Mauritzen, Raul Primicerio
Summary: This study assesses the spatial and temporal turnover of bentho-demersal marine fauna in the Barents Sea, by integrating ecological metrics at the community and food web levels. The results suggest that different pressures, such as sea ice loss and fisheries, act on the bentho-demersal fauna, and the variation in community and food web metrics is influenced by environmental gradients and fishing pressure. The study highlights the importance of integrating community and food web analysis in ecological studies to better understand ecosystem patterns and drivers.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Michael Weinert, Moritz Mathis, Ingrid Kroencke, Hermann Neumann, Thomas. Pohlmann, Henning Reiss
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2016)
Article
Ecology
Marc J. Silberberger, Paul E. Renaud, Boris Espinasse, Henning Reiss
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2016)
Article
Ecology
Marc J. Silberberger, Paul E. Renaud, Lene Buhl-Mortensen, Ingrid H. Ellingsen, Henning Reiss
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2019)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Siri Elise Enoksen, Henning Reiss
JOURNAL OF MARINE SYSTEMS
(2018)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Eric Jorda Molina, Marc J. Silberberger, Valentin Kokarev, Henning Reiss
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2019)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gert Van Hoey, Julia Wischnewski, Johan Craeymeersch, Jennifer Dannheim, Lisette Enserink, Laurent Guerin, Francisco Marco-Rius, Joey O'Connor, Henning Reiss, Anne F. Sell, Marie Vanden Berghe, Michael L. Zettler, Steven Degraer, Silvana N. R. Birchenough
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2019)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
S. Degraer, V. Van Lancker, T. A. G. P. Van Dijk, S. N. R. Birchenough, B. De Witte, M. Elliott, S. Le Bot, H. Reiss, V. Stelzenmueller, S. Van Gaever, E. Balian, D. Cox, F. Hernandez, G. Lacroix, H. Lindeboom, J. Reubens, K. Soetaert
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mayya Gogina, Michael L. Zettler, Jan Vanaverbeke, Jennifer Dannheim, Gert Van Hoey, Nicolas Desroy, Alexa Wrede, Henning Reiss, Steven Degraer, Vera Van Lancker, Aurelie Foveau, Ulrike Braeckman, Dario Fiorentino, Jan Holstein, Silvana N. R. Birchenough
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Clare Greathead, Paolo Magni, Jan Vanaverbeke, Lene Buhl-Mortensen, Urszula Janas, Mats Blomqvist, Johan A. Craeymeersch, Jennifer Dannheim, Alexander Darr, Steven Degraer, Nicolas Desroy, Annick Donnay, Yessica Griffiths, Ivan Guala, Laurent Guerin, Hayley Hinchen, Celine Labrune, Henning Reiss, Gert Van Hoey, Silvana N. R. Birchenough
AQUATIC CONSERVATION-MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Michael Weinert, Moritz Mathis, Ingrid Kroencke, Thomas Pohlmann, Henning Reiss
Summary: Climate change poses a threat to marine ecosystems, affecting the distribution of benthic species within MPAs. Some key species may disappear and monitoring and protection efforts may be insufficient within static MPA borders under climate change.
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Matthias Obst, Katrina Exter, A. Louise Allcock, Christos Arvanitidis, Alizz Axberg, Maria Bustamante, Ibon Cancio, Diego Carreira-Flores, Eva Chatzinikolaou, Giorgos Chatzigeorgiou, Nathan Chrismas, Melody S. Clark, Thierry Comtet, Thanos Dailianis, Neil Davies, Klaas Deneudt, Oihane Diaz de Cerio, Ana Fortic, Vasilis Gerovasileiou, Pascal Hablutzel, Kleoniki Keklikoglou, Georgios Kotoulas, Rafal Lasota, Barbara R. Leite, Stephane Loisel, Laurent Leveque, Liraz Levy, Magdalena Malachowicz, Borut Mavria, Christopher Meyer, Jonas Mortelmans, Joanna Norkko, Nicolas Pade, Anne Marie Power, Andreja Ramsak, Henning Reiss, Jostein Solbakken, Peter A. Stoehr, Per Sundberg, Jakob Thyrring, Jesus S. Troncoso, Frederique Viard, Roman Wenne, Eleni Loanna Yperifanou, Malgorzata Zbawicka, Christina Pavloudi
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Valentin Kokarev, Mathieu Tachon, Marthe Austad, Maeve McGovern, Henning Reiss
Summary: The study found significant differences in macrobenthic community composition among three deep, sub-Arctic fjords, with each fjord hosting a distinct benthic community characterized by differences in total abundance, biomass, and species diversity. A slight mouth-to-head pattern of community distribution was observed in the fjord with a shallow sill.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Marc J. Silberberger, Paul E. Renaud, Ketil Eiane, Henning Reiss
Summary: Research in sub-Arctic continental shelves found that Calanus species dominate mesozooplankton biomass, but seasonal biases exist. Additionally, planktonic larvae of benthic invertebrates contribute significantly to mesozooplankton biomass during certain periods, suggesting they may play an important ecological role.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Michael D. Streicher, Henning Reiss, Katrin Reiss
Summary: The study revealed that agricultural fertilizer and fish farm effluents have different effects on the growth of various types of algae, with agricultural fertilizer enhancing growth for most algae and fish farm effluents mainly promoting Ulva growth. Additionally, the distance to the fish farm modulated the algae response to the fertilizer.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marc J. Silberberger, Paul E. Renaud, Ingrid Kroencke, Henning Reiss
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2018)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Atefeh Zendehboudi, Azam Mohammadi, Sina Dobaradaran, Gabriel E. De-la-Torre, Bahman Ramavandi, Seyed Enayat Hashemi, Reza Saeedi, Emran Moradpour Tayebi, Ahmad Vafaee, Amirhossein Darabi
Summary: This study investigated the characteristics and ecological risks of microplastics (MPs) in ballast water for the first time, and found high levels of MP pollution. These findings contribute to our understanding of the sources and risks of microplastics in marine ecosystems.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rose Boahemaa Pinto, Linda Bogerd, Martine van der Ploeg, Kwame Duah, Remko Uijlenhoet, Tim H. M. van Emmerik
Summary: Catchment-scale plastic pollution assessments provide insights into the sources, sinks, and pathways of plastic pollution. We propose an approach to quantify macroplastic transport and density in the Odaw catchment, Ghana, and find that the urban riverine zone has the highest transport, while the urban tidal zone has the highest riverbank and land macroplastic density.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Aliya Baidourela, Qian Sun, Gongxin Yang, Umut Halik, Zhongkai Dong, Kaixu Cai, Guili Sun, Wenya Zhang, Sisi Cheng
Summary: The study focused on heavy metal pollution in the green vegetation of a suburban industrial area in Tuokexun County, Xinjiang, China. The results showed that the overall level of heavy metal pollution in the soil was minor, with mercury (Hg) being the most severe contamination, likely caused by human activities. The composition of heavy metal elements in trees was more stable compared to grass and shrubs, with varying concentrations across different vegetation. Shrubbery was found to be the most effective in heavy metal restoration, and there were disparities in heavy metal enrichment among different vegetation types.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
James H. Bridson, Hayden Masterton, Beatrix Theobald, Regis Risani, Fraser Doake, Jessica A. Wallbank, Stefan D. M. Maday, Gavin Lear, Robert Abbel, Dawn A. Smith, Joanne M. Kingsbury, Olga Pantos, Grant L. Northcott, Sally Gaw
Summary: Plastic pollution has significant environmental impacts, largely due to chemical additives. However, the behavior of plastic additives in marine environments is not well understood. A marine deployment experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of weathering on the extractables profile of four types of plastics in New Zealand over a period of nine months. The concentration of additives in polyethylene and oxo-degradable polyethylene was strongly influenced by artificial weathering, while polyamide 6 and polyethylene terephthalate showed minimal change. These findings emphasize the importance of considering leaching and weathering effects on plastic composition when assessing the potential impact and risk of plastic pollution in receiving environments.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alan G. Scarlett, Francis D. Spilsbury, Steven J. Rowland, Marthe Monique Gagnon, Kliti Grice
Summary: This study used diamondoid hydrocarbon distributions to identify the sources of environmental oil contamination. A suite of 20 diamondoids was found to accumulate in fish adipose tissue. The scatter plots of indices between fish and exposure oils showed a close to ideal 1:1 relationship, which can be used to determine the origin of the oil.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shan Jiang, Mengmeng Wan, Kun Lin, Yanshan Chen, Rui Wang, Liju Tan, Jiangtao Wang
Summary: In this study, the concentration, composition, distribution, and sources of PCBs in surface seawater of the Bohai Bay were analyzed. The results showed that PCBs in the Bohai Bay had high concentrations and were primarily derived from land-based sources such as port activities and river inputs. The PCBs in the Bohai Bay may come from commercial PCBs and their incineration products, municipal landfills, wood and coal combustion, and industrial activities, etc.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Icaro S. A. Porto, Saulo V. A. Dantas, Caio S. A. Felix, Francisco A. S. Cunha, Jailson B. de Andrade, Sergio L. C. Ferreira
Summary: This study evaluated the risks of mercury levels in sardines consumed by low-income population in Salvador, Brazil. The results showed that the mercury content in the sampled sardines posed no risks to human health. This study is significant as most sardines in Salvador come from Todos os Santos Bay, which has a history of mercury contamination.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiahui Chen, Chengyu Yuan, Guanqun Zhai, Guangcheng Chen, Heng Zhu, Jun Liu, Yong Ye
Summary: This study investigated the combined influences of species selection and site elevation on greenhouse gas fluxes from restored mangrove soils. The results suggest that Avicennia marina should be selected for mangrove restoration to minimize carbon release and reduce the influence of greenhouse gas fluxes on the global greenhouse effect.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Emmanuel Onyeabor, Uju Obuka
Summary: The Gulf of Guinea region in Africa is a significant area for coastal countries, playing a vital role in their economic and environmental development. This study aims to reduce marine plastic pollution in the region by utilizing legal instruments.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuanli Liu, Stephan Luttjohann, Alvise Vianello, Claudia Lorenz, Fan Liu, Jes Vollertsen
Summary: Large area attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (LAATR-FTIR) is a novel technique for detecting small microplastics, with limited accuracy for large microplastics. However, it shows promise in homogeneous matrices. The spectra quality is comparable between transmission mode and LAATR mode.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Phuc T. D. Le, Andrew M. Fischer, Britta D. Hardesty, Heidi J. Auman, Chris Wilcox
Summary: This study explores the relationship between ocean currents and the accumulation of floating marine debris (FMD) and finds that higher concentrations of FMD are associated with frontal frequencies (FF). FMD is primarily trapped in accumulation zones between fronts and the coastline, which have high biodiversity value.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rosa Sawan, Perine Doyen, Florence Viudes, Rachid Amara, Celine Mahfouz
Summary: Few studies have examined the impact of urbanization and meteorological events on microplastics discharged into the sea through rivers. Surface water samples were collected from two Lebanese rivers, with differing degrees of urbanization, during dry and wet periods. The results showed that the most industrialized river had a significantly higher abundance of microplastics compared to the less-industrialized river. There was also a correlation between particle contamination and the season at each site, with microplastic concentrations highest on the first day of the wet season. These findings highlight the importance of considering meteorological events in accurately assessing plastic pollution influx into coastal waters.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Katherine R. Shaw, Jonathan L. Whitney, Eileen M. Nalley, Madeline C. Schmidbauer, Megan J. Donahue, Jesse Black, Raquel N. Corniuk, Kellie Teague, Rachel Sandquist, Catherine Pirkle, Rachel Dacks, Max Sudnovsky, Jennifer M. Lynch
Summary: This study examines the ingestion of plastic in reef fish in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Plastic particles were found in the gastrointestinal tracts of multiple fish species. However, further analysis revealed that these particles were actually natural materials and posed no threat to human consumers.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Revati Hardikar, C. K. Haridevi, Shantaj Deshbhratar
Summary: This study investigated the variability in phytoplankton functional structure using a trait-based approach and explored the relationship between species traits and environmental factors, as well as their impact on ecosystem functioning. The results revealed that morphological traits, temperature, and ammonia played a decisive role in the seasonal succession of phytoplankton species. It was found that certain traits favored higher biomass production but might hinder energy transfer efficiency. The strong correlation between environmental variables and phytoplankton functional structure supports the practical implementation of a trait-based approach in studying phytoplankton community dynamics under different environmental conditions.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Engki A. Kisnarti, Nining Sari Ningsih, Mutiara R. Putri, Nani Hendiarti, Bernhard Mayer
Summary: This study examines the movement patterns of plastic marine debris in Indonesian waters, revealing that Indonesia contributes significantly to transboundary marine debris in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the South China Sea. Most of the debris remains in Indonesian waters and moves back and forth due to the influence of monsoon currents.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)