Article
Environmental Sciences
Julie A. Hope, Giovanni Coco, Samantha M. Ladewig, Simon F. Thrush
Summary: The study surveyed 22 intertidal sites to investigate the abundance, size, diversity of microplastics (MPs) in surface sediments and their potential impacts on benthic microalgae (BMA) in different marine habitats. The results emphasize the significance of plastic shapes and categories in understanding the relationships between MPs, biota, and ecosystem functions, as well as the importance of examining functionally different habitats separately.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Syed Shabi Ul Hassan Uroosa, Syed Shabi Ul Hassan Kazmi, Alan Warren, Xiaoxiao Zhong, Henglong Xu
Summary: The effects of nitrofurazone on functional processes in marine ecosystems were evaluated by exposing periphytic protozoan communities to different concentrations of the antibiotic. The study found that nitrofurazone significantly influenced the function process of periphytic ciliate communities, with bacterivores being more sensitive and sessile and cylindrical predators showing higher tolerance to the chemical.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jing Yao, Nina Chen, Miao Liu, Wei Chen, Xingyuan He
Summary: It is not well understood how the efficiency of co-benefits for multiple ecosystem services (ESs) is affected by both the supply and demand sides. In this study, we analyzed the co-benefits of both the supply and demand for multiple ESs in urban areas based on the synergy levels among five typical urban ESs. We found that although the supply of multiple ESs showed synergy and the degree of synergy in single ES supply-demand was positively correlated, the co-benefits of supply-demand for multiple ESs were not significant. The demand for ESs was found to critically impact their efficiency and should be assessed alongside the supply side.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Tilla Schulte Ostermann, Michael Kleyer, Maike Heuner, Elmar Fuchs, Stijn Temmerman, Ken Schoutens, J. Tjeerd Bouma, Vanessa Minden
Summary: Estuaries are highly productive ecosystems that play a crucial role in carbon fixing, with the functional trait composition of vegetation responding to environmental drivers and affecting production, decomposition rates, and soil organic carbon. Environmental drivers showed no direct relationship with ecosystem properties, with plant traits changing in response to inundation periods. Total plant biomass decreased in communities at higher elevations with reduced wave height.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
R. H. Bulmer, F. Stephenson, A. M. Lohrer, C. J. Lundquist, A. Madarasz-Smith, C. A. Pilditch, S. F. Thrush, J. E. Hewitt
Summary: The study explores the application of stressor load limits in estuarine management, highlighting concerns about the cumulative effects of multiple stressors and the uncertainty surrounding stressor interactions. By developing and validating a Bayesian network model, the study reveals the overall trends in estuarine ecosystem responses to stressors and demonstrates the utility of the model for informing management decisions.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Stephanie Mangan, Andrew M. Lohrer, Simon F. Thrush, Joanne I. Ellis, Conrad A. Pilditch
Summary: Anthropogenic increases in nutrient delivery have fundamentally altered the biogeochemical cycling in the marine coastal zone, with potential ecological shifts. Long-term enrichment and ecological complexity have limited our ability to effectively manage and prevent these changes.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jinquan Li, Junmin Pei, Jiajia Liu, Jihua Wu, Bo Li, Changming Fang, Ming Nie
Summary: The study found that fires significantly decreased soil carbon and nitrogen content but increased the content and proportion of pyrogenic carbon. The effects of fires vary across different climates and ecosystems, with wildfires and high-severity fires leading to greater losses of soil carbon and nitrogen. Soil carbon and nitrogen levels recovered to control levels approximately 10 years after the fire event.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yiannis Moustakis, Simone Fatichi, Christian Onof, Athanasios Paschalis
Summary: Climate change-induced changes in rainfall will mainly affect ecosystem responses at dry sites, while wet sites are less sensitive to rainfall changes. Sites with intermediate wetness may face reductions in productivity. Increases in rainfall will impact ecosystems, but changes in the fine-scale temporal structure of rainfall have an insignificant effect on ecosystem productivity.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Xiaoxuan Chen, Martin Wiesmeier, Jordi Sardans, Lukas Van Zwieten, Yunying Fang, Albert Gargallo-Garriga, Youyang Chen, Shuyun Chen, Congsheng Zeng, Josep Penuelas, Weiqi Wang
Summary: The presence of crabs increases greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, CH4, and N2O) and soil C, N, and P concentrations in wetlands. Additionally, it enhances the global warming potential (GWP) of the wetlands.
BIOLOGY AND FERTILITY OF SOILS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Thomas J. Mozdzer, Melissa K. McCormick, Ingrid J. Slette, Michael J. Blum, J. Patrick Megonigal
Summary: There is increasing evidence that global change can alter ecosystems by inducing rapid evolution of plants. This study found that elevated CO2 concentration and nitrogen enrichment can lead to rapid changes in the genetic and genotypic variation of Phragmites australis, an ecologically dominant plant. These findings challenge the prevailing view and highlight the importance of considering organismal evolution in predictive models for ecosystem responses to global change.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Water Resources
Jill S. Baron, David W. Clow, Isabella A. Oleksy, Timothy Weinmann, Caitlin Charlton, Amanda Jayo
Summary: The Loch Vale watershed has been the subject of research and monitoring activities since 1983, investigating the impacts of atmospheric deposition on ecosystems in Rocky Mountain National Park. High atmospheric inputs of reactive nitrogen were found, leading to studies on the ecological consequences in soils, surface water, and vegetation. The research results have informed the Colorado Nitrogen Deposition Reduction Plan and revealed that mountain wetlands release more carbon than they store.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ricardo Hideo Taniwaki, Davi Gasparini Fernandes Cunha, Camila Bolfarini Bento, Luiz Antonio Martinelli, Emily H. Stanley, Solange Filoso, Murilo de Souza Ferreira, Marcus Vinicius Franca, Jose Wagner Ribeiro Junior, Luis Cesar Schiesari, Janaina Braga do Carmo
Summary: This study analyzed the effects of sugarcane cultivation on methane fluxes and concentrations in tropical streams in Southeastern Brazil, finding higher methane fluxes and concentrations during the summer and in streams with preserved catchments. Water chemistry factors such as dissolved oxygen, dissolved organic carbon, water velocity, and conductivity were found to influence methane concentrations in the studied streams.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Dorte Krause-Jensen, Hege Gundersen, Mats Bjoerk, Martin Gullstroem, Martin Dahl, Maria E. Asplund, Christoffer Bostroem, Marianne Holmer, Gary T. Banta, Anna Elizabeth Lovgren Graversen, Morten Foldager Pedersen, Trine Bekkby, Helene Frigstad, Solrun Figenschau Skjellum, Jonas Thormar, Steen Gyldenkaerne, Jennifer Howard, Emily Pidgeon, Sunna Bjoerk Ragnarsdottir, Agnes Mols-Mortensen, Kasper Hancke
Summary: Vegetated coastal and marine habitats in the Nordic region, such as salt marshes, eelgrass meadows, and brown macroalgae, play a crucial role in the storage of organic carbon (Blue Carbon - BC), coastal protection, biodiversity, and water quality. The existing knowledge on Nordic BC habitats is incomplete, but indicates substantial BC stocks. However, more research is needed to provide a robust estimate of Nordic BC stocks and sequestration rates, as well as improved coordination at national and regional levels.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Dylan Bristol, Kamrul Hassan, Joseph C. C. Blankinship, Uffe N. N. Nielsen
Summary: Ecosystems will experience altered precipitation patterns due to climate change, leading to wetter or drier areas. While the impact of rainfall changes on aboveground communities has been widely studied, there is a growing body of literature highlighting the effects on soil fauna. Nematodes, as important members of soil food webs, showed negative responses to reduced rainfall and positive responses to increased rainfall, with potential cascading effects on soil processes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Amanda Domingues Martins, Francisco Barros
Summary: Function in ecology refers to the role played by each component in the surrounding environment. This study investigated the functional traits and variations in abundance of estuarine macrofauna along estuarine gradients. The researchers found that nutrient cycling, bioturbation, and fragmentation of organic matter were the most frequent functions performed by estuarine benthic assemblages. Furthermore, they discovered that these functions varied in intensity over different salinity zones and also showed significant variability in time. The study emphasizes the importance of using traits associated with ecological functions to investigate function and function intensity.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Holly J. Niner, Noel C. Barut, Tom Baum, Daniela Diz, Daniela Lainez del Pozo, Stuart Laing, Alana Malinde S. N. Lancaster, Kirsty A. McQuaid, Tania Mendo, Elisa Morgera, Payal N. Maharaj, Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood, Kelly Ortega-Cisneros, Tapiwa Warikandwa, Sian Rees
Summary: This article analyzes the relationship between blue economy policies and sustainable development goals, highlighting the importance of developing place-based blue economies that meet the needs of all actors.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Stephanie Brodie, Charles Izuma Addey, Christopher Cvitanovic, Beatriz S. Dias, Andre Frainer, Sara Garcia-Morales, Shan Jiang, Laura Kaikkonen, Jon Lopez, Sabine Mathesius, Kelly Ortega-Cisneros, Maria Grazia Pennino, Carl A. Peters, Samiya A. Selim, Rebecca Shellock, Natasa Vaidianu
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Elizabeth A. Nyboer, Andrea J. Reid, Amanda L. Jeanson, Rachel Kelly, Mary Mackay, Jenny House, Sarah M. Arnold, Paul W. Simonin, Mary Grace C. Sedanza, Emma D. Rice, T. E. Angela L. Quiros, Andrea Pierucci, Kelly Ortega-Cisneros, Julia N. Nakamura, Valentina Melli, Stella Mbabazi, Mariana S. L. Martins, Anne Brigette B. Ledesma, Clara Obregon, Chepkemboi K. Labatt, Andrew N. Kadykalo, Michael Heldsinger, Madeline E. Green, Jessica L. Fuller, Milagros Franco-Melendez, Matthew J. Burnett, Jessica A. Bolin, Solange Andrade-Vera, Steven J. Cooke
Summary: Fisheries are complex systems that face challenges from resource management to climate change. Transdisciplinary fisheries research (TFR) integrates different perspectives and knowledge systems, but there are limitations in capacity. Early career researchers' perspectives provide insights into challenges and potential for systemic change. This paper presents the perspectives of ECRs on TFR goals, challenges, and potential. Barriers include institutional inertia, lack of recognition for extra time and labor, and limited skill development opportunities. Actions for ECRs, established researchers, and institutions are identified to reach goals and overcome barriers.
REVIEWS IN FISH BIOLOGY AND FISHERIES
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Mia Strand, Kelly Ortega-Cisneros, Holly J. Niner, Michel Wahome, James Bell, Jock C. Currie, Hashali Hamukuaya, Giulia La Bianca, Alana M. S. N. Lancaster, Ntemesha Maseka, Lisa McDonald, Kirsty McQuaid, Marly M. Samuel, Alexander Winkler
Summary: This paper examines the concept of transdisciplinarity in the context of transformative ocean governance research, specifically focusing on early career researchers (ECRs). It highlights the uncertainties and challenges surrounding transdisciplinarity from a marine science perspective. The paper discusses the need for defining transdisciplinarity and explores the challenges faced by ECRs in conducting transdisciplinary research. It also provides recommendations for ECRs and the UN Decade for Ocean Science to promote more equitable transdisciplinary research.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Zoology
Philipp Thieme, Sergey V. Bogorodsky, Tilman J. Alpermann, Alan K. Whitfield, Rui Freitas, Jean -Dominique Durand
Summary: Based on new molecular and morphological analyses, this study identified 11 species in the mugilid genus Chelon, including two previously unidentified species. The study also confirmed the placement of Chelon persicus within the genus and expanded its distribution range in the Western Indian Ocean. Additionally, the study discussed the validity of a recently described species and a proposed generic character.
Review
Marine & Freshwater Biology
L. Claassens, J. B. Adams, N. M. de Villiers, J. Wasserman, A. K. Whitfield
Summary: Major threats to South African estuaries include alterations in freshwater flow, urbanization, habitat transformation, deteriorating water quality, biological invasions, and resource over-exploitation. Although estuary restoration is still in its early stages, valuable lessons have been learned from past efforts. Common interventions to address declining estuary health include artificial management of estuary mouths and the use of artificial structures to restore tidal action and remediate erosion damage. The implementation of a national strategy and active restoration measures are crucial for successful restoration.
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF AQUATIC SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Fisheries
Jess Melbourne-Thomas, Desiree Tommasi, Marion Gehlen, Eugene J. Murphy, Jennifer Beckensteiner, Francisco Bravo, Tyler D. Eddy, Mibu Fischer, Elizabeth Fulton, Mayya Gogina, Eileen Hofmann, Maysa Ito, Sara Mynott, Kelly Ortega-Cisneros, Anna N. Osiecka, Mark R. Payne, Romeo Saldivar-Lucio, Kim J. N. Scherrer
Summary: Significant progress has been made in ocean physics and biogeochemistry research, especially regarding decadal-scale prediction, over the past years. However, incorporating human factors into predictions still poses challenges. This paper proposes methods to overcome these challenges and emphasizes the importance of co-production of tools and scenarios to establish trust and ensure adoption of decadal prediction systems by end users. Furthermore, combining narratives and quantitative predictions can better incorporate the human dimension in future efforts to advance decadal-scale prediction.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Alan K. Whitfield, Bruce Q. Mann
Summary: This review examines the life-history styles of eight similar-looking sparid species in South Africa's nearshore coastal waters, highlighting their similarities and differences. While all eight species spawn at sea, two of them rely on estuaries as primary nursery areas. Four species have a majority of their juveniles on the coastal shelf, with only a small percentage in estuaries. Additionally, each species has different geographic distributions and growth rates. Overall, the Sparidae family is successfully colonizing South African estuaries and adjacent coastal shelf waters, making them a dominant fish family in terms of number and biomass.
ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY OF FISHES
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Alan K. Whitfield, Ian C. Potter, Francisco J. Neira, Edward D. Houde
Summary: This article reviews published research on the ingress of larvae and early juveniles of marine fishes into different types of estuaries subjected to various tidal regimes. The abilities and responses of these early-life stages to the physico-chemical, hydrodynamic, and biological drivers that facilitate ingress are discussed. The importance of olfactory cues, vertical migratory behaviors, and selective tidal stream transport in the ingress of larvae and early juveniles into estuaries is emphasized.
FISH AND FISHERIES
(2023)
Review
Fisheries
Alan K. Whitfield, Jean-Dominique Durand
Summary: This review examines the distribution and species richness of the Mugilidae family across six continents and their phylogenetic relationships. Three regions with high mugilid species richness were identified: the Coral Triangle, southern Asia, and southern Africa. The Indo-Pacific region appears to be the center of mugilid evolution and global dispersion. Plate tectonics, sea-level changes, tropical climate, and habitat diversity within the Indo-Pacific region promoted species divergence within this family. The number of tropical mugilid species that reached Africa was greater than those reaching the Americas, likely due to direct coastal connectivity and transatlantic rafting events.
JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Alan K. Whitfield, Edward D. Houde, Francisco J. Neira, Ian C. Potter
Summary: This article reviews the dependence of two major groups of fishes, estuary-associated marine species and diadromous species, on connectivity and use of estuaries. It emphasizes the importance of freshwater-estuarine-marine connectivity to the life cycles of these species and discusses the potential consequences of global climate change on estuarine connectivity and fish assemblages. The article highlights the substantial decline in fish abundance and explores possible research directions for restoring connectivity.
ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY OF FISHES
(2023)
Review
Marine & Freshwater Biology
A. K. Whitfield, B. Q. Mann
Summary: This review examines the changing status of 10 estuary-dependent marine fish species in 10 South African estuarine systems. The causes of the declines varied from one system to another, with recreational and small-scale/subsistence fishing being a common pressure. Two out of six primary linefish species have been categorized as overexploited, and four species have reached a collapsed level. Two of those species have been officially categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Alan K. Whitfield
Summary: This review examines the transition process of coastal micro-outlets to micro-estuaries and further to functional estuaries of different types. The South African coastline has a wide range of microsystems, covering various sizes of micro-outlets, micro-estuaries in the process of becoming estuarine systems, and fully functional estuaries. The impact of sea-level rise and fall, as well as the construction of artificial concrete canal outlets, are also discussed.
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF AQUATIC SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Fisheries
Alan K. Whitfield
Summary: This review assesses the life cycles of estuarine resident fish species in South African estuaries, identifying a potential new category of estuarine residents and examining the reproductive characteristics employed by these species. The review highlights the small size and early reproductive maturity of estuarine residents, their vulnerability to predation in open ocean versus sheltered estuary waters, and the presence of contingent subpopulations within many species.
JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
K. Ortega-Cisneros, E. Weigum, R. Chalmers, S. Grusd, A. T. Lombard, L. Shannon
Summary: The Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) modelling framework was used to develop a model of Algoa Bay and test the ecosystem impacts of the implementation of the Addo Elephant National Park Marine Protected Area (MPA). The model reasonably reproduced the observed data, showing an increase in total biomass and a decrease in catches after the implementation of the MPA.
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)