Article
Ecology
Lucia Lopez-Lopez, Martin J. Genner, Geraint A. Tarling, Ryan A. Saunders, Eoin J. O'Gorman
Summary: The pelagic ecosystem in the Scotia Sea is undergoing rapid changes due to global warming, with species range shifts becoming more evident. Studies have shown significant differences in food web structure between the Northern and Southern Scotia Sea regions, with depth playing a key role.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Romain Frelat, Susanne Kortsch, Ingrid Kroencke, Hermann Neumann, Marie C. Nordstroem, Pierre E. N. Olivier, Anne F. Sell
Summary: There is a spatial and temporal coupling between ecological community composition and food web structure. Changes in community composition affect the structure of food webs, with a strong spatial coupling observed in the North Sea. However, the temporal covariation between community composition and food web structure depends on the spatial scale, with a temporal mismatch at the regional scale but a strong coupling at the local scale.
Article
Ecology
Hsi-Cheng Ho, Jason M. Tylianakis, Samraat Pawar
Summary: The study explores how structure and behavior interact to influence the feasibility of species coexistence in food webs. It finds that large-eat-small foraging, many top consumers, grazing or sit-and-wait strategies, and two-dimensional interactions promote feasibility. This sheds light on how behavioral properties can modulate the effects of structural properties on species coexistence in natural food webs.
Article
Ecology
Chuan Yan, Yongjun Zhang, Rui Liu, Cang Hui
Summary: This study investigates the patterns and associations of net interaction effects with network topologies in food webs. Results show a right-skewed distribution of net interaction strengths and their significant correlations with various topological structures. The emergence of net mutualism and competition effects due to indirect effects plays a crucial role in changing signs from direct to net interaction effects in species-rich and highly connected food webs.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Samuli Korpinen, Laura Uusitalo, Marie C. Nordstrom, Jan Dierking, Maciej T. Tomczak, Jannica Haldin, Silvia Opitz, Erik Bonsdorff, Stefan Neuenfeldt
Summary: Ecosystem-based management requires assessment of food webs. However, current food web indicators lack interconnectivity among trophic guilds. Food web models have the potential to address these shortcomings and provide additional coherence and evaluation methods. However, there are still limitations that hinder the formal implementation of models in practice.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
John Llewelyn, Giovanni Strona, Matthew C. McDowell, Christopher N. Johnson, Katharina J. Peters, Daniel B. Stouffer, Sara N. de Visser, Frederik Saltre, Corey J. A. Bradshaw
Summary: Studies suggest that species' vulnerability to bottom-up cascades decreases with increasing trophic level, diet breadth, and basal connections. Extinct species in the Naracoorte community in south-eastern Sahul were more vulnerable to these cascades, as their position in the network made them more susceptible, especially due to their lack of predators. Trophic cascades and naivety to predators potentially played a role in the megafauna extinction event in Sahul.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kiranya Bella, Pramila Sahadevan, Rajeev Raghavan, Karan Kumar Ramteke, Giri Bhavan Sreekanth
Summary: A trophic model was constructed for the Poonthura Estuary, revealing that the ecosystem in this anthropogenically impacted estuary is impaired and differs in trophic functioning from estuaries with similar physical features. The study provides a pioneering step in understanding the ecosystem status and functioning of small, anthropogenically disturbed estuaries, and offers a theoretical and scientific basis for their management and restoration.
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Agneta Andersson, Evelina Griniene, Asa M. M. Berglund, Sonia Brugel, Elena Gorokhova, Daniela Figueroa, Christine Gallampois, Matyas Ripszam, Mats Tysklind
Summary: Climate change is projected to increase temperature and terrestrial organic matter inputs in northern Europe, leading to changes in the food web structure. In a shallow mesocosm system in the Baltic Sea, increased temperature and terrestrial matter were found to have significant effects on the microbial food web. The addition of terrestrial matter had a stronger impact than temperature increase, promoting bacterial and phytoplankton production.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Camille de la Vega, Martin Paar, Linda Koehler, Christian von Dorrien, Michael Kriegl, Daniel Oesterwind, Hendrik Schubert
Summary: Bottom trawling directly impacts benthic ecosystems by disturbing the seabed and affecting benthic invertebrate communities, which in turn indirectly influences fish and the entire benthic food web. This study compared two areas in the German Baltic Sea and found that the structure and functioning of the fish benthic food web differed due to differences in the characteristics of the benthic prey communities. Fish in the Fehmarnbelt had higher trophic diversity due to their ability to choose preferential prey items, while fish on the Odra Bank exhibited higher trophic redundancy by feeding on all available prey species.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jie Feng, Xiang-Li Tian, Shuang-Lin Dong, Rui-Peng He, Kai Zhang, Dong-Xu Zhang, Qing-Qi Zhang
Summary: Detritus is the main energy source in the P. trituberculatus polyculture system, with most of the system throughput occurring at trophic levels I and II. Increasing stocking density of R. philippinarum and introducing macro-algae at suitable biomass can enhance system stability and aquaculture production.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ernst Douglas Nilsson, Kim A. H. Hultin, Eva Monica Martensson, Piotr Markuszewski, Kai Rosman, Radovan Krejci
Summary: This study represents the first evaluation of sea spray aerosol eddy covariance (EC) fluxes under near coastal conditions with limited fetch, and over water with brackish water. The findings highlight wind speed as a major driver of exponential increase in sea salt emissions, and the importance of organic and sea salt sea spray emissions. Utilization of a thermodenuder in the EC system allowed for parallel measurements of different aerosol fluxes, leading to a better understanding of sea spray emission characteristics.
Article
Ecology
Camille Carpentier, Gyorgy Barabas, Jurg Werner Spaak, Frederik De Laender
Summary: This study demonstrates that the relationship between the number of species and interactions in a network can be defined by a single parameter, which is network-specific and relates to local stability and robustness. The trade-off between local stability and robustness is more prominent in mutualistic networks compared to trophic networks.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Leonardo A. Saravia, Tomas Marina, Nadiah P. Kristensen, Marleen De Troch, Fernando R. Momo
Summary: The goal of this study was to test evidence for selective processes in local food webs by comparing their structural properties to the expected distribution given the metaweb. Surprisingly, the study found that local food web structure is not strongly influenced by dynamical or habitat restrictions, suggesting that it is inherited from the metaweb.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yong Zeng, Yanwei Zhao, Zefeng Qi
Summary: Understanding the structure and function of a lake's ecosystem is essential for ecosystem-based management. Evaluating the ecosystem status of Lake Baiyangdian was done through a holistic food web model, selecting 11 Ecological Network Analysis indicators and employing the Analytic Hierarchy Process to assign weights. The lake was found to have a poor ecological state with a low-quality mature ecosystem and inefficient trophic transfer efficiency, suggesting the need for controlling excessive plant biomass and restoring fish biodiversity.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoxin Zhang, Yujun Yi, Zhifeng Yang
Summary: The study reconstructed the food web models in Baiyangdian Lake and found significant changes in ecosystem functioning and food web structure over the past few decades, mainly due to changes in primary producer energy flow. The ecosystem showed initial stability before gradually becoming unstable, with water level fluctuations and nutrient enrichment identified as key driving factors.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Review
Fisheries
P. J. Woods, J. Macdonald, H. Bardarson, S. Bonanomi, W. J. Boonstra, G. Cornell, G. Cripps, R. Danielsen, L. Farber, A. S. A. Ferreira, K. Ferguson, M. Holma, R. E. Holt, K. L. Hunter, A. Kokkalis, T. J. Langbehn, G. Ljungstrom, E. Nieminen, M. C. Nordstrom, M. Oostdijk, A. Richter, G. Romagnoni, C. Sguotti, A. Simons, N. L. Shackell, M. Snickars, J. D. Whittington, H. Wootton, J. Yletyinen
Summary: The study found that adaptation measures currently focus more on enhancing ecological resilience rather than social resilience in the context of climate change, indicating a greater emphasis on management adaptation. In addition, social adaptation measures are more responsive and used outside the context of climate change, with a lack of centralized planning and organization in the implementation of stakeholder adaptations.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Samuli Korpinen, Laura Uusitalo, Marie C. Nordstrom, Jan Dierking, Maciej T. Tomczak, Jannica Haldin, Silvia Opitz, Erik Bonsdorff, Stefan Neuenfeldt
Summary: Ecosystem-based management requires assessment of food webs. However, current food web indicators lack interconnectivity among trophic guilds. Food web models have the potential to address these shortcomings and provide additional coherence and evaluation methods. However, there are still limitations that hinder the formal implementation of models in practice.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Romain Frelat, Susanne Kortsch, Ingrid Kroencke, Hermann Neumann, Marie C. Nordstroem, Pierre E. N. Olivier, Anne F. Sell
Summary: There is a spatial and temporal coupling between ecological community composition and food web structure. Changes in community composition affect the structure of food webs, with a strong spatial coupling observed in the North Sea. However, the temporal covariation between community composition and food web structure depends on the spatial scale, with a temporal mismatch at the regional scale but a strong coupling at the local scale.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Margrete Emblemsvag, Karl Michael Werner, Ismael Nunez-Riboni, Romain Frelat, Helle Torp Christensen, Heino O. Fock, Raul Primicerio
Summary: This study investigated the spatio-temporal changes in fish community structure at different depths in East Greenland and found the most significant changes occurred between 350 and 1000 meters depth. These changes were in synchrony with atmospheric warming, loss in sea ice, and variability in physical sea surface conditions.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Diana E. Lopez, Romain Frelat, Lone B. Badstue
Summary: This study explores the importance of gender norms in agricultural innovation and presents an integrative research approach that incorporates local conditions to inform the design and targeting of gender-inclusive interventions. The concept of gender climate is used to describe the socially constituted rules that dictate men's and women's behavior. The findings suggest that favorable economic or infrastructure conditions do not necessarily correlate with favorable gender normative conditions.
Article
Ecology
Julie A. Garrison, Marie C. Nordstrom, Jan Albertsson, Francisco J. A. Nascimento
Summary: Species interactions play a crucial role in ecosystem functions. This study examines the changes in benthic invertebrate trophic interactions in the Baltic Sea over the past 20 years. The results show that the west coast of Sweden has experienced significant reduction in species diversity, leading to decreased complexity in the food webs. Other basins in the Baltic Sea demonstrate resilience at a lower species diversity.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Limnology
Nicholas Blackburn, Pia Haecky, Iveta Jurgensone, Evelina Griniene, Sonia Brugel, Agneta Andersson, Jacob Carstensen
Summary: A method for automatically counting and measuring the size and motility behavior of zooplankton and phytoplankton in water samples is presented. The method utilizes video cameras and optical chambers, combined with computer analysis, to provide real-time motion analysis and chlorophyll fluorescence imaging. The system was tested in a mesocosm experiment and validated against traditional measurements. The method allows for detailed analysis of chlorophyll activity and community structure changes.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY-METHODS
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Dorte Bekkevold, Florian Berg, Patrick Polte, Valerio Bartolino, Henn Ojaveer, Henrik Mosegaard, Edward D. Farrell, Jelena Fedotova, Jakob Hemmer-Hansen, Bastian Huwer, Vanessa Trijoulet, Christoffer Moesgaard Albertsen, Angela P. Fuentes-Pardo, Tomas Groehsler, Mats Pettersson, Teunis Jansen, Arild Folkvord, Leif Andersson
Summary: We developed and validated a mixed-stock analysis (MSA) method to assign individuals to populations in mixed-stock samples of Atlantic herring. The method showed unprecedented accuracy in monitoring spatio-temporal dynamics with complex stock mixing. The analysis revealed potential overestimation of certain stocks and the importance of re-evaluating stock definitions.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Verena M. Trenkel, Henn Ojaveer, David C. M. Miller, Mark Dickey-Collas
Summary: The inclusion of ecosystem information into fish stock assessments and management advice is important for ecosystem-based fisheries management. This study provides an overview of how ecosystem trends and variability are incorporated into ICES fishing opportunities advice in the Northeast Atlantic. Around 50% of stock assessments considered ecosystem information, while the majority of management strategy evaluations did so in some way. The inclusion of ecosystem information was influenced by stock and fisheries characteristics, with pelagic species and high catch stocks having higher instances of incorporation.
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Henn Ojaveer, Heli Einberg, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Okko Outinen, Anastasija Zaiko, Anders Jelmert, Jonne Kotta
Summary: This study quantitatively assessed the impacts of widespread non-indigenous species (NIS) on ecosystem services (ES) in the Baltic Sea. The results showed that these NIS had significant effects on ES, particularly regulation services. This method can be applied to other ecosystems to better understand human impacts on ES.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Heidi Herlevi, Isa Wallin Kihlberg, Katri Aarnio, Erik Bonsdorff, Ann-Britt Florin, Andreas Ljung, Karl Lundstrom, Johanna Mattila, Orjan Ostman
Summary: The study assessed the significance of the round goby Neogobius melanostomus as prey for native predatory fish species in the Baltic Proper. They found that the occurrence and abundance of Neogobius melanostomus in predator diets were related to its abundance in survey fishing. The results showed that the round goby had a high importance in the diets of native fish predators and may modify indirect interactions in invaded coastal communities.
JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
M. P. Jacquot, M. C. Nordstrom, L. De Wever, R. Ngom Ka, S. Ka, V. Le Garrec, J. Raffray, O. Sadio, M. Diouf, J. Grall, L. Tito de Morais, F. Le Loc
Summary: This study assessed the influence of environmental variables and human-induced pressures on infaunal community structure and functions in two main mangrove areas in Southern West Senegal. The study found that environmental variables and their temporal dynamics greatly impacted infaunal communities in the subtidal zone, while human activities had a greater effect on the intertidal area. Shellfish harvesting and heavy metals pollution resulted in a decline in abundance, biomass, taxonomic richness, and functional diversity of infaunal communities.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Tiina Salo, Henna Rinne, Ellen Rancken, Jean-Francois Blanc, Sonja Salovius-Lauren, Marie C. Nordstrom
Summary: The functional trait approach is useful for understanding community functioning and trophic structure. This study investigated the functional traits of invertebrate communities associated with Fucus vesiculosus. Large-scale comparisons revealed differences in functional richness based on water quality, while small-scale comparisons showed higher functional richness and dispersion at sheltered sites. The composition of community traits differed among areas of different water quality, with opportunistic traits becoming more prevalent in poorer areas.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Karine Gagnon, Heidi Herlevi, Jenny Wikstrom, Marie C. Nordstrom, Tiina Salo, Sonja Salovius-Lauren, Henna Rinne
Summary: The non-indigenous crustacean Sinelobus vanhaareni has spread throughout the southwestern Finnish coast, especially in shallow macroalgal and seagrass habitats. Its presence in these critical habitats highlights the need to understand its impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Further research is necessary to determine the extent of its distribution and its effects on trophic networks in the northern Baltic Sea.
