1,721,114 research outputs found
The changing Arctic ocean: consequences for biological communities, biogeochemical processes and ecosystem functioning
No full textThe Arctic region is undergoing some of the most rapid rates of climate change in the world [1], with dramatic transformations underway in terrestrial, coastal and offshore environments that have immediate and long-term consequences for socio-ecological systems (e.g. [2–5]). Significant changes in the type, extent and thickness of ice cover [6], meltwater input [7] and water mass dynamics [8], coupled with warming and ocean acidification [9], have already begun to impact ecosystem processes and the flora and fauna that inhabit a range of Arctic habitats [10]. The pace of change is such that our understanding of the way in which Arctic systems are structured and function is outdated, and insufficient to inform management, mitigation and adaptation efforts across the region [11,12]. Projections indicate that, even if global stabilization of temperature below 1.5°C is realized, changes will continue to manifest over an extended period, perhaps even millennial timescales [13] and may include unprecedented shifts in structure [14]. Changes to key components of Arctic ecosystems are already occurring, yet the collated evidence of how changes to baseline conditions are proceeding across the Arctic Ocean is still poorly constrained [15], focused on a limited number of exemplar areas [16], and seldom adopts a holistic view that begins to provide a nuanced understanding of the modus operandi of the Arctic [17]. This is concerning because informed decision- and policy-making benefits from a broad understanding of system dynamics, including feedbacks and the likelihood of ecological surprises [18], yet the focus of study is already shifting from the natural sciences to social sciences and humanities to meet legislative and policy demands [19]. Now more than ever, foundational concepts and evidence are needed to support sustainable management and policy, preferably with a focus on continually acquiring, interpreting and applying new interdisciplinary knowledge to enhance understanding [20]
A global database of measured values of benthic invertebrate bioturbation intensity, ventilation rate, and the mixed depth of marine soft sediments
No full textThe activities of a diverse array of sediment-dwelling fauna are known to mediate carbon remineralisation, biogeochemical cycling and other important properties of marine ecosystems, but the contributions that different seabed communities make to the global inventory have not been established. Here we provide a comprehensive georeferenced database of measured values of bioturbation intensity (Db), burrow ventilation rate (42 species) and the mixed depth (L) of marine soft sediments compiled from the scientific literature (1970-2017). These data provide reference information that can be used to inform and parameterise global, habitat specific and/or species level biogeochemical models that will be of value within the fields of geochemistry, ecology, climate, and palaeobiology. We include metadata relating to the source, timing and location of each study, the methodology used, and environmental and experimental information. The dataset presents opportunity to interrogate current ecological theory, refine functional typologies, quantify uncertainty and/or test the relevance and robustness of models used to project ecosystem responses to change
Sediment reworking activity of high-latitude marine invertebrates exposed to dilute concentrations of maritime fuel
No full textWe provide the data from an experiment investigating the effect low concentrations of the water-accommodated fraction of marine fuel oil, representative of a dilute fuel oil spill, on aspects of the behaviour of marine sediment-dwelling invertebrates from Greenland. The data include fluorescent sediment profile images (fSPI) for the full experiment, and the derived data extracted from these images that characterise the reworking activity of each invertebrate
A global database of measured values of benthic invertebrate bioturbation intensity, ventilation rate, and the mixed depth of marine soft sediments
No full textThe activities of a diverse array of sediment-dwelling fauna are known to mediate carbon remineralisation, biogeochemical cycling and other important properties of marine ecosystems, but the contributions that different seabed communities make to the global inventory have not been established. Here we provide a comprehensive georeferenced database of measured values of bioturbation intensity (Db), burrow ventilation rate (42 species) and the mixed depth (L) of marine soft sediments compiled from the scientific literature (1970-2017). These data provide reference information that can be used to inform and parameterise global, habitat specific and/or species level biogeochemical models that will be of value within the fields of geochemistry, ecology, climate, and palaeobiology. We include metadata relating to the source, timing and location of each study, the methodology used, and environmental and experimental information. The dataset presents opportunity to interrogate current ecological theory, refine functional typologies, quantify uncertainty and/or test the relevance and robustness of models used to project ecosystem responses to change
A global database of measured values of benthic invertebrate bioturbation intensity, ventilation rate, and the mixed depth of marine soft sediments
No full textThe activities of a diverse array of sediment-dwelling fauna are known to mediate carbon remineralisation, biogeochemical cycling and other important properties of marine ecosystems, but the contributions that different seabed communities make to the global inventory have not been established. Here we provide a comprehensive georeferenced database of measured values of bioturbation intensity (Db), burrow ventilation rate (42 species) and the mixed depth (L) of marine soft sediments compiled from the scientific literature (1970-2017). These data provide reference information that can be used to inform and parameterise global, habitat specific and/or species level biogeochemical models that will be of value within the fields of geochemistry, ecology, climate, and palaeobiology. We include metadata relating to the source, timing and location of each study, the methodology used, and environmental and experimental information. The dataset presents opportunity to interrogate current ecological theory, refine functional typologies, quantify uncertainty and/or test the relevance and robustness of models used to project ecosystem responses to change.</span
Introduction: Marine biodiversity: current understanding and future research
No full textHuman activity extensively, and often irreversibly, alters marine biodiversity andecosystems on a global scale. Notwithstanding a substantial research effort on the ecosystem consequences of altered biodiversity, it is vital that the marine community summarise and communicate itsknowledge to policy makers. This Theme Section celebrates the establishment of the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity as a vehicle for integrating marine biodiversity science and co-ordinating future research efforts
Importance of species interactions in moderating altered levels of reactive nitrogen
No full textThe amount of anthropogenic reactive nitrogen that is generated and emitted at a global scale has greatly increased since the pre-industrial period, disrupting the natural balance of the nitrogen cycle and causing adverse impacts on human health, biodiversity, ecosystem services, and climate change. Consequently, how altered nitrogen availability and/or supply affects natural systems has received a significant amount of attention, but investigators have tended to focus on detailing microbial processes and biogeochemical pathways or on summarizing effects observed at the very broadest ecosystem scale. The way in which the effects of changing nitrogen concentrations are expressed in the environment, however, is also dependent on natural communities, yet how species–environment interactions may alter, or be altered by, the effects of nitrogen forcing has received much less attention. In this chapter, consideration is given to how changes to the stocks and flows of nitrogen may affect individuals, species, and species–environment interactions that, in turn, may either exacerbate or buffer the wider ecosystem effects of nitrogen forcing
Relative importance of biodiversity and the environment in mediating ecosystem process
No full textWhilst there is a wealth of empirical studies that indicate negative ecosystem consequences of biodiversity loss, much debate remains over the existence, strength and importance of the same patterns in natural systems. We used a gradient of organic enrichment as a means of defining non-random species loss in the marine benthos and, using partial linear regression, determined the relative importance of macrofaunal biodiversity and the abiotic environment in affecting a benthic ecosystem process (bioturbation intensity; indicated by sediment mixing depth), that is important in mediating benthic functioning. Of the abiotic and biotic variables tested (n = 8), species richness and sediment total organic carbon (TOC) content together explained 65%, of the variability in this ecosystem process, with more than half of this variability explained solely by species richness. Importantly, the relative importance of biodiversity decreased at low levels of species richness and/or high levels of TOC. These results have profound implications for manipulative field experiments, where environmental factors are likely to dominate ecosystem processes, because the extent and importance of biological mediation could be underestimated. Our results also revealed that a large proportion of the explained variability in the ecosystem process is explained by the underlying reciprocal relationship (shared variability) between biodiversity and sediment TOC, highlighting the importance of species-environment interactions. If we are to fully appreciate the role of biodiversity in natural systems, Our findings suggest that the intimate relationship between species and their environment. needs to be more prominently featured in future studies that consider the ecosystem consequences of biodiversity los
Preface
No full textAnthropogenic changes to the marine environment are causing some considerable concern and yet there is very little information on the overall effects of either single or multiple human influences on species, populations, or, indeed, communities. The indication is that anthropogenic stressors have significantly altered the composition and diversity of marine communities at almost every trophic level, which can have profound effects on surviving species and ecosystems, especially when major processes are supported by a limited number of species. Studies investigating the effects of multiple stressors, however, are challenging as ecological changes are underpinned by physiological adjustments and differences in tolerance levels which are highly variable among and within species and populations. To provide a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of multiple stressors, this volume summarizes current understanding of the physiological and ecological responses of marine species to a wide range of potential stressors (salinity, hypoxia, ocean acidification, temperature, chemical pollution, nitrogen deposition, ultraviolet radiation, and noise), before it considers what is currently known about effects of multiple co-occurring stressors in the marine environment. Expertise, ranging from emerging early career researchers to leaders in the field, have been brought together to outline the responses shown by different marine species and habitats at different levels of biological and ecological organization, as well as to provide perspectives on potential future outcomes for some of the most pressing environmental issues facing society today
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