Regulation of benthic algal and animal communities by salt marsh plants: impact of shading

Plant cover is a fundamental feature of many coastal marine and terrestrial systems and controls the structure of associated animal communities. Both natural and human-mediated changes in plant cover influence abiotic sediment properties and thus have cascading impacts on the biotic community. Using clipping (structural) and light (shading) manipulations in two salt marsh vegetation zones (one dominated by Spartina foliosa and one by Salicornia virginica), we tested whether these plant species exert influence on abiotic environmental factors and examined the mechanisms by which these changes regulate the biotic community. In an unshaded (plant and shade removal) treatment, marsh soils exhibited harsher physical properties, a microalgal community composition shift toward increased diatom dominance, and altered macrofaunal community composition with lower species richness, a larger proportion of insect larvae, and a smaller proportion of annelids, crustaceans, and oligochaetes compared to shaded (plant removal, shade mimic) and control treatment plots. Overall, the shaded treatment plots were similar to the controls. Plant cover removal also resulted in parallel shifts in microalgal and macrofaunal isotopic signatures of the most dynamic species. This suggests that animal responses are seen mainly among microalgae grazers and may be mediated by plant modification of microalgae. Results of these experiments demonstrate how light reduction by the vascular plant canopy can control salt marsh sediment communities in an arid climate. This research facilitates understanding of sequential consequences of changing salt marsh plant cover associated with climate or sea level change, habitat degradation, marsh restoration, or plant invasion.     

Spatial assessment of sea level rise on Martinique’s coastal zone and analysis of planning frameworks for adaptation

Accelerated sea level rise and hurricanes are increasingly influencing human coastal activities. With respect to the projected continuation of accelerated sea level rise and global warming one must count with additional expenses for adaptation strategies along the coasts. On the mountainous island Martinique the majority of settlements are situated along the coast almost at sea level. But potential rises in sea level and its impacts are not addressed in coastal management, even though saltwater intrusion and coastal erosion with increasing offshore loss of sediment are locally already a severe problem. At a sea level rise of 50 cm, one fourth of Martinique’s coastline will be affected by erosion and one fifth of the islands surface will have high probability to get flooded during coastal hazards. This is a growth of 5% of the impact area in comparison to present conditions. This article analyses potential adaptation strategies and argues that the development of a coastal zone management plan considering sea level rise and its impact area is of utmost importance. Empirical assessment models in combination with spatial analysis are useful in obtaining statements about coastal impacts concerning sea level rise. This paper sees itself as recommendation of action not only for Martinique.

New genetic markers to identify European resistant abalone to vibriosis revealed by high-resolution melting analysis,a sensitive and fast approach

Increasing temperature of seawater is often associated with increased exposure incidence of disease in field and in aquaculture populations. Numerous episodic mass mortalities of the abalone Haliotis tuberculata have been observed along the northern Brittany coast of France caused by a complex interaction between the host, pathogen and environmental factors. Here, we evaluated the potential of high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis for mutation genotyping and development of genetic markers for resistance to vibriosis in the gastropod species H. tuberculata. Small amplicon assays were developed and revealed genetic polymorphism between surviving and susceptible abalone obtained after two successive infections of aquaculture families in controlled conditions. Together with specific COI haplotypes, we identified particular genotypes in nascent polypeptide-associated complex subunit alpha and ferritin genes linked to the susceptibility or resistance of abalone to vibriosis. Selection of genitors based on these genes may increase the proportion in offspring of resistant individuals of more than 76 %. Finally, HRM assays constitute a very efficient genotyping tool to validate the genetic markers on a representative number of individuals of wild populations and thus identify future resistant genitors for aquaculture or conservation purposes.     

Towards a framework for assessment and management of cumulative human impacts on marine food webs

Effective ecosystem‐based management requires understanding ecosystem responses to multiple human threats, rather than focusing on single threats. To understand ecosystem responses to anthropogenic threats holistically, it is necessary to know how threats affect different components within ecosystems and ultimately alter ecosystem functioning. We used a case study of a Mediterranean seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) food web and expert knowledge elicitation in an application of the initial steps of a framework for assessment of cumulative human impacts on food webs. We produced a conceptual seagrass food web model, determined the main trophic relationships, identified the main threats to the food web components, and assessed the components’ vulnerability to those threats. Some threats had high (e.g., coastal infrastructure) or low impacts (e.g., agricultural runoff) on all food web components, whereas others (e.g., introduced carnivores) had very different impacts on each component. Partitioning the ecosystem into its components enabled us to identify threats previously overlooked and to reevaluate the importance of threats commonly perceived as major. By incorporating this understanding of system vulnerability with data on changes in the state of each threat (e.g., decreasing domestic pollution and increasing fishing) into a food web model, managers may be better able to estimate and predict cumulative human impacts on ecosystems and to prioritize conservation actions.     

The theory behind,and the challenges of,conserving nature's stage in a time of rapid change

Most conservation planning to date has focused on protecting today's biodiversity with the assumption that it will be tomorrow's biodiversity. However, modern climate change has already resulted in distributional shifts of some species and is projected to result in many more shifts in the coming decades. As species redistribute and biotic communities reorganize, conservation plans based on current patterns of biodiversity may fail to adequately protect species in the future. One approach for addressing this issue is to focus on conserving a range of abiotic conditions in the conservation‐planning process. By doing so, it may be possible to conserve an abiotically diverse “stage” upon which evolution will play out and support many actors (biodiversity). We reviewed the fundamental underpinnings of the concept of conserving the abiotic stage, starting with the early observations of von Humboldt, who mapped the concordance of abiotic conditions and vegetation, and progressing to the concept of the ecological niche. We discuss challenges posed by issues of spatial and temporal scale, the role of biotic drivers of species distributions, and latitudinal and topographic variation in relationships between climate and landform. For example, abiotic conditions are not static, but change through time—albeit at different and often relatively slow rates. In some places, biotic interactions play a substantial role in structuring patterns of biodiversity, meaning that patterns of biodiversity may be less tightly linked to the abiotic stage. Furthermore, abiotic drivers of biodiversity can change with latitude and topographic position, meaning that the abiotic stage may need to be defined differently in different places. We conclude that protecting a diversity of abiotic conditions will likely best conserve biodiversity into the future in places where abiotic drivers of species distributions are strong relative to biotic drivers, where the diversity of abiotic settings will be conserved through time, and where connectivity allows for movement among areas providing different abiotic conditions.     

Better estimates of soil carbon from geographical data: a revised global approach

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - Soils hold the largest pool of organic carbon (C) on Earth; yet, soil organic carbon (SOC) reservoirs are not well represented in climate...     

3D model for a secondary facultative pond

This paper describes a comprehensive model of wastewater treatment in secondary facultative ponds, which combines 3D hydrodynamics with a mechanistic water quality model. The hydrodynamics are based on the Navier-Stokes equation for incompressible fluids under shallow water and Boussinesq assumptions capturing the flow dynamics along length, breadth and depth of the pond. The water quality sub model is based on the Activated Sludge Model (ASM) concept, describing COD and nutrient removal as function of bacterial growth following Monod kinetics, except for Escherichia coli removal, which was modelled as first order decay. The model was implemented in the Delft3D software and was used to evaluate the effect of wind and the addition of baffles on the water flow pattern, temperature profiles in the pond and treatment efficiency. In contrast to earlier models reported in the literature, our simulation results did not show any significant improvement in COD removal (based on the ASM concept) with addition of baffles or under intermittent wind-induced mixing. However, E. coli removal efficiency, based on a first order decay approach, showed a fair improvement in the presence of baffles or intermittent wind-induced mixing. Furthermore, simulations with continuous wind effect showed a decrease in removal efficiency for COD but a further increase in E. coli removal efficiency. Such contrasting results for two different approaches in modelling could indicate that the first order decay concept might not be appropriate to describe all the interactions between biochemical processes in a pond. However, these interpretations remain theoretical, as the model needs validation with field data.     

Water Supply and Stormwater Management Benefits of Residential Rainwater Harvesting in U.S. Cities

This article presents an analysis of the projected performance of urban residential rainwater harvesting systems in the United States (U.S.). The objectives are to quantify for 23 cities in seven climatic regions (1) water supply provided from rainwater harvested at a residential parcel and (2) stormwater runoff reduction from a residential drainage catchment. Water‐saving efficiency is determined using a water‐balance approach applied at a daily time step for a range of rainwater cistern sizes. The results show that performance is a function of cistern size and climatic pattern. A single rain barrel (190 l [50 gal]) installed at a residential parcel is able to provide approximately 50% water‐saving efficiency for the nonpotable indoor water demand scenario in cities of the East Coast, Southeast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest, but <30% water‐saving efficiency in cities of the Mountain West, Southwest, and most of California. Stormwater management benefits are quantified using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Storm Water Management Model. The results indicate that rainwater harvesting can reduce stormwater runoff volume up to 20% in semiarid regions, and less in regions receiving greater rainfall amounts for a long‐term simulation. Overall, the results suggest that U.S. cities and individual residents can benefit from implementing rainwater harvesting as a stormwater control measure and as an alternative source of water.     

Sprawl,Smart Growth and Sustainability

This paper examines the role of community-based management (CBM) in dealing with the problem of mine water pollution (MWP) in four ex-pit sites in northeast England. The outcomes of CBM can be divided into two categories: ecological (environmental improvement) and social (community improvement). The ecological outcomes range from problem recognition to investigation and remediation; the social outcomes range from community awareness to participation and enhanced cooperation. Both kinds of outcome were completely achieved in only one site (Quaking Houses). In the other three sites, varying degrees of success were achieved in each category. The main lessons learned are two-fold: first, even if CBM does not achieve its ecological aims, it may nonetheless be valuable in achieving social outcomes; second, its chances of achieving either ecological or social outcomes are linked to the resources (human, technical, financial, experiential, structural, legitimacy and network) that the community possesses.