It's a dirty job but someone has to do it: The role of marine benthic macrofauna in organic matter turnover and nutrient recycling to the water column

Benthic macrofaunal populations through their feeding, bioturbation, burrow construction and sediment irrigation activities have profound influences on organic matter inputs to marine sediments (biodeposition) and on the vertical distribution of deposited organic matter within the sediment. These effects in turn influence the rates and pathways of organic matter mineralisation, and element cycles. Similarly, bioturbation, burrow construction and burrow irrigation are major determinants of sediment-water column fluxes of oxygen and nutrients.

In this review, I discuss the influences of the different benthic macrofaunal feeding (functional) groups on mineralisation processes and sediment-water column fluxes of particulate and dissolved nutrients. How these effects influence diagenic processes, the balance between aerobic and anaerobic processes, and the redox status of the surficial sediments. Finally, I discuss some of the limitations of the predominantly laboratory techniques which have been used to study “macrofaunal effects” and how this hinders the inclusion of the effects in quantitative sediment biogeochemical models.     

Seasonal variation of total dissolved arsenic and arsenic speciation in a polluted surface waterway

Seasonal differences in the dissolved arsenic concentration and speciation in a contaminated urban waterway in northwest England have been determined using a coupled ion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (IC-ICP-MS) technique. Waters sampled in the vicinity of an industrial works during relatively dry conditions in April 2000 were found to contain total arsenic concentrations (As) of up to 132 g L^–1, more than an order magnitude greater than the 4 g L^–1 maximum found in December 2000. The difference in As between the April and December sampling periods is speculated to be largely due to the irregular anthropogenic supply of arsenic to the watercourse. For both sampling periods, the dissolved arsenic was exclusively inorganic in nature and had an As(V)/As ratio of between 0.6 and 0.8. Analysis of samples taken downstream of the industrial site, after the confluence with a relatively As-poor stream, revealed that As(III), As(V) and As concentrations were lower than would be expected from conservative mixing. The As(V)/As ratio was also observed to decrease markedly. The loss of arsenic from solution is thought to be due to adsorption on the iron oxyhydroxide-rich sediment observed to coat the riverbed downstream of the confluence. The reduction in the As(V)/As ratio is believed to be due to the more rapid adsorption of As(V) compared to that of As(III). Deviations from conservative behaviour were more marked during the relatively dry April 2000 sampling period and suggest the increased importance of adsorption processes controlling arsenic availability during this time.     

The relationship between diversity profiles,evenness and species richness based on partial ordering

Problems with the notion of evenness, such as ambiguity, proliferation of indices, choice of indices, etc. can be overcome by a more fundamental, mathematical approach. We show that the Lorenz curve is an adequate representation of evenness. The corresponding Lorenz order induces a partial order in the set of equivalent abundance vectors. Also diversity can adequately be studied through a partial order and represented by a curve derived from the classical Lorenz curve. This curve is known as the intrinsic diversity profile (or k-dominance curve) and was introduced by Patil and Taillie (1979) and Lambshead et al. (1981).     

Priority-Setting Tool Applied to Canada's Landbirds Based on Concern and Responsibility for Species

Abstract: As a contribution to Partners in Flight–Canada, the Canadian Wildlife Service developed a ranking system to help set priorities for landbird species. Two complementary species lists were generated: one with scores for concern representing vulnerability and population trend, and one for responsibility for regionally characteristic fauna. The concern score gave equal weight to vulnerability, a composite score based on abundance and breadth of range, and population trend, because its purpose was to give early warning of potential problems. Responsibility scores were scale-free and were assigned for the season in which the species is most abundant. Other systems for identifying species of concern may be more appropriate for other jurisdictions or organisms, but the responsibility ranking is widely applicable. This system is a coarse filter that generates preliminary ranks; additional information should be considered in deciding how to allocate scarce resources for conservation. Unrefined results are nonetheless useful for a variety of purposes, as illustrated by the scores for Canadian landbirds. About 25% of Canada's high-responsibility species are also of high concern. These high-concern species are not associated with specific habitats or migration patterns. Conservation of species ranking high on concern and responsibility merits cooperation with the United States and Mexico in particular. The scores identified improved monitoring as a priority conservation activity for Canada.     

Does the risk of encountering lions influence African herbivore behaviour at waterholes?

A central question in the study of predator–prey relationships is to what extent prey behaviour is determined by avoidance of predators. Here, we test whether the long-term risk of encountering lions and the presence of lions in the vicinity influence the behaviour of large African herbivores at waterholes through avoidance of high-risk areas, increases in group size, changes in temporal niche or changes in the time spent in waterhole areas. In Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, we monitored waterholes to study the behaviour of nine herbivore species under different risks of encountering lions. We radio-collared 26 lions in the study area which provided the opportunity to monitor whether lions were present during observation sessions and to map longer-term seasonal landscapes of risk of encountering lions. Our results show that the preferred prey species for lions (buffalo, kudu and giraffe) avoided risky waterholes. Group size increased as encounter risk increased for only two species (wildebeest and zebra), but this effect was not strong. Interestingly, buffalo avoided the hours of the day which are dangerous when the long-term and short-term risks of encountering lions were high, and all species showed avoidance of waterhole use at night times when lions were in the vicinity. This illustrates well how prey can make temporal adjustments to avoid dangerous periods coinciding with predator hunting. Additionally, many herbivores spent more time accessing water to drink when the long- and short-term risks of encountering lions were high, and they showed longer potential drinking time when the long-term risk of encountering lions was high, suggesting higher levels of vigilance. This study illustrates the diversity of behavioural adjustments to the risk of encountering a predator and how prey respond differently to temporal variations in this risk.     

Effects of anthropogenic landscapes on population maintenance of waterbirds

Anthropogenic impacts have reduced natural areas but increased the area of anthropogenic landscapes. There is debate about whether anthropogenic landscapes (e.g., farmlands, orchards, and fish ponds) provide alternatives to natural habitat and under what circumstances. We considered whether anthropogenic landscapes can mitigate population declines for waterbirds. We collected data on population trends and biological traits of 1203 populations of 579 species across the planet. Using Bayesian generalized linear mixed models, we tested whether the ability of a species to use an anthropogenic landscape can predict population trends of waterbird globally and of species of conservation concern. Anthropogenic landscapes benefited population maintenance of common but not less-common species. Conversely, the use of anthropogenic landscapes was associated with population declines for threatened species. Our findings delineate some limitations to the ability of anthropogenic landscapes to mitigate population declines, suggesting that the maintenance of global waterbird populations depends on protecting remaining natural areas and improving the habitat quality in anthropogenic landscapes. Article impact statement: Protecting natural areas and improving the quality of anthropogenic landscapes as habitat are both needed to achieve effective conservation.     

Translating the 10 golden rules of reforestation for coral reef restoration

Efforts are accelerating to protect and restore ecosystems globally. With trillions of dollars in ecosystem services at stake, no clear framework exists for developing or prioritizing approaches to restore coral reefs even as efforts and investment opportunities to do so grow worldwide. Restoration may buy time for climate change mitigation, but it lacks rigorous guidance to meet objectives of scalability and effectiveness. Lessons from restoration of terrestrial ecosystems can and should be rapidly adopted for coral reef restoration. We propose how the 10 golden rules of effective forest restoration can be translated to accelerate efforts to restore coral reefs based on established principles of resilience, management, and local stewardship. We summarize steps to undertake reef restoration as a management strategy in the context of the diverse ecosystem service values that coral reefs provide. Outlining a clear blueprint is timely as more stakeholders seek to undertake restoration as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration begins.