The 2011 climate regime shift: seabed taxon monitoring identifies regimes

Monitoring of biodiversity may sometimes reflect human impacts on ecosystems, but analysis of biodiversity needs to account for naturally occurring trends as well. Biodiversity may provide more accurate definition of climate regime shifts than do physical oceanographic data, Using search programs for a long-term SCUBA taxonomic database (3865 dives) for Strait of Georgia seabed sites, 1,077 taxa were screened to select 171 rare or highly abundant taxa and to present the data according to climate regime categories. Ocean Niño Index climate regime shifts are defined here as the year of the end of the first La Niña closely paired with an El Niño by separation, where anomalies for both El Niño and La Niña exceed 1.0 on the ONI scale. For both rare and abundant taxa, patterns of increased or decreased abundance frequently correspond to years defining climate regimes. Cascading effects of climate regime shifts may occur via changes in community composition. The sea star wasting disease (SSWD) syndrome eliminated predators of urchins so that urchins have decreased abundance of a kelp species that is nursery habitat for spot prawns. We conclude that 2011 was a climate regime shift. This 2011 regime shift coincided with disappearance of 11 seabed species from our Strait of Georgia dataset, none of them at their southern range extreme. Both increases and decreases in species abundance tend to coincide with climate regime shifts that have occurred regularly as a fundamental aspect of weather and climate on earth

Seabed Biodiversity Shifts Identify Climate Regimes: The 2011 Climate Regime Shift and Associated Cascades

Using search programs for a long-term SCUBA taxonomic database (3865 dives) for Strait of Georgia seabed sites, 1077 taxa were screened to select rare or highly abundant taxa and to present the data according to climate regime categories. Ocean Niño Index (ONI) climate regime shifts are defined here as the year of the end of the first La Niña closely paired with an El Niño by ≤2 months separation, where anomalies for both El Niño and La Niña exceed 1.0 on the ONI scale. For both rare and abundant taxa, patterns of increased or decreased abundance frequently correspond to years defining climate regimes. Cascading effects of climate regime shifts may occur via changes in community composition. The sea star wasting disease (SSWD) syndrome eliminated urchin predators so that urchins have decreased abundance of a kelp species that is nursery habitat for spot prawns. We conclude that 2011 was a climate regime shift. This 2011 regime shift coincided with loss of 11 seabed species in the Strait of Georgia, none of them at their southern range extreme

Formation, Persistence, and Recovery of Glass Sponge Reefs: A Case Study

Glass sponge reefs (bioherms) are known to occur on glacial deposits but have not previously been observed to develop on fjord bedrock ridges. It is assumed that sexual reproduction dominates reef recruitment and that sedimentation can cover intact sponge skeletons. Over a decade of scuba diving research at a small fjordic bioherm, including installation of bar-coded marker stakes, transplants of loose fragments and survey transects of substrate depth with an avalanche probe have led to new insights into the dynamics of bioherm formation and persistence. We present evidence for recovery of sponge growth from scree slopes of collapsed fragments and logged the temporal changes associated with sponge fragmentation and recovery. Bar-coded stakes were installed in 2014 to enable verification of location and sponge identity through time. Photo documentation of growth, collapse, and regrowth is presented. Research on a sponge garden on glacial sediments reveals that earliest sedimentation may center around prostrate boot sponges and bristly tunicates among the cloud and vase sponges. Although hexactinellid boot sponges do not contribute to the geologic base of bioherms, they may take part as a successional community in the substrate conditioning that could result in the genesis of a glass sponge reef or bioherm

Online Child’s Health Assessment Tool for Obesity Prevention Programming

To optimize public health in the next decade, prevention of childhood obesity will remain a central focus. To impact behavioral change, data must be linked to continuous quality improvements within existing nutrition and physical activity programming. The Children, Youth, and Families At-Risk Professional Development and Technical Assistance Center has developed a picture-based, online survey tool, the CYFAR Health Assessment Tool (CHAT), to assess health behaviors in youth ages 6 to18 years of age. Used for continuous program improvement, aggregate data results are coupled with tailored health recommendations in 4 domains (behavior and environmental modifications, education, and direct strategies) and evidence-informed resources for dissemination to youth and parents. Program implementers use the data and resources for targeted programmatic improvements that more effectively promote health and well-being. CHAT also informs our collective understanding of youth’s perceptions of health in comparison to their actual behaviors

Growth and persistence of the kelp Neoagarum fimbriatum in the face of intense grazer pressure

Kelp forests are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world, supporting a diverse assemblage of species. Throughout their history of study, kelp forests have undergone shifts between kelp forests and urchin barrens. Urchin barrens – rocky reefs which have no remaining kelp habitat due sea urchin grazing – have important consequences for species that rely on this habitat for survival. In Howe Sound, British Columbia Neoagarum fimbriatum is the dominant habitat-forming kelp and is the essential settlement habitat for commercially important juvenile spot prawns, Pandalus platyceros. Since 2013, the abundance of Neoagarum has declined following an increase in green urchins, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, due to loss of top-predator sea stars. This shift in the rocky reef community has led to concerns of continued decline in Neoagarum. This study looks at two aspects of Neoagarum persistence in the face of intense grazer pressure. First, seasonal growth patterns with respect to light and temperature variation are examined. Second, the impact of high densities of green urchins on Neoagarum loss are quantified. Seasonal growth patterns showed that Neoagarum grows throughout the year with maximal growth rates during summer, reaching up to 7% d-¹. Light was determined to be the main driver of these patterns. This was apparent particularly during spring plankton blooms when periods of minimal light at the depth of the kelp beds correlated with the lowest growth rates, while highest growth correlated with the longest days and highest light intensity. These growth rates suggest that in the absence of grazer pressure, Neoagarum has the capacity to develop dense kelp beds in a matter of months. Urchin grazing experiments showed that the relationship between urchin density and the rate of kelp biomass loss scaled linearly, but only at density below 36 urchins m-². Density-dependent restriction of green urchins was apparent at densities greater than 36 urchins m-². Despite lower per capita grazing rates at high densities it appears that so long as densities of green urchins densities remain high, their ability to consume greater than just 7% kelp biomass per day will lead to further declines in Neoagarum kelp beds.Science, Faculty ofBotany, Department ofGraduat

Kelp bed community shifts following sea star wasting syndrome in Howe Sound, British Columbia

Echinoderm population cycles may be important drivers of ecological shifts on kelp bed communities. In Howe Sound, British Columbia, kelp beds are dominated the perennial Agarum fimbriatum, which provides important habitat for a variety of fish and invertebrates. The northeast Pacific recently experienced a mass mortality of sea stars beginning in early September 2013, and the sunflower star Pycnopodia helianthoides – a previously abundant predator of bottom-dwelling invertebrates –disappeared from many sites in a matter of weeks. By comparing the abundance of invertebrates and kelp before and after the sea star mortality event, we observed a four-fold increase in the abundance of green sea urchins and a 50% decline in kelp cover. Surveys were conducted during summer when Agarum blade size and growth is greatest. Here, we present the hypothesis that some of the changes we observed resulted from a trophic cascade involving sea stars, urchins and kelp. Behavioural experiments conducted in situ suggest predation release as a key mechanism underpinning the shift in urchin numbers. To quantify the impact of higher urchin abundance on kelp, we conducted 10 independent grazing experiments where A. fimbriatum was transplanted to barren rocky reefs of various green urchin densities. At high densities, kelp declined more that 40% in as little as 24 hrs. A. fimbriatum also provides key settlement habitat for the spot prawn Pandalus platyceros, so we predict the trophic cascade may impact spot prawn abundance in future years. Keywords: algae, trophic cascade, echinoderm, sea star wasting, mass mortality even

TRANSFORMING GRADUATE STUDIES THROUGH DECOLONIZATION: SHARING THE LEARNING JOURNEY OF A SPECIALIZED COHORT

This study traces the learning journey of primarily non-Indigenous educators who challenged the legacy of colonization in schools, and worked to decolonize their practice, through their participation in a specialized graduate cohort. Drawing upon sharing circle conversations, we highlight themes that emerged from our research. Educators reported their sense of agency to transform and change their practice increased with the support of a critical and caring learning community. In nourishing their learning spirits, educators were able to begin to decolonize education, an ongoing challenge that requires valuing Indigenous people, languages, and land, and building inter-cultural understanding. This study is an example of how graduate programming can begin to address the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.Ce projet de recherche explore le parcours d’apprentissage vécu par un groupe d’enseignants majoritairement non-autochtones. Cheminant au sein d’une cohorte spécialisée à la maîtrise, ceux-ci ont remis en question l’héritage colonial du milieu scolaire et ont travaillé à décoloniser leur pratique. Nous mettons ici en lumière les thèmes qui ont émergé au cours de notre recherche, en se basant sur des discussions tenues dans des cercles de partage. Les participants ont souligné que le sentiment de pouvoir transformer et changer leur pratique a augmenté avec le soutien d’une communauté critique et bienveillante. Attentifs à leur volonté d’apprendre, les enseignants ont été en mesure d’amorcer la décolonisation de l’éducation, un défi constant qui nécessite la valorisation du peuple autochtone, de ses langues et terres et le développement d’une compréhension interculturelle. Ce projet de recherche est un exemple de la manière dont les programmes de deuxième cycle peuvent commencer à répondre aux appels à l’action présentés par la Commission de vérité et réconciliation

sj-pdf-1-cph-10.1177_17151635231202754 – Supplemental material for Understanding the experiences of Black Nova Scotians with community pharmacists

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-cph-10.1177_17151635231202754 for Understanding the experiences of Black Nova Scotians with community pharmacists by Afomia Gebre, Susan Bowles, Laura V. Minard and Natalie Borden in Canadian Pharmacists Journal / Revue des Pharmaciens du Canada</p