A stream-to-sea experiment reveals inhibitory effects of freshwater residency on organic-matter decomposition in the sea

One billion tons of carbon are annually transported to the global ocean, and the fate of this carbon hinges not only on marine processing rates, but also on freshwater processing during downstream transport. Using a cotton-strip assay, we assessed the decomposition of organic matter in marine and freshwater sites and simulated its downstream transport from freshwater to the sea by translocating cotton strips approximately half-way through the freshwater incubation period. We observed faster decomposition in the sea relative to the stream and interestingly, an inhibitory effect of stream incubation on subsequent decomposition in the sea. Total nitrogen content and ∂15N in the cotton strips were both greater in the strips incubated entirely in the sea, suggesting greater microbial activity in the marine habitat. Our results lend needed insights into global carbon cycling, the factors that govern organic-carbon processing, and highlight the importance of connections that exist among some of Earth's major ecosystems

Advocating for free-to-read and free-to-publish science journals amid a need to change a broken evaluation system

Abstract Publishing is an important step for the work of any scientist. Unfortunately, academia has been using publication metrics, particularly the journal impact factor, as one of the main criteria for assessing researchers CVs when hiring and promoting researchers and evaluating grant proposals, among others. This goes against the advice of several researchers and institutions who notice a harmful effect of focusing on such publication-based metrics for the development of science itself. In addition, most journals with high impact factor have been moving to a highly commercialized form of open access publication, where readers do not pay to access those papers, but the authors do. Journals ranked high in those publication-based metrics also charge very high publications fees. Thus, those journals have become too expensive for most scientists, creating a too-large financial gap between those who can afford publishing in high-ranked journals and those who cannot. Science ranking based on publication metrics is thus no longer a question of science quality, impact, or relevance, but of the researchers’ financial conditions to publish their science. Luckly, there are thousands of journals that offer the so-called diamond (or platinum) alternative that do not charge any fees from readers and writers alike. Here, I advocate that scientists should focus on those non-commercialized forms of science publication while working to change the criteria for evaluating science production currently at place in academia

The Importance of Ecological Networks in Multiple-Stressor Research and Management

Multiple stressors are increasingly affecting organisms and communities, thereby modifying ecosystems' state and functioning. Raising awareness about the threat from multiple stressors has increased the number of experimental and observational studies specifically addressing consequences of stressor interactions on biota. Most studies measure the direct effects of multiple stressors and their interactions on biological endpoints such as abundance, biomass, or diversity of target organisms. This yields invaluable information for the management and restoration of stressed ecosystems. However, as we argue in our perspective paper, this common approach ignores a fundamental characteristic of communities and ecosystems, i.e., that organisms in ecosystems are interlinked by biotic interactions in ecological networks. Examples from the literature show that biotic interactions can modify stressor effects, transfer stressor effects to distant groups of organisms, and create new stressor interactions. These examples also suggest that changes in biotic interactions can have effects of similar or greater magnitude than direct stressor effects. We provide a perspective on how to include network characteristics and biotic interactions into analyses of multiple-stressor effects on ecosystems. Our approach can also make use of biomonitoring data produced with established and intercalibrated methods, and can combine it with novel metrics used to describe the functioning of ecosystems, such as trait information or stable-isotope measurements. The insights on network-mediated effects gained via the approach we propose can substantially increase mechanistic understanding of multiple-stressor effects, and in turn, the efficiency of ecosystem management and restoration

Ecological effects of mosquito control with Bti: evidence for shifts in the trophic structure of soil- and ground-based food webs

The microbial control agent Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) has been successfully used worldwide to reduce abundances of biting Nematocera (Diptera), often with little direct impact on non-target organisms observed. However, the potential for additional indirect effects on other ecosystem properties, including on trophic linkages within food webs, is poorly known. We investigated the effects of multiple-year mosquito control treatments using the Bti product VectoBac®-G on the stable isotope composition of epigeal and soil-based consumers inhabiting replicate floodplains along the River Dalälven, Sweden. We observed significant changes in the isotopic composition of detritivores feeding at the base of floodplain food webs. Enchytraeid worms were characterised by 3.5% higher δ13C values in treated floodplains, suggesting increased consumption of δ13C-enriched food. The overall range of community-wide δ15N values was 56% greater in the treated floodplains, whilst δ15N values of oribatid mites were elevated by 97%. These results suggest extra fractionation in the transfer of nitrogen through floodplain food chains. We conjecture that the ecological mechanisms driving these food web shifts are (1) the mass mortality of high δ13C A. sticticus larvae, which leaves high concentrations of dead mosquito biomass deposited on soils at local scales, after the floodwaters have receded and (2) incorporation of the very high δ13C-enriched corn particles comprising the bulk of the VectoBac®-G product into floodplain food webs. Our results suggest that repeated applications of Bti might have wider, still largely unknown implications for nutrient and energy cycles within floodplain ecosystems

Ectoparasites population dynamics are affected by host body size but not host density or water temperature in a 32-year long time series

Host density, host body size and ambient temperature have all been positively associated with increases in parasite infection. However, the relative importance of these factors in shaping long-term parasite population dynamics in wild host populations is unknown due to the absence of long-term studies. Here, we examine long-term drivers of gill lice (Copepoda) infections in Arctic charr (Salmonidae) over 32 years. We predicted that host density and body size and water temperature would all positively affect parasite population size and population growth rate. Our results show that fish size was the main driver of gill lice infections in Arctic charr. In addition, Arctic charr became infected at smaller sizes and with more parasites in years of higher brown trout population size. Negative intraguild interactions between brown trout and Arctic charr appear to drive smaller Arctic charr to seek refuge in deeper areas of the lake, thus increasing infection risk. There was no effect of host density on the force of infection, and the relationship between Arctic charr density and parasite mean abundance was negative, possibly due to an encounter-dilution effect. The population densities of host and parasite fluctuated independently of one another. Water temperature had negligible effects on the temporal dynamics of the gill lice population. Understanding long-term drivers of parasite population dynamics is key for research and management. In fish farms, artificially high densities of hosts lead to vast increases in the transmission of parasitic copepods. However, in wild fish populations fluctuating at natural densities, the surface area available for copepodid attachment might be more important than the density of available hosts

Disentangling the roles of plant functional diversity and plaint traits in regulating plant nitrogen accumulation and denitrification in freshwaters

1. There is a growing recognition that functional measures of diversity, based on quantification of functionally important species traits, are useful for explaining variation in ecosystem processes. However, the mechanisms linking functional diversity to different processes remain poorly understood, hindering development of a predictive framework for ecosystem functioning based on species traits.2. The current understanding of how the functional traits of aquatic plants (macrophytes) affect nitrogen (N) cycling by regulating microbial communities and their activity in freshwater habitats is particularly limited. Denitrifying bacteria are typically associated with the roots of both aquatic and terrestrial plants and denitrification is the main cause of loss of N from ecosystems. Disentangling the interplay between plants and microbial denitrifiers is key to understanding variation in rates of denitrification from local to landscape scales.3. In a mesocosm experiment, we varied the species richness (monocultures or two-species mixtures) and composition of macrophytes. We quantified effects of both macrophyte functional diversity, quantified as functional trait dissimilarity, and functional trait composition, quantified as community weighted mean trait values, on N removal in wetlands. We used structural equation modelling to disentangle the direct and indirect influences of traits on N accumulation in plant biomass, denitrification activity and abundance of key bacterial denitrification genes (nirS and nirK).4. Both functional diversity and functional trait composition regulated N removal, explaining 70%-94% variation in the underlying ecosystem processes. Increased macrophyte functional diversity increased plant N accumulation, and indirectly enhanced denitrification by increasing denitrification gene abundance. Among traits, greater plant relative growth rates, specific leaf area and above-ground biomass increased plant N accumulation. Denitrification activity increased with increasing below-ground biomass but decreased with increasing root diameter.5. These findings improve our understanding of N removal in freshwater wetlands dominated by macrophytes, and have broad ecological implications for wetland management targeting enhanced ecosystem services. Our results highlight the potential for optimizing denitrification and plant N accumulation in wetlands and thereby improving water purification by increasing macrophyte functional diversity and ensuring the presence of key traits in macrophyte assemblages

Increased functional diversity warns of ecological transition in the Arctic

As temperatures rise, motile species start to redistribute to more suitable areas, potentially affecting the persistence of several resident species and altering biodiversity and ecosystem functions. In the Barents Sea, a hotspot for global warming, marine fish from boreal regions have been increasingly found in the more exclusive Arctic region. Here, we show that this shift in species distribution is increasing species richness and evenness, and even more so, the functional diversity of the Arctic. Higher diversity is often interpreted as being positive for ecosystem health and is a target for conservation. However, the increasing trend observed here may be transitory as the traits involved threaten Arctic species via predation and competition. If the pressure from global warming continues to rise, the ensuing loss of Arctic species will result in a reduction in functional diversity.publishedVersio

Estrutura da comunidade de invertebrados lóticos em um riacho da Mata Atlântica com influência antrópica

36

The Missing Layers: Integrating Sociocultural Values Into Marine Spatial Planning

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is a relatively new approach to ocean management and has been widely implemented worldwide. Ideally, MSP should be established as a public process that analyzes and distributes human activities across space and time to achieve ecological, economic and social goals, which historically have been accomplished exclusively in the political arena. However, in most cases MSP seems to be driven primarily by economic interests rather than by sociocultural goals. In this paper, we discuss how integrating the missing sociocultural layers into MSP can help to reduce governance rigidity, promote adaptability in decision-making, support environmental justice, and improve MSP acceptance and uptake. In particular, we focus on identifying possible points of connection between MSP and frameworks based on social-ecological system theory, including co-management and other democratic and empowering alternatives. We conclude by proposing a new definition of the MSP process that is more inclusive, and mindful of users’ rights and sociocultural objectives. If we bridge the gap between the dominant economic rhetoric and a de facto sociocultural-ecological system approach, we are likely to improve the chances of the MSP process succeeding on both the human and nature fronts.Postprin

Panel-based Assessment of Ecosystem Condition of Norwegian Barents Sea Shelf Ecosystems - Appendices

publishedVersio