A model for the future: Ecosystem services provided by the aquaculture activities of Veta la Palma, Southern Spain

© 2015 Elsevier B.V. The lack of space and opportunity for development has been identified as key reasons behind the stagnation of the European aquaculture industry. With the historical loss and degradation of current European wetlands there is an opportunity for harnessing the commercial investment of the aquaculture industry in construction of dual purpose wetlands that incorporate both conservation and extensive aquaculture activities. These wetlands can be used to expand the area available to suitable aquaculture into ecologically sensitive areas, such as Natura 2000 sites. Veta la Palma (VLP) situated in the Doñana Natural Park (and a Natura 2000 site) is an example of such an aquaculture development and a possible model for future opportunities. In the current study some of the important ecosystem services that are provided by VLP are assessed. The provisioning services of VLP were the economic rationale for the investment and more than 820tonnesyr-1 of fish and shrimp is produced, through a mixture of semi-extensive and extensive aquaculture. The regulating services include nutrient absorption, and the flow of river water through VLP and high primary production results in the absorption of 377tonnes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen yr-1, and 516tonnes of Cyr-1. Supporting services include the provision of habitat for more than 94 bird and 21 fish species. The primary production that supports the birds, extensive and semi-extensive aquaculture production was also estimated to be 167,000tonnes, 50,000tonnes and 133,000tonnesyr-1, respectively. The losses to birds are substantial and these estimates indicate that almost half of the primary production supports the wetland birds which directly consume 249tonnes of fish and 2578tonnes of invertebrates per annum. However it is the ecological credentials of the farm that enable premium prices and hence ensure the economic viability of the farm. The study demonstrates the possibility of using aquaculture to mitigate the historical loss of wetlands, provide significant ecosystem services and contribute to achievement of the European environmental legislative goals, and furthers the opportunity for the expansion of aquaculture into sensitive but impacted habitats.Peer Reviewe

Faunal mediated carbon export from mangroves in an arid area

The outwelling paradigm argues that mangrove and saltmarsh wetlands export much excess production to downstream marine systems. However, outwelling is difficult to quantify and currently 40–50% of fixed carbon is unaccounted for. Some carbon is thought outwelled through mobile fauna, including fish, which visit and feed on mangrove produce during tidal inundation or early life stages before moving offshore, yet this pathway for carbon outwelling has never been quantified. We studied faunal carbon outwelling in three arid mangroves, where sharp isotopic gradients across the boundary between mangroves and down-stream systems permitted spatial differentiation of source of carbon in animal tissue. Stable isotope analysis (C, N, S) revealed 22–56% of the tissue of tidally migrating fauna was mangrove derived. Estimated consumption rates showed that 1.4% (38 kg C ha−1 yr−1) of annual mangrove litter production was directly consumed by migratory fauna, with <1% potentially exported. We predict that the amount of faunally-outwelled carbon is likely to be highly correlated with biomass of migratory fauna. While this may vary globally, the measured migratory fauna biomass in these arid mangroves was within the range of observations for mangroves across diverse biogeographic ranges and environmental settings. Hence, this study provides a generalized prediction of the relatively weak contribution of faunal migration to carbon outwelling from mangroves and the current proposition, that the unaccounted-for 40–50% of mangrove C is exported as dissolved inorganic carbon, remains plausible.Qatar National Research Foundation, National Priorities Research Programme research grant: NPRP 7 - 1302 - 1 - 24

Are mangroves in arid environments isolated systems? Life-history and evidence of dietary contribution from inwelling in a mangrove-resident shrimp species

The Arabian Gulf represents one of the more northerly extremes of mangrove distribution in the Indo-Pacific, and is populated only by Avicennia marina, due to its tolerance of high salinity and wide temperature extremes. Recent studies suggest that in the arid coastal environment of the western Arabian Gulf, export of carbon and nitrogen from mangroves to adjacent habitats may be limited, though it is not clear if this is due to low productivity or physical factors such as the lack of freshwater flow and the tidal regime. Although seagrass and macroalgal habitats are relatively much more dominant by area, with only small pockets of mangrove around the edges of embayments, it is not evident if inwelling from these habitats support mangrove fauna. Year-round sampling in mangroves at Al-Khor, Qatar, indicates that Palaemon khori, an endemic shrimp species, is strongly associated with mangroves throughout its post-settlement life cycle, from recruitment as small 9–10 mm juveniles through to mating and egg production. Rapid post-recruitment growth (k = 1.8, L∞ = 42 mm for females, k = 1.5, L∞ = 35 mm for male) means that most individuals reached adult size in the first few months after settlement, with reproduction occurring in the following spring. As might be expected from year-round residence in the mangrove, dual 13C and 15N isotope analysis indicated a strong contribution of mangroves to shrimp tissue growth (Mean and 95% confidence range, 37% and 27–48%), but with a weaker significant contribution from particulate organic matter (20% and 1–37%), mangrove epiphytes (16% and 2–33%) and seagrasses (9% and 0.2–18%). Other primary producers contribute the remaining 18% to shrimp nutrition but the 95% confidence ranges include zero, suggesting possibly non-significant roles in supporting the shrimp population. This dietary information supports the view that fauna resident within arid mangrove systems are mainly dependent on localised retention and cycling of nutrients with a smaller contribution from inwelling.This research was supported by the Qatar National Research Foundation, National Priorities Research Programme research grant 09-129-018 “Nutrient cycling in shallow marine ecosystems”

Outwelling from arid mangrove systems is sustained by inwelling of seagrass productivity

Mangrove forest productivity is normally sustained by nutrients from terrestrial runoff, with freshwater inputs driving the resulting outwelling of production, but arid mangroves lack this input. The movement of material between seagrass beds and mangroves was examined using the stable C and N isotopic composition of organisms, sediments and suspended matter in 3 seagrass-mangrove transects in the Arabian Gulf. The isotopic signal of suspended particulate material indicated a mixed origin that did not differ over a spring tide. Filter feeders showed significant 13C enrichment along transects from mangrove forests into seagrass beds, indicating that location within a habitat had a significant effect on isotopic composition. Similarly, 13C of both sediments and grazers increased sharply outside the mangrove forest, suggesting retention of mangrove carbon, although some outwelling was detected, the strength of which was site specific. The lack of freshwater-mediated nutrient inputs suggests any outwelling of mangrove ecosystem productivity must be balanced by inwelling, and isotopic signatures of both sediment grazers and filter feeders found within the mangrove forest confirmed the inwelling of seagrass production. Significant mangrove isotope signals in the tissue of juveniles of fishes commercially harvested offshore indicate ontogenetic movement of carbon. Additional biological movement of mangrove carbon through ontogenetic migration and 'trophic relay' is evidenced by the isotopic signature of juvenile and mature fish captured in waters exiting the mangrove forest, which indicated they fed on mangrove-sustained food webs. This study demonstrates tight coupling between arid mangroves and subtidal seagrass areas and implies that arid mangroves cannot be managed or replanted without consideration of connectivity to downstream systems such as seagrasses.Scopu

Description and features of innovative product Best Board heating system in the Latvia’s market

Bakalaura darba tēma „Inovatīvā produkta Best Board apkures sistēmas raksturojums un īpatnības Latvijas tirgū”. Bakalaura darba mērķis ir pamatojoties uz teorētiskām atziņām raksturot inovatīvu produktu par praktisku piemēru izvēloties Best Board apkures sistēmas, atklāt tā priekšrocības un trūkumus, izdarīt secinājumus, kā arī sniegt priekšlikumus ar inovatīvu produktu saistītu jautājumu risināšanai. Darbs sastāv no 4 daļām: pirmajā daļā tiek veikta inovācijas termina teorētisko un praktisko aspektu analīze, otrajā daļā tiek pētīts inovatīva produkts un to ietekmējošie faktori, trešā daļā tiek novērtēts inovatīvais produkts Best Board apkures sistēmas, ceturtajā daļā autors veic aptaujas par „Inovatīvu produktu un to ietekmējošiem faktoriem Latvijas tirgū” rezultātu analīzi.Bachelor work theme: „Description and features of innovative product Best Board heating system in the Latvia`s market”. A bachelor work purpose is to to characterize an innovative product, for a practical example choosing the Best Board heating system, to open it`s advantages and failings, to make conclusions, and also to give suggestions for solving questions, that are relevant to innovative products. Work is structured from 4 parts: in the first part is executed the analysis of the innovation term, from theoretical and practical aspects, in second part there is probed the theoretical foreshortening of advancement in the market of innovative product, the third part is analysed the advancement in the Latvia`s market of innovative product Best Board heating system, in fourth part author executes analysis of results of the questioning