When considering how ecosystems will react to climate change, the importance of dead matter has been largely overlooked. Here we discuss why dead material is integral to ecosystem form and function, and why its persistence or degradation must be explicitly included in models considering ecosystem futures in a rapidly changing world.
Globally, coral reefs are under threat from climate change and increasingly frequent bleaching events. However, corals in Kāneʻohe Bay, Hawaiʻi have demonstrated the ability to acclimatize and resist increasing temperatures. Benthic cover (i.e., coral, algae, other) was compared over an 18 year period (2000 vs. 2018) to estimate species composition changes. Despite a climate change induced 0.96°C temperature increase and two major bleaching events within the 18-year period, the fringing reef saw no significant change in total coral cover (%) or relative coral species composition in the two dominant reef-building corals, Porites compressa and Montipora capitata. However, the loss of two coral species (Pocillopora meandrina and Porites lobata) and the addition of one new coral species (Leptastrea purpurea) between surveys indicates that while the fringing reef remains intact, a shift in species composition has occurred. While total non-coral substrate cover (%) increased from 2000 to 2018, two species of algae (Gracilaria salicornia and Kappaphycus alvarezii) present in the original survey were absent in 2018. The previously dominant algae Dictyosphaeria spp. significantly decreased in percent cover between surveys. The survival of the studied fringing reef indicates resilience and suggests these Hawaiian corals are capable of acclimatization to climate change and bleaching events.
In this perspective, I reflect on my path to the deep sea, a field, and ecosystem that are often hard to access. Growing up in a coastal town, the seashore was my playground, but it was not until I was 18 years old that I was inspired to be a deep-sea scientist. From a Bachelor of Arts in the United States to a Master of Science in Norway and currently a PhD programme in Scotland, I have let the deep sea lead my career path with the help of supportive mentors and peers. Now, as an early career scientist with over 100 d of at-sea experience working on science, mapping, and outreach teams, I highlight the key moments that allowed me to enter the field. Looking to Horizon 2050, I share my goals for the future of deep-sea science. I hope to see a new age of ocean exploration with an increased commitment to advancing technologies, a more diverse, inclusive, and international team offshore and onshore, and a more engaged public through placing a larger focus on the deep sea in educational curricula.
Exploring the density-dependence theory is crucial to understanding how size patterns among individuals are established. This study tested if percent cover affects the morphological and allometric relationship variation of individuals of Eichhornia azurea (Swart) Kunth, an emergent perennial mat-forming macrophyte commonly found in the lower Amazon region. We predicted that (1) E. azurea found in sites with high percent coverage would have larger, thicker, heavier leaves and longer petioles than individuals found in sites with low percent coverage; (2) the percent coverage affects the allometric relationship between branch length and number of leaves. To test our predictions, we sampled sites with low and high E. azurea percent cover. Sampling occurred in Caxiuanã Bay located in Caxiuanã National Forest on the lower Amazon. The results supported our predictions, in which individuals of high percent cover sites had longer petioles, more leaves, thicker leaves and higher leaf mass per area. Individuals in low percent cover sites showed a positive relationship between branch length and number of leaves. These results indicate that E. azurea exhibits morphological and allometric plasticity in response to plant density which may help explain the success of E. azurea in a variety of habitats across South America.
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