American White Pelicans of Gunnison Island, Great Salt Lake, Utah

Kijowski, Ashley M.; Neill, John D.; Wickline, Adam; Swift, Jessica; Butler, Jaimi K.; Kimberly, David A.; Leeuwen, Jim Van; Luft, John; Stone, Kyle

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-40352-2_10

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Together with Artemia , these invertebrates represent keystone species of North and South American saline lakes and constitute an important food resource for millions of avian migrators (Herbst, 1999; Marden et al ., 2020; Redón et al ., 2020). Great Salt Lake, the largest body of water on the Pacific flyway, hosts 338 migratory bird species, including shorebirds (Sorenson et al ., 2020) and pelagic birds (Conover & Bell, 2020; Kijowski et al ., 2020). In recent years, Nearctic–Neotropical migratory bird species have shown the greatest reduction in their populations, but intra‐Nearctic migrants also have declined in abundance (Kirby et al ., 2008).…”

Section: The (Concentrated) Salt Of the Earthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salt to conserve: a review on the ecology and preservation of hypersaline ecosystems

et al. 2021

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When it comes to the investigation of key ecosystems in the world, we often omit salt from the ecological recipe. In fact, despite occupying almost half of the volume of inland waters and providing crucial services to humanity and nature, inland saline ecosystems are often overlooked in discussions regarding the preservation of global aquatic resources of our planet. As a result, our knowledge of the biological and geochemical dynamics shaping these environments remains incomplete and we are hesitant in framing effective protective strategies against the increasing natural and anthropogenic threats faced by such habitats. Hypersaline lakes, water bodies where the concentration of salt exceeds 35 g/l, occur mainly in arid and semiarid areas resulting from hydrological imbalances triggering the accumulation of salts over time. Often considered the ‘exotic siblings’ within the family of inland waters, these ecosystems host some of the most extremophile communities worldwide and provide essential habitats for waterbirds and many other organisms in already water‐stressed regions. These systems are often highlighted as natural laboratories, ideal for addressing central ecological questions due to their relatively low complexity and simple food web structures. However, recent studies on the biogeochemical mechanisms framing hypersaline communities have challenged this archetype, arguing that newly discovered highly diverse communities are characterised by specific trophic interactions shaped by high levels of specialisation. The main goal of this review is to explore our current understanding of the ecological dynamics of hypersaline ecosystems by addressing four main research questions: (i) why are hypersaline lakes unique from a biological and geochemical perspective; (ii) which biota inhabit these ecosystems and how have they adapted to the high salt conditions; (iii) how do we protect biodiversity from increasing natural and anthropogenic threats; and (iv) which scientific tools will help us preserve hypersaline ecosystems in the future? First, we focus on the ecological characterisation of hypersaline ecosystems, illustrate hydrogeochemical dynamics regulating such environments, and outline key ecoregions supporting hypersaline systems across the globe. Second, we depict the diversity and functional aspects of key taxa found in hypersaline lakes, from microorganisms to plants, invertebrates, waterbirds and upper trophic levels. Next, we describe ecosystem services and discuss possible conservation guidelines. Finally, we outline how cutting‐edge technologies can provide new insights into the study of hypersaline ecology. Overall, this review sheds further light onto these understudied ecosystems, largely unrecognised as important sources of unique biological and functional diversity. We provide perspectives for key future research avenues, and advocate that the conservation of hypersaline lakes should not be taken with ‘a grain of salt’.

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Section: The (Concentrated) Salt Of the Earthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salt to conserve: a review on the ecology and preservation of hypersaline ecosystems

et al. 2021

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“…Great Salt Lake level has consistently been lower than 4,197 feet since 2012 (Fig. 2), threatening one of the largest White Pelican rookeries in North America (Kijowski et al 2020).…”

Section: Land-bridges and Bird Rookeriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Development, Consumptive Water Uses, and Great Salt Lake

Null

Wurtsbaugh

2020

Great Salt Lake Biology

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Utah's Great Salt Lake covers 5500 km 2 (2100 mi 2) at its unimpacted elevation and is the eighth largest saline lake in the world. Its highly productive food web supports millions of migratory birds and the economic value of the lake is estimate at $1.5 billion in 2019 U.S. dollars. Droughts and wet cycles have caused huge fluctuations in lake level, area and salinities, and this variation has masked anthropogenic impacts. Recent work, however, has determined that consumptive water uses in the watershed have depleted inflows by approximately 39%, with 63% used by agriculture, 11% by cities, 13% by solar ponds, and 13% by other uses. This has lowered the lake by 3.4 m, decreased its area by 51%, and reduced its volume by 64%. Projected water development of the lake's primary tributary could lower the lake approximately 1.5 m more. Climate change, to date, has not noticeably influenced lake level. Per-capita water use in Utah is the second highest in the nation and is 2.6-fold higher than other semi-arid nations.

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Great Salt Lake Biology

Null

Wurtsbaugh

2020

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American White Pelicans of Gunnison Island, Great Salt Lake, Utah

Cited by 6 publications

References 32 publications

Salt to conserve: a review on the ecology and preservation of hypersaline ecosystems

Salt to conserve: a review on the ecology and preservation of hypersaline ecosystems

Water Development, Consumptive Water Uses, and Great Salt Lake

Great Salt Lake Biology

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