Cumulative stressors reduce the self‐regulating capacity of coastal ecosystems

Thrush, Simon F.; Hewitt, Judi E.; Gladstone‐Gallagher, Rebecca V.; Savage, Candida; Lundquist, Carolyn J.; O’Meara, Teri; Vieillard, Amanda M.; Hillman, Jenny R.; Mangan, Stephanie; Douglas, Emily J.; Clark, Dana; Lohrer, Andrew M.; Pilditch, Conrad A.

doi:10.1002/eap.2223

Cited by 46 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Aligned or ordered timing of colonization events can be important because misaligned species may appear as transients, with overshoots of biodiversity recovery followed by delayed recovery or an absence of recovery (De Juan et al 2014;Shriver et al 2019). For the desired ecosystem structure, hysteresis will occur as balancing feedbacks (circular connections between variables that limit the potential for runaway effects) develop and stabilize, although little is known about Thrush et al 2014Thrush et al , 2021 and are density dependent (Coco et al 2006), both biological lags and hysteresis may occur.…”

Section: Passive Recoverymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Disturbance–recovery dynamics inform seafloor management for recovery

Hewitt

Gladstone‐Gallagher

Thrush

2022

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

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Over most of the world’s estuaries, coasts, and continental shelves, key indicators of seafloor biodiversity, anthropogenic stress, and ecological sustainability emphasize the need to shift habitat management and conservation from prevention of degradation to actions focused on ecological recovery. Here we discuss the role of ecological disturbance–recovery dynamics in devising and prioritizing effective management interventions. Understanding disturbance–recovery dynamics enables assessment of possible recovery outcomes and where these may be achieved. Ecosystem networks, biodiversity landscapes, species‐specific biological traits, and location‐specific contexts provide managers with information from which likely temporal and spatial scales of recovery can be determined. On the basis of ecological theory and empirical evidence, we emphasize the potential for key species to drive the recovery or maintenance of biodiversity in marine soft‐sediment ecosystems.

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Section: Passive Recoverymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2011; Thrush et al . 2014, 2021) and are density dependent (Coco et al . 2006), both biological lags and hysteresis may occur.…”

Section: How Can Managers Aid Recovery?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Disturbance–recovery dynamics inform seafloor management for recovery

Hewitt

Gladstone‐Gallagher

Thrush

2022

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

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“…Coastal marine ecosystems are experiencing unprecedented changes due to climate variability and other human activities (e.g., vessel traffic, upland and nearshore development, and alterations of trophic structure), posing a significant challenge for resource managers and decision makers (Crain et al, 2009 ; Harley et al, 2006 ; Hewitt et al, 2016 ). Species found in shallow coastal environments can be especially vulnerable to the cumulative effects of human modifications to the environment, despite adaptations to disturbance often observed in variable nearshore regions (Crain et al, 2008 ; Jordan et al, 2009 ; Peterson & Lowe, 2009 ; Thrush et al, 2021 ). These coastal environments often provide critical habitat for ecologically, economically, and culturally important species; therefore, effective management to assure the sustainability of these habitats and the ecosystem services they provide is paramount (Erlandson et al, 2015 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward a conceptual framework for managing and conserving marine habitats: A case study of kelp forests in the Salish Sea

Hollarsmith

Andrews

Naar

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Kelp forests are in decline across much of their range due to place‐specific combinations of local and global stressors. Declines in kelp abundance can lead to cascading losses of biodiversity and productivity with far‐reaching ecological and socioeconomic consequences. The Salish Sea is a hotspot of kelp diversity where many species of kelp provide critical habitat and food for commercially, ecologically, and culturally important fish and invertebrate species. However, like other regions, kelp forests in much of the Salish Sea are in rapid decline. Data gaps and limited long‐term monitoring have hampered attempts to identify and manage for specific drivers of decline, despite the documented urgency to protect these important habitats. To address these knowledge gaps, we gathered a focus group of experts on kelp in the Salish Sea to identify perceived direct and indirect stressors facing kelp forests. We then conducted a comprehensive literature review of peer‐reviewed studies from the Salish Sea and temperate coastal ecosystems worldwide to assess the level of support for the pathways identified by the experts, and we identified knowledge gaps to prioritize future research. Our results revealed major research gaps within the Salish Sea and highlighted the potential to use expert knowledge for making informed decisions in the region. We found high support for the pathways in the global literature, with variable consensus on the relationship between stressors and responses across studies, confirming the influence of local ecological, oceanographic, and anthropogenic contexts and threshold effects on stressor–response relationships. Finally, we prioritized areas for future research in the Salish Sea. This study demonstrates the value expert opinion has to inform management decisions. These methods are readily adaptable to other ecosystem management contexts, and the results of this case study can be immediately applied to kelp management.

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“…Aquatic systems are subject to multiple, cumulative, longterm pressures, including pollution, habitat alteration and destruction, and invasive species introduction (Birk et al 2020;Carvalho et al 2019;Nõges et al 2016;Thrush et al 2020). The European Water Framework Directive (WFD; European Commission 2000) mandates the characterization of water body types to set the biological reference conditions based on normative indicator parameters (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Corbicula incorporation to indicator parameters to assess the ecological status of northwestern Iberian estuaries

et al. 2022

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Ecological status classification systems based on biological elements (e.g., macroinvertebrate communities) are dependent on their response to different pressures. However, there is a need to determine if invasive species should be incorporated to indicator parameters (i.e. metrics based on measurements of richness and diversity) or as a pressure affecting such parameters. Moreover, because ecosystem classification systems are lacking for northwestern Iberian estuaries, there is even the possibility to develop a new metric penalizing presence or abundance of invasive species. To increase our understanding on this topic, we analyze the taxonomic and functional responses of benthic macroinvertebrates to Corbicula invasion along the environmental gradient of 12 northwestern Iberian estuaries. Macroinvertebrate assemblages were described and compared between invaded and uninvaded sections. Additionally, to assess differences in community structure, macroinvertebrate assemblages’ similarity was examined between two distinct estuarine sections (freshwater and oligohaline vs transitional water and mesohaline) and among water body types, including and excluding Corbicula from the analysis. The salinity gradient was the main driver explaining changes in macroinvertebrate assemblages and in functional group distribution. Freshwater and transitional water sections clearly differed in macroinvertebrate assemblages and functional groups composition. In addition, differences among river types in macroinvertebrate composition were found. Corbicula inclusion or exclusion from multivariate community analysis significantly affected the results in functional feeding group composition in the Cantabric-Atlantic siliceous river axis type. Nevertheless, considering Corbicula as a pressure at the regional scale did not provide different results in diversity indices calculation. Hence, we argue that because Corbicula eradication is virtually impossible, it should be included as an additional metric evidencing its presence as a negative indication, or be included within other indicator metrics used in the assessment of the ecological status, for instance in invertebrate abundance metrics were its dominance should be indicative of invasion impairment.

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Cumulative stressors reduce the self‐regulating capacity of coastal ecosystems

Cited by 46 publications

References 60 publications

Disturbance–recovery dynamics inform seafloor management for recovery

Disturbance–recovery dynamics inform seafloor management for recovery

Toward a conceptual framework for managing and conserving marine habitats: A case study of kelp forests in the Salish Sea

Corbicula incorporation to indicator parameters to assess the ecological status of northwestern Iberian estuaries

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