Novel Applications of Technology for Advancing Tidal Marsh Ecology

Kimball, Matthew E.; Connolly, Rod M.; Alford, Scott B.; Colombano, Denise D.; James, William R.; Kenworthy, Matthew D.; Norris, Gregory S.; Ollerhead, Jeff; Ramsden, Sarah; Rehage, Jennifer S.; Sparks, Eric; Waltham, Nathan J.; Worthington, Thomas A.; Taylor, Matthew D.

doi:10.1007/s12237-021-00939-w

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…Our approach uses analysis of bulk stable isotopes with modeling techniques to advance previous studies of Suisun song sparrow natural history and known impacts of L. latifolium on food resources. Kimball et al (2021) highlight compound‐specific stable isotope analysis as a novel tool to trace energy flows from the base of the food web, and this approach has also been used to examine the contribution of carbon from two different source pools into the closely related seaside sparrows through invertebrate consumption (Johnson et al, 2019). We believe this is a strong approach for understanding the impacts of invasive plants across trophic levels and would allow future studies to trace L. latifolium ‐derived isotopes directly through the food web.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable isotope mixing models demonstrate the role of an invasive plant in wetland songbird food webs

et al. 2022

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Premise Invasive plants in wetlands are often ecosystem engineers, mediating changes in ecosystem functions like trophic support. We documented the impacts of Lepidium latifolium, an invasive plant, on the food web of omnivorous birds (Suisun song sparrows, Melospiza melodia maxillaris) in a tidal wetland of northern California, USA. Methods We used analysis of natural abundance stable isotopes of 13C and 15N in song sparrow blood, invertebrate food sources, L. latifolium seeds, and other marsh plant seeds to inform Bayesian, concentration‐dependent mixing models that predicted average song sparrow diets. Results Season and plant phenology influenced food source incorporation and isotopic signatures. Song sparrows showed higher isotopic variability in the summer. The observed changes in song sparrow diets were driven by altered invertebrate communities related to seasonal L. latifolium presence and by shifts from seeds to consumption of invertebrate food sources during the breeding season in the spring and summer. Discussion This study used stable isotope tools and modeling to demonstrate two mechanisms of isotopic influence by L. latifolium on omnivorous song sparrows. This study can inform site‐ and species‐specific management strategies by demonstrating how changes to the plant community can impact entire trophic systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable isotope mixing models demonstrate the role of an invasive plant in wetland songbird food webs

et al. 2022

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“…Discussions of cross comparisons within and between systems have taken place for decades (e.g., Ragotzkie 1959); however, previous data limitations often required extrapolation or inference from those few well‐studied systems. Global salt marsh science is now more data rich, increasingly comprehensive, and contains better spatial coverage than ever before, but comparisons constrained to those valuable, yet limited, well‐studied locations remain common (Kimball et al 2021). To remedy this practice and to foster consideration of spatial scale when undertaking comparisons, a unifying conceptual framework to characterize connections in salt marsh science is needed (Ziegler et al 2021 a ).…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

An integrative salt marsh conceptual framework for global comparisons

Yando

Jones

James

et al. 2023

Limnol Oceanogr Letters

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Salt marshes occur globally across climatic and coastal settings, providing key linkages between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. However, salt marsh science lacks a unifying conceptual framework; consequently, historically well‐studied locations have been used as normative benchmarks. To allow for more effective comparisons across the diversity of salt marshes, we developed an integrative salt marsh conceptual framework. We review ecosystem‐relevant drivers from global to local spatial scales, integrate these multi‐scale settings into a framework, and provide guidance on applying the framework using specific variables on 11 global examples. Overall, this framework allows for appropriate comparison of study sites by accounting for global, coastal, inter‐, and intra‐system spatial settings unique to each salt marsh. We anticipate that incorporating this framework into salt marsh science will provide a mechanism to critically evaluate research questions and a foundation for effective quantitative studies that deepen our understanding of salt marsh function across spatial scales.

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“…In addition to the high cost and effort which limits sample sizes, the requirement for manual data collection may also bias sampling towards sites that are easily accessible to humans, which is particularly relevant due to the limited accessibility of many marine or coastal environments. These issues have meant that manual data collection in ecological sciences is rapidly being supplemented or replaced by remote sensing and automated methods to obtain coveted "big data" (Kimball et al, 2021). Big data is becoming an important facet of ecology and has challenged the epistemology of scientific disciplines, as it disrupts and reconfigures how research is conducted (Kitchin, 2014;Durden et al, 2017).…”

Section: Non-invasive Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial intelligence and automated monitoring for assisting conservation of marine ecosystems: A perspective

et al. 2022

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Conservation of marine ecosystems has been highlighted as a priority to ensure a sustainable future. Effective management requires data collection over large spatio-temporal scales, readily accessible and integrated information from monitoring, and tools to support decision-making. However, there are many roadblocks to achieving adequate and timely information on both the effectiveness, and long-term success of conservation efforts, including limited funding, inadequate sampling, and data processing bottlenecks. These factors can result in ineffective, or even detrimental, management decisions in already impacted ecosystems. An automated approach facilitated by artificial intelligence (AI) provides conservation managers with a toolkit that can help alleviate a number of these issues by reducing the monitoring bottlenecks and long-term costs of monitoring. Automating the collection, transfer, and processing of data provides managers access to greater information, thereby facilitating timely and effective management. Incorporating automation and big data availability into a decision support system with a user-friendly interface also enables effective adaptive management. We summarise the current state of artificial intelligence and automation techniques used in marine science and use examples in other disciplines to identify existing and potentially transferable methods that can enable automated monitoring and improve predictive modelling capabilities to support decision making. We also discuss emerging technologies that are likely to be useful as research in computer science and associated technologies continues to develop and become more accessible. Our perspective highlights the potential of AI and big data analytics for supporting decision-making, but also points to important knowledge gaps in multiple areas of the automation processes. These current challenges should be prioritised in conservation research to move toward implementing AI and automation in conservation management for a more informed understanding of impacted ecosystems to result in successful outcomes for conservation managers. We conclude that the current research and emphasis on automated and AI assisted tools in several scientific disciplines may mean the future of monitoring and management in marine science is facilitated and improved by the implementation of automation.

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Novel Applications of Technology for Advancing Tidal Marsh Ecology

Cited by 11 publications

References 91 publications

Stable isotope mixing models demonstrate the role of an invasive plant in wetland songbird food webs

Stable isotope mixing models demonstrate the role of an invasive plant in wetland songbird food webs

An integrative salt marsh conceptual framework for global comparisons

Artificial intelligence and automated monitoring for assisting conservation of marine ecosystems: A perspective

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