Nutrient input from the Colorado River to the northern Gulf of California is not required to maintain a productive pelagic ecosystem

Ramírez-León, Mario Rafael; Alvarez-Borrego, S.; Thompson, Cuauhtémoc Turrent; Castro, Gilberto Gaxiola; Heckel, Gisela

doi:10.7773/cm.v41i2.2483

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(72 reference statements)

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“…Although oceanic boundaries are variable and dynamic and some biological connectivity is high in the entire Gulf (Turk-Boyer et al 2014), San Luis and Cholluda Islands and other nearby pelican nesting islands (e.g., Puerto Refugio) are likely within a somewhat distinct ecosystem, variably defined as the "northern Gulf" (e.g., Hendrickson 1973;Maluf 1983;Santamaria-del-Angel et al 1994;Álvarez-Borrego 2002Álvarez-Borrego , 2003Findley 2007, 2010;Lercari and Arreguín-Sánchez 2008;Cisneros-Mata 2010; see also reviews by Herrera-Cervantes et al 2007 andPáez-Osuna et al 2016). Northern Gulf uniqueness is likely related to high tidal influences and other more local features, remaining still productive offshore in the northern Gulf despite extreme changes farther up in the Colorado River delta area (Álvarez-Borrego 2002(Álvarez-Borrego , 2003Ramírez-León et al 2015;Brusca et al 2017). Santamaria-del-Angel et al (1994) have provided the most recent quantitative definitions of northern Gulf zonation…”

Section: Objectivosmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More precise censuses later Aunque los límites oceánicos son variables y dinámicos y la conectividad biológica es alta en todo el golfo (Turk-Boyer et al 2014), las islas San Luis y Cholluda y otras islas donde anidan los pelícanos (e.g., Puerto Refugio) se encuentran dentro de un ecosistema distinto, definido como "el golfo norte" (e.g., Hendrickson 1973;Maluf 1983;Santamaria-del-Angel et al 1994;Álvarez-Borrego 2002Álvarez-Borrego , 2003Hastings y Findley 2007; Lercari y Arreguín-Sánchez 2008; Cisneros-Mata 2010; ver también revisiones por Herrera-Cervantes et al 2007y Páez-Osuna et al 2016. La singularidad del golfo norte probablemente se relaciona con una fuerte influencia de la marea y otras características locales, y continúa siendo productiva fuera de la costa a pesar de cambios fuertes en la zona del delta del río Colorado (Álvarez-Borrego 2002(Álvarez-Borrego , 2003Ramírez-León et al 2015;Brusca et al 2017).…”

Section: Breeding-season Censusesunclassified

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Brown Pelicans, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus (Aves: Pelecanidae): Five decades with ENSO, dynamic nesting, and contemporary breeding status in the Gulf of California

et al. 2017

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The California Brown Pelican subspecies (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) was removed from the US endangered species list in 2009, along with the entire species of Brown Pelican throughout North America. The Gulf of California subpopulation within the entire metapopulation (= subspecies) comprises the majority of nesting (~76% of P. o. californicus). The US classifications were based on pollution effects in the Southern California Bight (SCB) during the early 1970s; official listing-recognition in Mexico (NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010) occurred in 2010 and it continues. Unfortunately, Brown Pelican conservation across the US/Mexico border has been largely uncoordinated. Recent declines in the SCB subpopulation are not well-documented, whereas representative subpopulations in the Gulf of California have received continual study since the US listing. Until the early 2000s, Gulf pelican breeding populations changed little. El Niño/Southern Oscillation continues to be a major factor driving annual pelican breeding intensity and success, with a slightly weaker effect to the north. Nest attempts (NA) in the southern Midriff zone and to the south of our monitoring zone have declined in the last decade, in especially extreme and unprecedented ways in a period of unusual warming in the last 3 years (2014-2016), termed by some as the "Blob". Other factors (such as human disturbance and commercial fishing) have likely exacerbated recent warming effects in some areas. Recent data also suggest the pelican is in a process of minor range-shifting toward the northern Gulf, and there are no definitive indications of a recent NA decline in that zone. Monitoring over the entire range, past 2016, will be important to determine whether populations have begun a long-term decline or will recover to normal baseline levels. The health of pelican populations is an important indicator of overall ecological health in the Pacific region and not an isolated phenomenon.

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Section: Objectivosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Breeding-season Censusesunclassified

Brown Pelicans, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus (Aves: Pelecanidae): Five decades with ENSO, dynamic nesting, and contemporary breeding status in the Gulf of California

et al. 2017

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“…fresh, cold water leads to the least precipitation). Seawater temperature data are available for the present day and vary seasonally from 5 to 40°C [ 48 , 49 ], but data from the pre-dam era are limited to a handful of data points at 18–20°C, collected by the US Fish Commission steamer Albatross in March 1889 [ 50 ]. Owing to this limitation on temperature data, we used the univariate ψ equation for salinity, which does not include temperature (i.e.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fossil clam shells reveal unintended carbon cycling consequences of Colorado River management

et al. 2016

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Water management that alters riverine ecosystem processes has strongly influenced deltas and the people who depend on them, but a full accounting of the trade-offs is still emerging. Using palaeoecological data, we document a surprising biogeochemical consequence of water management in the Colorado River basin. Complete allocation and consumptive use of the river's flow has altered the downstream estuarine ecosystem, including the abundance and composition of the mollusc community, an important component in estuarine carbon cycling. In particular, population declines in the endemic Colorado delta clam, Mulinia coloradoensis, from 50--125 individuals m−2 in the pre-dam era to three individuals m−2 today, have likely resulted in a reduction, on the order of 5900–15 000 t C yr−1 (4.1–10.6 mol C m−2 yr−1), in the net carbon emissions associated with molluscs. Although this reduction is large within the estuarine system, it is small in comparison with annual global carbon emissions. Nonetheless, this finding highlights the need for further research into the effects of dams, diversions and reservoirs on the biogeochemistry of deltas and estuaries worldwide, underscoring a present need for integrated water and carbon planning.

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“…Nowadays, as part of a coastal upwelling zone, the gulf acts as a net source of CO 2 to the atmosphere (Rodríguez‐Ibáñez et al ., 2013). However, in terms of its relationship with the continental climate, little is known about the natural source of nutrients from terrestrial sources (Muñoz‐Barbosa et al ., 2017; Ramírez‐León et al ., 2015), besides sediment supply and deposition to the basins (Kluesner et al ., 2014). In the GC, terrestrial inputs to the ocean are of great importance because it is a marginal and semi‐enclosed sea, where the proximity to the deserts of Sonora, Sinaloa and Baja California ensures a continental, rather than an oceanic climate (Badán‐Dangon et al ., 1985; Lavín & Marinone, 2003; Roden, 1964).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparisons between marine productivity and terrestrial input records in the Gulf of California over the last 28 ka

Arellano‐Torres

Mora‐Rivera

Vázquez‐Romero

et al. 2020

J Quaternary Science

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We study the marine and terrestrial contributions in the Gulf of California (GC) to understand the relationship between continental climate and oceanographic variability over the last 28 ka. In Core AII125‐8‐JPC‐20, we examine aeolian and riverine inputs as nutrients for biological productivity. We use biogenic silica (%opal), total organic carbon (%TOC) and calcium carbonate (%CaCO3) as proxies for primary productivity, and lithic fraction distributions as proxies for terrigenous transport. At the core site, biogenic and lithic components are in phase at millennial‐scale in response to regional climate conditions. During the Late Pleistocene, the GC shelf area was above sea level and the western margin showed transient episodes of increased fluvial inputs. Episodic increases in %opal and reduced %TOC suggest upwelling events but ineffective C‐export to the sediment. During stadial events (Heinrich 2, Heinrich 1, Younger Dryas), regional declines in %opal, but increases in %CaCO3 and TOC, suggest efficient C‐export by carbonate organisms. During most of the Holocene, dust inputs are higher. Episodic increases in %TOC suggest higher C‐accumulation, although this is not controlled by siliceous or calcareous organisms. In the GC, besides upwelling and current advection, nutrient inputs driven by terrestrial climate have an impact on the biological C‐pump. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Nutrient input from the Colorado River to the northern Gulf of California is not required to maintain a productive pelagic ecosystem

Cited by 11 publications

References 23 publications

Brown Pelicans, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus (Aves: Pelecanidae): Five decades with ENSO, dynamic nesting, and contemporary breeding status in the Gulf of California

Brown Pelicans, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus (Aves: Pelecanidae): Five decades with ENSO, dynamic nesting, and contemporary breeding status in the Gulf of California

Fossil clam shells reveal unintended carbon cycling consequences of Colorado River management

Comparisons between marine productivity and terrestrial input records in the Gulf of California over the last 28 ka

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