Pollution signature for temperate reef biodiversity is short and simple

Ling, Scott D.; Davey, A; Reeves, Simon; Gaylard, Samuel; Davies, Peter L.; Stuart‐Smith, Rick D.; Edgar, Graham J.

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.02.053

Cited by 23 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…In addition, while some algal species use chemical defences against fish herbivory, epifauna may be less sensitive to these defences, selecting better-defended algal habitats as a refuge against consumption by omnivores or herbivores [51]. Local-scale physical conditions-such as wave energy and current flow in marine systems [52,53]-and nutrients [54] or pollutants [55], can all have substantial effects on faunal community structure and function. These factors, and others such as removal of top predators [7,56,57], are often related to proximity and density of human populations [58], and nearby industrial or agricultural activities [59,60].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Production of mobile invertebrate communities on shallow reefs from temperate to tropical seas

et al. 2020

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Primary productivity of marine ecosystems is largely driven by broad gradients in environmental and ecological properties. By contrast, secondary productivity tends to be more variable, influenced by bottom-up (resource-driven) and top-down (predatory) processes, other environmental drivers, and mediation by the physical structure of habitats. Here, we use a continental-scale dataset on small mobile invertebrates (epifauna), common on surfaces in all marine ecosystems, to test influences of potential drivers of temperature-standardized secondary production across a large biogeographic range. We found epifaunal production to be remarkably consistent along a temperate to tropical Australian latitudinal gradient of 28.6°, spanning kelp forests to coral reefs (approx. 3500 km). Using a model selection procedure, epifaunal production was primarily related to biogenic habitat group, which explained up to 45% of total variability. Production was otherwise invariant to predictors capturing primary productivity, the local biomass of fishes (proxy for predation pressure), and environmental, geographical, and human impacts. Highly predictable levels of epifaunal productivity associated with distinct habitat groups across continental scales should allow accurate modelling of the contributions of these ubiquitous invertebrates to coastal food webs, thus improving understanding of likely changes to food web structure with ocean warming and other anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Production of mobile invertebrate communities on shallow reefs from temperate to tropical seas

et al. 2020

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“…Spatially heterogeneous mosaics also form in urbanized seascapes as a result of fine-scale gradients in nutrient enrichment and sediment pollution (Airoldi 2003, Baum et al 2015, Ling et al 2018), particularly in low flow environments and enclosed estuaries and embayments (Balls 1994, Dauer et al 2000. For instance, physical disturbance from swing moorings, which are ubiquitous in shallow sedimentary environments in Sydney Harbor, leads to depressed concentrations of metal contaminants within a highly localized area (Hedge et al 2017).…”

Section: Homogenized Systems Comprising Heterogeneous Mosaicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards an urban marine ecology: characterizing the drivers, patterns and processes of marine ecosystems in coastal cities

Todd

Heery

Loke

et al. 2019

Oikos

188

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Human population density within 100 km of the sea is approximately three times higher than the global average. People in this zone are concentrated in coastal cities that are hubs for transport and trade – which transform the marine environment. Here, we review the impacts of three interacting drivers of marine urbanization (resource exploitation, pollution pathways and ocean sprawl) and discuss key characteristics that are symptomatic of urban marine ecosystems. Current evidence suggests these systems comprise spatially heterogeneous mosaics with respect to artificial structures, pollutants and community composition, while also undergoing biotic homogenization over time. Urban marine ecosystem dynamics are often influenced by several commonly observed patterns and processes, including the loss of foundation species, changes in biodiversity and productivity, and the establishment of ruderal species, synanthropes and novel assemblages. We discuss potential urban acclimatization and adaptation among marine taxa, interactive effects of climate change and marine urbanization, and ecological engineering strategies for enhancing urban marine ecosystems. By assimilating research findings across disparate disciplines, we aim to build the groundwork for urban marine ecology – a nascent field; we also discuss research challenges and future directions for this new field as it advances and matures. Ultimately, all sides of coastal city design: architecture, urban planning and civil and municipal engineering, will need to prioritize the marine environment if negative effects of urbanization are to be minimized. In particular, planning strategies that account for the interactive effects of urban drivers and accommodate complex system dynamics could enhance the ecological and human functions of future urban marine ecosystems.

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“…Thus, habitat change can lead to significant shifts in the types of species present, which can facilitate or dampen the progression of tropicalization. This can also be true for shallow marine systems, where various human activities have tipped ecosystems towards declines of biogenic habitat formers (e.g., kelps, seagrasses and corals; Airoldi et al., 2008; Ling et al., 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropicalization of temperate reef fish communities facilitated by urchin grazing and diversity of thermal affinities

Schuster

Stuart‐Smith

Edgar

et al. 2022

Global Ecol Biogeogr

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Aim: Global declines in structurally complex habitats are reshaping both land-and seascapes in directions that affect the responses of biological communities to warming. Here, we test whether widespread loss of kelp habitats through sea urchin overgrazing systematically changes the sensitivity of fish communities to warming. Location: Global temperate latitudes.Time period: Modern. Major taxa studied: Fishes.Methods: Community shifts in thermal affinity related to habitat were assessed by simulating and comparing fish communities from 2271 surveys across 15 ecoregions. Results:We found that fishes in kelp and urchin barrens differed in realized thermal affinities and range sizes, but only in regions where species pools had high variability in the thermal affinities of species. Barrens on warm temperate reefs host relatively more warm-affinity fish species than neighbouring kelp beds, highlighting the acceleration of tropicalization processes facilitated by urchin grazing. In contrast, proportionally more cool-affinity fishes colonize barrens at high temperate latitudes, contributing to community lags with ocean warming in these regions.Main conclusions: Our findings implicate urchins as drivers of ecological change, in part by affecting ecological resilience to warming.

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Pollution signature for temperate reef biodiversity is short and simple

Cited by 23 publications

References 50 publications

Production of mobile invertebrate communities on shallow reefs from temperate to tropical seas

Production of mobile invertebrate communities on shallow reefs from temperate to tropical seas

Towards an urban marine ecology: characterizing the drivers, patterns and processes of marine ecosystems in coastal cities

Tropicalization of temperate reef fish communities facilitated by urchin grazing and diversity of thermal affinities

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