The Modification of an Estuary

Nichols, Frederic H.; Cloern, James E.; Luoma, Samuel N.; Peterson, David H.

doi:10.1126/science.231.4738.567

Cited by 525 publications

(384 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Coastal and estuarine habitats have long been subjected to the direct exploitation of resources and impacts associated with the development of adjacent catchments (Airoldi & Beck 2007). Historical reconstructions have highlighted that the loss of suspension-feeding bivalves from these systems have profoundly influenced trophic relationships and ecosystem function (Nichols et al 1986;Lotze et al 2006;Airoldi et al 2008). While most studies of regime-shift focus on the loss of species and ecosystem services, shifts can also increase ecological values.…”

Section: Identifying Thresholds and Designing Studies To Improve Ourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forecasting the limits of resilience: integrating empirical research with theory

et al. 2009

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Despite the increasing evidence of drastic and profound changes in many ecosystems, often referred to as regime shifts, we have little ability to understand the processes that provide insurance against such change (resilience). Modelling studies have suggested that increased variance may foreshadow a regime shift, but this requires long-term data and knowledge of the functional links between key processes. Field-based research and ground-truthing is an essential part of the heuristic that marries theoretical and empirical research, but experimental studies of resilience are lagging behind theory, management and policy requirements. Empirically, ecological resilience must be understood in terms of community dynamics and the potential for small shifts in environmental forcing to break the feedbacks that support resilience. Here, we integrate recent theory and empirical data to identify ways we might define and understand potential thresholds in the resilience of nature, and thus the potential for regime shifts, by focusing on the roles of strong and weak interactions, linkages in meta-communities, and positive feedbacks between these and environmental drivers. The challenge to theoretical and field ecologists is to make the shift from hindsight to a more predictive science that is able to assist in the implementation of ecosystem-based management.

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Section: Identifying Thresholds and Designing Studies To Improve Ourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forecasting the limits of resilience: integrating empirical research with theory

et al. 2009

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“…The Delta is a highly complex and modified tidal freshwater ecosystem (Atwater et al 1979;Nichols et al 1986). The Delta receives the majority of its flow from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, which drain about 100,000 km 2 of the surface area of California.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary Segregation of Pelagic and Littoral Fish Assemblages in a Highly Modified Tidal Freshwater Estuary

2009

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Estuarine food webs are highly variable and complex, making identification of their trophic pathways difficult. Energy for the food web of the San Francisco Estuary is thought to be based largely on in situ phytoplankton production, but little attention has been paid to littoral habitats, where other energy sources may be important. We analyzed the stomach contents of over 960 juvenile fishes and the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of these fishes and their potential food resources in pelagic and littoral habitats from the tidal freshwater area of the estuary. The mixing model IsoSource was used to examine energy sources important to consumers. Our results show evidence of two predominant food web pathways. Pelagic fishes and some littoral fishes showed strong dependence on a zooplankton–phytoplankton trophic pathway. However, the majority of fishes in littoral habitats had diets and carbon isotope ratios consistent with energy arising from submerged aquatic vegetation and epiphytic macroalgae. IsoSource revealed that the overall majority of nutrition of littoral fishes originated from consumption of grazer amphipods. Examining both stable isotopes and stomach contents allowed us to identify a food web with contributions to resident fishes that had been previously underestimated in the estuary. This study provides insight to how estuarine food webs have changed over the last few decades and highlights why the functions of habitats must be understood for effective restoration planning.

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“…San Francisco Bay is a greatly modified estuary Ž Nichols et al, 1986 . that shows significant declines of biota.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable lead isotopic analyses of historic and contemporary lead contamination of San Francisco Bay estuary

et al. 1999

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The Modification of an Estuary

Cited by 525 publications

References 21 publications

Forecasting the limits of resilience: integrating empirical research with theory

Forecasting the limits of resilience: integrating empirical research with theory

Dietary Segregation of Pelagic and Littoral Fish Assemblages in a Highly Modified Tidal Freshwater Estuary

Stable lead isotopic analyses of historic and contemporary lead contamination of San Francisco Bay estuary

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