1
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Thompson Brewster E, Rounsefell B, Lin F, Clarke W, O'Brien KR. Adult incontinence products are a larger and faster growing waste issue than disposable infant nappies (diapers) in Australia. Waste Manag 2022; 152:30-37. [PMID: 35964400 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2022.07.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The environmental issues relating to disposable of infant nappies have received considerable attention. However, adult absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) receive less attention, despite having comparable or greater environmental impact. Here we quantify and compare current and future flows of continence related AHPs entering waste streams from both infant and adult populations. Importantly our study accounts for current waste management and landfilling practices across Australia and the environmental implications of AHP disposal. Absorbent hygiene product use from infants and adults was modelled from 2020 to 2030 for Australia, and it's predicted that AHP waste generated by adults will account for between 4 and 10 times that of infants by 2030 due to an aging population. Our results indicate that 50% of used AHPs end up in landfill with both leachate and biogas collection, the remainder going to landfills without biogas collection or without both leachate and biogas collection, based on the most recent national data set, which is over a decade old. The average composition of used absorbent hygiene product (including 60% urine and faeces by mass) is estimated to contain 20% non-biodegradable material, which may complicate the biodegradability of absorbent hygiene products in landfill. Without additional regulatory incentive, the current waste management practices in Australia are likely to continue, with absorbent hygiene products typically entering landfill as municipal solid waste, rather than industrial composting or recycling facilities. More accurate estimation of environmental implications from these disposal pathways requires further work including biodegradation experiments currently unavailable in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Beth Rounsefell
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Fangzhou Lin
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - William Clarke
- School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, Australia
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2
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Kuehne LM, Rolls RJ, Brandis KJ, Chen K, Fraley KM, Frost LK, Ho SS, Kunisch EH, Langhans SD, LeRoy CJ, McDonald G, McInerney PJ, O'Brien KR, Strecker AL. Benefits of permanent adoption of virtual conferences for conservation science. Conserv Biol 2022; 36:e13884. [PMID: 35023203 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Robert J Rolls
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kate J Brandis
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kai Chen
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Kevin M Fraley
- Arctic Beringia Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA
| | - Lindsey K Frost
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Susie S Ho
- Faculty of Science, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Erin H Kunisch
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Carri J LeRoy
- The Evergreen State College, Environmental Studies Program, Olympia, Washington, USA
| | | | - Paul J McInerney
- CSIRO Land & Water, Institute of Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Thurgoona, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Angela L Strecker
- Institute for Watershed Studies, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA
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3
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Plein M, O'Brien KR, Holden MH, Adams MP, Baker CM, Bean NG, Sisson SA, Bode M, Mengersen KL, McDonald‐Madden E. Modeling total predation to avoid perverse outcomes from cat control in a data-poor island ecosystem. Conserv Biol 2022; 36:e13916. [PMID: 35352431 PMCID: PMC9804458 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Data hungry, complex ecosystem models are often used to predict the consequences of threatened species management, including perverse outcomes. Unfortunately, this approach is impractical in many systems, which have insufficient data to parameterize ecosystem interactions or reliably calibrate or validate such models. Here we demonstrate a different approach, using a minimum realistic model to guide decisions in data- and resource-scarce systems. We illustrate our approach with a case-study in an invaded ecosystem from Christmas Island, Australia, where there are concerns that cat eradication to protect native species, including the red-tailed tropicbird, could release meso-predation by invasive rats. We use biophysical constraints (metabolic demand) and observable parameters (e.g. prey preferences) to assess the combined cat and rat abundances which would threaten the tropicbird population. We find that the population of tropicbirds cannot be sustained if predated by 1607 rats (95% credible interval (CI) [103, 5910]) in the absence of cats, or 21 cats (95% CI [2, 82]) in the absence of rats. For every cat removed from the island, the bird's net population growth rate improves, provided that the rats do not increase by more than 77 individuals (95% CI [30, 174]). Thus, in this context, one cat is equivalent to 30-174 rats. Our methods are especially useful for on-the-ground predator control in the absence of knowledge of predator-predator interactions, to assess whether 1) the current abundance of predators threatens the prey population of interest, 2) managing one predator species alone is sufficient to protect the prey species given potential release of another predator, and 3) control of multiple predator species is needed to meet the conservation goal. Our approach demonstrates how to use limited information for maximum value in data-poor systems, by shifting the focus from predicting future trajectories, to identifying conditions which threaten the conservation goal. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Plein
- School of Earth and Environmental ScienceUniversity of QueenslandSt LuciaQueenslandAustralia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation ScienceUniversity of QueenslandSt LuciaQueenslandAustralia
- Administration de la nature et des forêtsDiekirchLuxembourg
| | - Katherine R. O'Brien
- School of Chemical EngineeringUniversity of QueenslandSt LuciaQueenslandAustralia
| | - Matthew H. Holden
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation ScienceUniversity of QueenslandSt LuciaQueenslandAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
- School of Mathematics and PhysicsUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Matthew P. Adams
- School of Earth and Environmental ScienceUniversity of QueenslandSt LuciaQueenslandAustralia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation ScienceUniversity of QueenslandSt LuciaQueenslandAustralia
- School of Chemical EngineeringUniversity of QueenslandSt LuciaQueenslandAustralia
- School of Mathematical SciencesQueensland University of TechnologyBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical FrontiersQueensland University of, TechnologyBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Christopher M. Baker
- School of Mathematics and StatisticsThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
- Melbourne Centre for Data ScienceThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
- Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk AnalysisThe University of MelbourneMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Nigel G. Bean
- School of Mathematical SciencesUniversity of AdelaideAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical FrontiersUniversity of AdelaideAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | - Scott A. Sisson
- School of Mathematics and StatisticsUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- UNSW Data Science HubUniversity of New SouthWales, SydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Michael Bode
- School of Mathematical SciencesQueensland University of TechnologyBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Kerrie L. Mengersen
- School of Mathematical SciencesQueensland University of TechnologyBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical FrontiersQueensland University of, TechnologyBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Eve McDonald‐Madden
- School of Earth and Environmental ScienceUniversity of QueenslandSt LuciaQueenslandAustralia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation ScienceUniversity of QueenslandSt LuciaQueenslandAustralia
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4
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Lambert V, Bainbridge ZT, Collier C, Lewis SE, Adams MP, Carter A, Saunders MI, Brodie J, Turner RDR, Rasheed MA, O'Brien KR. Connecting targets for catchment sediment loads to ecological outcomes for seagrass using multiple lines of evidence. Mar Pollut Bull 2021; 169:112494. [PMID: 34051518 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Catchment impacts on downstream ecosystems are difficult to quantify, but important for setting management targets. Here we compared 12 years of monitoring data of seagrass area and biomass in Cleveland Bay, northeast Australia, with discharge and associated sediment loads from nearby rivers. Seagrass biomass and area exhibited different trajectories in response to river inputs. River discharge was a slightly better predictor of seagrass indicators than total suspended solid (TSS) loads, indicating that catchment effects on seagrass are not restricted to sediment. Linear relationships between Burdekin River TSS loads delivered over 1-4 years and seagrass condition in Cleveland Bay generated Ecologically Relevant Targets (ERT) for catchment sediment inputs. Our predicted ERTs were comparable to those previously estimated using mechanistic models. This study highlights the challenges of linking catchment inputs to condition of downstream ecosystems, and the importance of integrating a variety of metrics and approaches to increase confidence in ERTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Lambert
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | | | | | - Stephen E Lewis
- TropWATER, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Matthew P Adams
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia; School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Centre for Data Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Alex Carter
- TropWATER, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Jon Brodie
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Ryan D R Turner
- Water Quality & Investigations, Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government, Dutton Park, QLD, Australia; Managing for Resilient Landscapes, Institute for Future Environments, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.
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5
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Neilen AD, Carroll AR, Hawker DW, O'Brien KR, Burford MA. Identification of compounds from terrestrial dissolved organic matter toxic to cyanobacteria. Sci Total Environ 2020; 749:141482. [PMID: 32827821 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
There is emerging evidence for the phytotoxicity of terrestrial dissolved organic matter (DOM), however its sources, transformations and ecological effects in aquatic ecosystems are poorly understood. DOM characterization by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has typically involved solid-state techniques, but poor resolution has often precluded identification of individual components. This study is the first to directly identify individual phytotoxic components using a novel combined approach of preparative HPLC fractionation of DOM (obtained from leaves of two common riparian trees, Casuarina cunninghamiana and Eucalyptus tereticornis). This was followed by chemical characterization of fractions, using one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) solution-state 1H NMR analyses. Additionally, the phytotoxic effect of the fractions was determined using cultures of the cyanobacteria Raphidiopsis (Cylindrospermopsis) raciborskii. The amino acid, proline, from Casuarina leachate was identified as phytotoxic, while for Eucalyptus leachate, it was gallic acid and polyphenols. These phytotoxicants remained in the leachates when they were incubated in sunlight or the dark conditions over 5 days. Our study identifies phytotoxic compounds with the potential to affect algal species composition, and potentially control nuisance R. raciborskii blooms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda D Neilen
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia; Griffith School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia.
| | - Anthony R Carroll
- Griffith School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia; Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD 4111, Australia.
| | - Darryl W Hawker
- Griffith School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia.
| | - Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Michele A Burford
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia; Griffith School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia.
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6
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Twomey AJ, O'Brien KR, Callaghan DP, Saunders MI. Synthesising wave attenuation for seagrass: Drag coefficient as a unifying indicator. Mar Pollut Bull 2020; 160:111661. [PMID: 33181938 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
An estimated 100 million people inhabit coastal areas at risk from flooding and erosion due to climate change. Seagrass meadows, like other coastal ecosystems, attenuate waves. Due to inconsistencies in how wave attenuation is measured results cannot be directly compared. We synthesised data from laboratory and field experiments of seagrass-wave attenuation by converting measurements to drag coefficients (CD). Drag coefficients varied from 0.02-5.12 with CD¯ = 0.74 for studies conducted in turbulent flow in non-storm conditions. A statistical model suggested that seagrass species affects CD although the exact mechanism remains unclear. A wave model using the estimated CD¯ as an input parameter demonstrated that wave attenuation increased with meadow length, shoot density, shoot width and canopy height. Findings can be used to estimate wave attenuation by seagrass, in any given set of conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice J Twomey
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
| | - Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - David P Callaghan
- School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Megan I Saunders
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Oceans and Atmosphere, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, St Lucia, Queensland 4067, Australia
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7
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Xiao M, Hamilton DP, O'Brien KR, Adams MP, Willis A, Burford MA. Are laboratory growth rate experiments relevant to explaining bloom-forming cyanobacteria distributions at global scale? Harmful Algae 2020; 92:101732. [PMID: 32113600 DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2019.101732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Predicting algal population dynamics using models informed by experimental data has been used as a strategy to inform the management and control of harmful cyanobacterial blooms. We selected toxic bloom-forming species Microcystis spp. and Raphidiopsis raciborskii (basionym Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii) for further examination as they dominate in 78 % and 17 %, respectively, of freshwater cyanobacterial blooms (cyanoHABs) reported globally over the past 30 years. Field measurements of cyanoHABs are typically based on biomass accumulation, but laboratory experiments typically measure growth rates, which are an important variable in cyanoHAB models. Our objective was to determine the usefulness of laboratory studies of these cyanoHAB growth rates for simulating the species dominance at a global scale. We synthesized growth responses of M. aeruginosa and R. raciborskii from 20 and 16 culture studies, respectively, to predict growth rates as a function of two environmental variables, light and temperature. Predicted growth rates of R. raciborskii exceeded those of M. aeruginosa at temperatures ≳ 25 °C and light intensities ≳ 150 μmol photons m-2 s-1. Field observations of biomass accumulation, however, show that M. aeruginosa dominates over R. raciborskii, irrespective of climatic zones. The mismatch between biomass accumulation measured in the field, and what is predicted from growth rate measured in the laboratory, hinders effective use of culture studies to predict formation of cyanoHABs in the natural environment. The usefulness of growth rates measured may therefore be limited, and field experiments should instead be designed to examine key physiological attributes such as colony formation, buoyancy regulation and photoadaptation. Improving prediction of cyanoHABs in a changing climate requires a more effective integration of field and laboratory approaches, and an explicit consideration of strain-level variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man Xiao
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia; School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia.
| | - David P Hamilton
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
| | - Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Matthew P Adams
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia; School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Anusuya Willis
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia; Australian National Algae Culture Collection, CSIRO, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Michele A Burford
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia; School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
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8
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Neilen AD, Carroll AR, Hawker DW, O'Brien KR, Burford MA. Effects of photochemical and microbiological changes in terrestrial dissolved organic matter on its chemical characteristics and phytotoxicity towards cyanobacteria. Sci Total Environ 2019; 695:133901. [PMID: 31756858 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that under laboratory conditions, dissolved organic matter (DOM) leached from plants can be differentially more phytotoxic to cyanobacteria, compared to green algae. This study examined how DOM source and transformation processes (microbial and photochemical) affect its chemical composition and phytotoxicity towards a cultured species of cyanobacteria (Raphidiopsis raciborskii) using a factorial experimental design. To complement cyanobacterial bioassays, the chemical composition and associated changes in DOM were determined using spectroscopic (nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and absorbance) and elemental analyses. Sunlight exposed DOM from leaves of the terrestrial plants, Casuarina cunninghamiana and Eucalyptus tereticornis had the most phytotoxic effect compared to DOM not exposed to sunlight. This phytotoxic DOM was characterised by relatively low nitrogen content, containing highly coloured and relatively high molecular mass constituents. Both mixed effect model and PCA approaches to predict inhibition of photosynthetic yield indicated phytotoxicity could be predicted (P < 0.001) based upon the following parameters: C: N ratio; gilvin, and lignin-derived phenol content of DOM. Parallel proton-detected 1D and 2D NMR techniques showed that glucose anomers were the major constituents of fresh leachate. With ageing, glucose anomers disappeared and products of microbial transformation appeared, but there was no indication of the appearance of additional phytotoxic compounds. This suggests that reactive oxygen species may be responsible, at least partially, for DOM phytotoxicity. This study provides important new information highlighting the characteristics of DOM that link with phytotoxic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda D Neilen
- Australian Rivers Institute & Griffith School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia.
| | - Anthony R Carroll
- Griffith School of Environment, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Parklands Drive, Southport, Queensland 4222, Australia.
| | - Darryl W Hawker
- Griffith School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia.
| | - Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Michele A Burford
- Australian Rivers Institute & Griffith School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia.
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9
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Tran M, Castro J, O'Brien KR, Pham C, Bird TH, Iovine PM. Release Kinetics and Antimicrobial Properties of Iodinated Species Liberated from Physically and Chemically Modified Starch Granules. STARCH-STARKE 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/star.201900134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Tran
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of San Diego San Diego CA 92110 USA
| | - Jordan Castro
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of San Diego San Diego CA 92110 USA
| | | | - Candace Pham
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of San Diego San Diego CA 92110 USA
| | - Terry H. Bird
- Department of BiologyUniversity of San Diego San Diego CA 92110 USA
| | - Peter M. Iovine
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of San Diego San Diego CA 92110 USA
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10
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O'Brien KR, Holmgren M, Fitzsimmons T, Crane ME, Maxwell P, Head B. What Is Gender Equality in Science? Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 34:395-399. [PMID: 30929751 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2018] [Revised: 02/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Why do inequalities persist between male and female scientists, when the causes are well-researched and widely condemned? In part, because equality has many dimensions. Presenting eight definitions of gender equality, we show each is important but incomplete. Rigid application of any single equality indicator can therefore have perverse outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; https://researchers.uq.edu.au/researcher/1162.
| | - Milena Holmgren
- Resource Ecology Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Margaret E Crane
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Paul Maxwell
- Healthy Land and Water, PO Box 13204, George St, Brisbane, Queensland 4003, Australia
| | - Brian Head
- School of Political Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
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11
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O'Brien KR, Waycott M, Maxwell P, Kendrick GA, Udy JW, Ferguson AJP, Kilminster K, Scanes P, McKenzie LJ, McMahon K, Adams MP, Samper-Villarreal J, Collier C, Lyons M, Mumby PJ, Radke L, Christianen MJA, Dennison WC. Seagrass ecosystem trajectory depends on the relative timescales of resistance, recovery and disturbance. Mar Pollut Bull 2018; 134:166-176. [PMID: 28935363 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Revised: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Seagrass ecosystems are inherently dynamic, responding to environmental change across a range of scales. Habitat requirements of seagrass are well defined, but less is known about their ability to resist disturbance. Specific means of recovery after loss are particularly difficult to quantify. Here we assess the resistance and recovery capacity of 12 seagrass genera. We document four classic trajectories of degradation and recovery for seagrass ecosystems, illustrated with examples from around the world. Recovery can be rapid once conditions improve, but seagrass absence at landscape scales may persist for many decades, perpetuated by feedbacks and/or lack of seed or plant propagules to initiate recovery. It can be difficult to distinguish between slow recovery, recalcitrant degradation, and the need for a window of opportunity to trigger recovery. We propose a framework synthesizing how the spatial and temporal scales of both disturbance and seagrass response affect ecosystem trajectory and hence resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Michelle Waycott
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia; State Herbarium of South Australia, Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, GPO Box 1047, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Paul Maxwell
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia; Healthy Land and Water, PO Box 13204, George St, Brisbane 4003, Queensland, Australia
| | - Gary A Kendrick
- The Oceans Institute (M470), The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - James W Udy
- Healthy Land and Water, PO Box 13204, George St, Brisbane 4003, Queensland, Australia; School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, P.O. Box 2434, Brisbane, Queensland 4001, Australia
| | - Angus J P Ferguson
- NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, PO Box A290, Sydney South, NSW 1232, Australia
| | - Kieryn Kilminster
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia; Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, Locked Bag 33, Cloisters Square, Perth, WA 6842, Australia
| | - Peter Scanes
- NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, PO Box A290, Sydney South, NSW 1232, Australia
| | - Len J McKenzie
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4870, Australia
| | - Kathryn McMahon
- School of Sciences, Edith Cowan University, WA, 6027, Australia; Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, WA, 6027, Australia
| | - Matthew P Adams
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jimena Samper-Villarreal
- Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, 11501-2060, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Catherine Collier
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4870, Australia
| | - Mitchell Lyons
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, 2052 NSW, Australia
| | - Peter J Mumby
- Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Lynda Radke
- Coastal, Marine and Climate Change Group, Geoscience Australia, GPO Box 378, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Marjolijn J A Christianen
- Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700, CC, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - William C Dennison
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Cambridge, MD 21613, USA
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12
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Collier CJ, Langlois L, Ow Y, Johansson C, Giammusso M, Adams MP, O'Brien KR, Uthicke S. Losing a winner: thermal stress and local pressures outweigh the positive effects of ocean acidification for tropical seagrasses. New Phytol 2018; 219:1005-1017. [PMID: 29855044 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Seagrasses are globally important coastal habitat-forming species, yet it is unknown how seagrasses respond to the combined pressures of ocean acidification and warming of sea surface temperature. We exposed three tropical species of seagrass (Cymodocea serrulata, Halodule uninervis, and Zostera muelleri) to increasing temperature (21, 25, 30, and 35°C) and pCO2 (401, 1014, and 1949 μatm) for 7 wk in mesocosms using a controlled factorial design. Shoot density and leaf extension rates were recorded, and plant productivity and respiration were measured at increasing light levels (photosynthesis-irradiance curves) using oxygen optodes. Shoot density, growth, photosynthetic rates, and plant-scale net productivity occurred at 25°C or 30°C under saturating light levels. High pCO2 enhanced maximum net productivity for Z. muelleri, but not in other species. Z. muelleri was the most thermally tolerant as it maintained positive net production to 35°C, yet for the other species there was a sharp decline in productivity, growth, and shoot density at 35°C, which was exacerbated by pCO2 . These results suggest that thermal stress will not be offset by ocean acidification during future extreme heat events and challenges the current hypothesis that tropical seagrass will be a 'winner' under future climate change conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine J Collier
- Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Cairns, Qld, 4870, Australia
| | - Lucas Langlois
- Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Cairns, Qld, 4870, Australia
| | - Yan Ow
- School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, 4811, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville, 4810, Qld, Australia
- Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117557, Singapore
| | - Charlotte Johansson
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville, 4810, Qld, Australia
| | - Manuela Giammusso
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville, 4810, Qld, Australia
| | - Matthew P Adams
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Qld, Australia
| | - Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Qld, Australia
| | - Sven Uthicke
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville, 4810, Qld, Australia
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13
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Xiao M, Adams MP, Willis A, Burford MA, O'Brien KR. Variation within and between cyanobacterial species and strains affects competition: Implications for phytoplankton modelling. Harmful Algae 2017; 69:38-47. [PMID: 29122241 DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2017.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2017] [Revised: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 10/03/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii are two harmful species which co-occur and successively dominate in freshwaters globally. Within-species strain variability affects cyanobacterial population responses to environmental conditions, and it is unclear which species/strain would dominate under different environmental conditions. This study applied a Monte Carlo approach to a phytoplankton dynamic growth model to identify how growth variability of multiple strains of these two species affects their competition. Pairwise competition between four M. aeruginosa and eight C. raciborskii strains was simulated using a deterministic model, parameterized with laboratory measurements of growth and light attenuation for all strains, and run at two temperatures and light intensities. 17 000 runs were simulated for each pair using a statistical distribution with Monte Carlo approach. The model results showed that cyanobacterial competition was highly variable, depending on strains present, light and temperature conditions. There was no absolute 'winner' under all conditions as there were always strains predicted to coexist with the dominant strains, which were M. aeruginosa strains at 20°C and C. raciborskii strains at 28°C. The uncertainty in prediction of species competition outcomes was due to the substantial variability of growth responses within and between strains. Overall, this study demonstrates that within-species strain variability has a potentially large effect on cyanobacterial population dynamics, and therefore this variability may substantially reduce confidence in predicting outcomes of phytoplankton competition in deterministic models, that are based on only one set of parameters for each species or strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man Xiao
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia; School of Environment, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia.
| | - Matthew P Adams
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Anusuya Willis
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
| | - Michele A Burford
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia; School of Environment, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
| | - Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
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Neilen AD, Hawker DW, O'Brien KR, Burford MA. Phytotoxic effects of terrestrial dissolved organic matter on a freshwater cyanobacteria and green algae species is affected by plant source and DOM chemical composition. Chemosphere 2017; 184:969-980. [PMID: 28655116 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.06.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Revised: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 06/15/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Here we link plant source phylogeny to its chemical characteristics and determine parameters useful for predicting DOM phytotoxicity towards algal monocultures. We found that DOM characterised using UV-visible spectroscopic indices and elemental analysis is useful for distinguishing DOM plant sources. Specifically, combined values of absorbance at 440 nm and coefficients for the spectral slope ratio, were used to distinguish between gymnosperm-leached DOM and that from angiosperms. In our bioassays, DOM leached from 4 g leaf L-1 resulted in over 40% inhibition of photosynthetic yield for the cyanobacterium, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, for eight of the nine plants tested. Significant variables for predicting inhibition of yield were DOM exposure time and plant source, or using an alternate model, exposure time and spectroscopic and elemental measures. Our study proposes spectroscopic indices which can estimate a plant source's contribution to aquatic DOM, may provide insights into ecological outcomes, such as phytotoxicity to algae. The cyanobacterium (C. raciborskii) was more sensitive to DOM than a green algae (Monoraphidium spp.), as identified in a subsequent dose-response experiment with five different DOM plant sources. Low level additions of angiosperm derived-DOM (i.e. 0.5 g L-1) were slight phytotoxic to Monoraphidium spp. causing 30% inhibition of yield, while C. raciborskii was not affected. Higher DOM additions (i.e. 2 g L-1) caused 100% inhibition of yield for C. raciborskii, while Monoraphidium spp. inhibition remained under 30%. The divergence in algal sensitivity to DOM indicates that in aquatic systems, DOM derived from catchment vegetation has the potential to affect algal assemblages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda D Neilen
- Australian Rivers Institute & Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia.
| | - Darryl W Hawker
- Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Michele A Burford
- Australian Rivers Institute & Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
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15
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Collier CJ, Ow YX, Langlois L, Uthicke S, Johansson CL, O'Brien KR, Hrebien V, Adams MP. Optimum Temperatures for Net Primary Productivity of Three Tropical Seagrass Species. Front Plant Sci 2017; 8:1446. [PMID: 28878790 PMCID: PMC5572403 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.01446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Rising sea water temperature will play a significant role in responses of the world's seagrass meadows to climate change. In this study, we investigated seasonal and latitudinal variation (spanning more than 1,500 km) in seagrass productivity, and the optimum temperatures at which maximum photosynthesis and net productivity (for the leaf and the whole plant) occurs, for three seagrass species (Cymodocea serrulata, Halodule uninervis, and Zostera muelleri). To obtain whole plant net production, photosynthesis, and respiration rates of leaves and the root/rhizome complex were measured using oxygen-sensitive optodes in closed incubation chambers at temperatures ranging from 15 to 43°C. The temperature-dependence of photosynthesis and respiration was fitted to empirical models to obtain maximum metabolic rates and thermal optima. The thermal optimum (Topt) for gross photosynthesis of Z. muelleri, which is more commonly distributed in sub-tropical to temperate regions, was 31°C. The Topt for photosynthesis of the tropical species, H. uninervis and C. serrulata, was considerably higher (35°C on average). This suggests that seagrass species are adapted to water temperature within their distributional range; however, when comparing among latitudes and seasons, thermal optima within a species showed limited acclimation to ambient water temperature (Topt varied by 1°C in C. serrulata and 2°C in H. uninervis, and the variation did not follow changes in ambient water temperature). The Topt for gross photosynthesis were higher than Topt calculated from plant net productivity, which includes above- and below-ground respiration for Z. muelleri (24°C) and H. uninervis (33°C), but remained unchanged at 35°C in C. serrulata. Both estimated plant net productivity and Topt are sensitive to the proportion of below-ground biomass, highlighting the need for consideration of below- to above-ground biomass ratios when applying thermal optima to other meadows. The thermal optimum for plant net productivity was lower than ambient summer water temperature in Z. muelleri, indicating likely contemporary heat stress. In contrast, thermal optima of H. uninervis and C. serrulata exceeded ambient water temperature. This study found limited capacity to acclimate: thus the thermal optima can forewarn of both the present and future vulnerability to ocean warming during periods of elevated water temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine J. Collier
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, James Cook University CairnsCairns, QLD, Australia
- *Correspondence: Catherine J. Collier
| | - Yan X. Ow
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, James Cook University CairnsCairns, QLD, Australia
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University TownsvilleTownsville, QLD, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine ScienceTownsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Lucas Langlois
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, James Cook University CairnsCairns, QLD, Australia
| | - Sven Uthicke
- Australian Institute of Marine ScienceTownsville, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Katherine R. O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Victoria Hrebien
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University TownsvilleTownsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Matthew P. Adams
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia
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16
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Lam KL, Lant PA, O'Brien KR, Kenway SJ. Comparison of water-energy trajectories of two major regions experiencing water shortage. J Environ Manage 2016; 181:403-412. [PMID: 27395015 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.06.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2015] [Revised: 06/29/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Water shortage, increased demand and rising energy costs are major challenges for the water sector worldwide. Here we use a comparative case study to explore the long-term changes in the system-wide water and associated energy use in two different regions that encountered water shortage. In Australia, South East Queensland (SEQ) encountered a drought from 2001 to 2009, while Perth has experienced a decline in rainfall since the 1970s. This novel longitudinal study quantifies and compares the urban water consumption and the energy use of the water supply systems in SEQ and Perth during the period 2002 to 2014. Unlike hypothetical and long-term scenario studies, this comparative study quantifies actual changes in regional water consumption and associated energy, and explores the lessons learned from the two regions. In 2002, Perth had a similar per capita water consumption rate to SEQ and 48% higher per capita energy use in the water supply system. From 2002 to 2014, a strong effort of water conservation can be seen in SEQ during the drought, while Perth has been increasingly relying on seawater desalination. By 2014, even though the drought in SEQ had ended and the drying climate in Perth was continuing, the per capita water consumption in SEQ (266 L/p/d) was still 28% lower than that of Perth (368 L/p/d), while the per capita energy use in Perth (247 kWh/p/yr) had increased to almost five times that of SEQ (53 kWh/p/yr). This comparative study shows that within one decade, major changes in water and associated energy use occurred in regions that were similar historically. The very different "water-energy" trajectories in the two regions arose partly due to the type of water management options implemented, particularly the different emphasis on supply versus demand side management. This study also highlights the significant energy saving benefit of water conservation strategies (i.e. in SEQ, the energy saving was sufficient to offset the total energy use for seawater desalination and water recycling during the period.). The water-energy trajectory diagram provides a new way to illustrate and compare longitudinal water consumption and associated energy use within and between cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ka Leung Lam
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Paul A Lant
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Steven J Kenway
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
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17
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Maxwell PS, Eklöf JS, van Katwijk MM, O'Brien KR, de la Torre-Castro M, Boström C, Bouma TJ, Krause-Jensen D, Unsworth RKF, van Tussenbroek BI, van der Heide T. The fundamental role of ecological feedback mechanisms for the adaptive management of seagrass ecosystems - a review. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 92:1521-1538. [PMID: 27581168 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2015] [Revised: 07/03/2016] [Accepted: 07/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Seagrass meadows are vital ecosystems in coastal zones worldwide, but are also under global threat. One of the major hurdles restricting the success of seagrass conservation and restoration is our limited understanding of ecological feedback mechanisms. In these ecosystems, multiple, self-reinforcing feedbacks can undermine conservation efforts by masking environmental impacts until the decline is precipitous, or alternatively they can inhibit seagrass recovery in spite of restoration efforts. However, no clear framework yet exists for identifying or dealing with feedbacks to improve the management of seagrass ecosystems. Here we review the causes and consequences of multiple feedbacks between seagrass and biotic and/or abiotic processes. We demonstrate how feedbacks have the potential to impose or reinforce regimes of either seagrass dominance or unvegetated substrate, and how the strength and importance of these feedbacks vary across environmental gradients. Although a myriad of feedbacks have now been identified, the co-occurrence and likely interaction among feedbacks has largely been overlooked to date due to difficulties in analysis and detection. Here we take a fundamental step forward by modelling the interactions among two distinct above- and belowground feedbacks to demonstrate that interacting feedbacks are likely to be important for ecosystem resilience. On this basis, we propose a five-step adaptive management plan to address feedback dynamics for effective conservation and restoration strategies. The management plan provides guidance to aid in the identification and prioritisation of likely feedbacks in different seagrass ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul S Maxwell
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia
| | - Johan S Eklöf
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marieke M van Katwijk
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Faculty of Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia
| | | | - Christoffer Boström
- Environmental and Marine Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Artillerigatan 6, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Tjeerd J Bouma
- Department of Yerseke Spatial Ecology, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, 4401 NT, Yerseke, The Netherlands
| | - Dorte Krause-Jensen
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark.,Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Allé 8, 8000, Århus C, Denmark
| | - Richard K F Unsworth
- Seagrass Ecosystem Research Group, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, U.K
| | - Brigitta I van Tussenbroek
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Faculty of Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Unidad Académica Sistemas Arrecifales/Puerto Morelos, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. Postal 1152, Cancún 77500, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Tjisse van der Heide
- Department of Aquatic Ecology & Environmental Biology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Faculty of Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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18
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Cogni R, Kuczynski K, Lavington E, Koury S, Behrman EL, O'Brien KR, Schmidt PS, Eanes WF. Variation in Drosophila melanogaster central metabolic genes appears driven by natural selection both within and between populations. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 282:20142688. [PMID: 25520361 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.2688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In this report, we examine the hypothesis that the drivers of latitudinal selection observed in the eastern US Drosophila melanogaster populations are reiterated within seasons in a temperate orchard population in Pennsylvania, USA. Specifically, we ask whether alleles that are apparently favoured in northern populations are also favoured early in the spring, and decrease in frequency from the spring to autumn with the population expansion. We use SNP data collected for 46 metabolic genes and 128 SNPs representing the central metabolic pathway and examine for the aggregate SNP allele frequencies whether the association of allele change with latitude and that with increasing days of spring-autumn season are reversed. Testing by random permutation, we observe a highly significant negative correlation between these associations that is consistent with this expectation. This correlation is stronger when we confine our analysis to only those alleles that show significant latitudinal changes. This pattern is not caused by association with chromosomal inversions. When data are resampled using SNPs for amino acid change the relationship is not significant but is supported when SNPs associated with cis-expression are only considered. Our results suggest that climate factors driving latitudinal molecular variation in a metabolic pathway are related to those operating on a seasonal level within populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Cogni
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Kate Kuczynski
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Erik Lavington
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Spencer Koury
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Emily L Behrman
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Paul S Schmidt
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Walter F Eanes
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
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19
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Machado HE, Bergland AO, O'Brien KR, Behrman EL, Schmidt PS, Petrov DA. Comparative population genomics of latitudinal variation in Drosophila simulans and Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:723-40. [PMID: 26523848 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2015] [Revised: 10/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Examples of clinal variation in phenotypes and genotypes across latitudinal transects have served as important models for understanding how spatially varying selection and demographic forces shape variation within species. Here, we examine the selective and demographic contributions to latitudinal variation through the largest comparative genomic study to date of Drosophila simulans and Drosophila melanogaster, with genomic sequence data from 382 individual fruit flies, collected across a spatial transect of 19 degrees latitude and at multiple time points over 2 years. Consistent with phenotypic studies, we find less clinal variation in D. simulans than D. melanogaster, particularly for the autosomes. Moreover, we find that clinally varying loci in D. simulans are less stable over multiple years than comparable clines in D. melanogaster. D. simulans shows a significantly weaker pattern of isolation by distance than D. melanogaster and we find evidence for a stronger contribution of migration to D. simulans population genetic structure. While population bottlenecks and migration can plausibly explain the differences in stability of clinal variation between the two species, we also observe a significant enrichment of shared clinal genes, suggesting that the selective forces associated with climate are acting on the same genes and phenotypes in D. simulans and D. melanogaster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather E Machado
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, 371 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305-5020, USA
| | - Alan O Bergland
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, 371 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305-5020, USA
| | - Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 348 Manter Hall, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA.,Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 102 Leidy Laboratories, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6313, USA
| | - Emily L Behrman
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 102 Leidy Laboratories, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6313, USA
| | - Paul S Schmidt
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 102 Leidy Laboratories, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6313, USA
| | - Dmitri A Petrov
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, 371 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305-5020, USA
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20
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Katwijk MM, Thorhaug A, Marbà N, Orth RJ, Duarte CM, Kendrick GA, Althuizen IHJ, Balestri E, Bernard G, Cambridge ML, Cunha A, Durance C, Giesen W, Han Q, Hosokawa S, Kiswara W, Komatsu T, Lardicci C, Lee K, Meinesz A, Nakaoka M, O'Brien KR, Paling EI, Pickerell C, Ransijn AMA, Verduin JJ. Global analysis of seagrass restoration: the importance of large‐scale planting. J Appl Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 246] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marieke M. Katwijk
- Department of Environmental Science Faculty of Science Institute for Water and Wetland Research Radboud University Nijmegen Heyendaalseweg 135 6525 AJ Nijmegen The Netherlands
| | - Anitra Thorhaug
- Greeley Laboratories Institute for Sustainable Forestry School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Yale University Prospect St New Haven CT 06511 USA
| | - Núria Marbà
- Department of Global Change Research IMEDEA (CSIC‐UIB) Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats C/Miguel Marqués 21 07190 Esporles Spain
| | - Robert J. Orth
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science College of William & Mary P.O. Box 1346 Gloucester Point VA 23062 USA
| | - Carlos M. Duarte
- Department of Global Change Research IMEDEA (CSIC‐UIB) Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats C/Miguel Marqués 21 07190 Esporles Spain
- The UWA Oceans Institute and School of Plant Biology University of Western Australia 35 Stirling Highway Crawley 6009 WA Australia
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Red Sea Research Center (RSRC) Thuwal 23955‐6900 Saudi Arabia
| | - Gary A. Kendrick
- The UWA Oceans Institute and School of Plant Biology University of Western Australia 35 Stirling Highway Crawley 6009 WA Australia
| | - Inge H. J. Althuizen
- Department of Environmental Science Faculty of Science Institute for Water and Wetland Research Radboud University Nijmegen Heyendaalseweg 135 6525 AJ Nijmegen The Netherlands
| | - Elena Balestri
- Dipartimento di Biologia Pisa University Via Derna 1 56126 Pisa Italy
| | - Guillaume Bernard
- GIPREB (Gestion Intégrée pour la Prospective et la Réhabilitation de l'Etang de Berre) 13 Cours Mirabeau 13130 Berre‐l’Étang France
| | - Marion L. Cambridge
- The UWA Oceans Institute and School of Plant Biology University of Western Australia 35 Stirling Highway Crawley 6009 WA Australia
| | - Alexandra Cunha
- Centro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR) Edificio 7 Universidade do Algarve Campus de Gambelas 8005‐139 Faro Portugal
| | - Cynthia Durance
- Precision Identification 3622 West 3rd Avenue Vancouver BC V6R 1L9 Canada
| | - Wim Giesen
- Department of Environmental Science Faculty of Science Institute for Water and Wetland Research Radboud University Nijmegen Heyendaalseweg 135 6525 AJ Nijmegen The Netherlands
- Euroconsult Mott MacDonald P.O. Box 441 6800 AK Arnhem The Netherlands
| | - Qiuying Han
- Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC) Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes YICCAS Yantai Shandong 264003 China
| | - Shinya Hosokawa
- Marine Environmental Information Group Port and Airport Research Institute Nagase Yokosuka Kanagawa 239‐0826 Japan
| | - Wawan Kiswara
- Research Centre for Oceanography Indonesian Institute of Sciences Jl. Pasir Putih No. 1, Ancol, Timur Jakarta Utara 14430 Indonesia
| | - Teruhisa Komatsu
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute University of Tokyo 5‐1‐5 Kashiwanoha Kashiwa 277‐8564 Japan
| | - Claudio Lardicci
- Dipartimento di Biologia Pisa University Via Derna 1 56126 Pisa Italy
| | - Kun‐Seop Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences Pusan National University Pusan 609‐735 Korea
| | - Alexandre Meinesz
- EA ECOMERS 4228 University Nice Sophia Antipolis F‐06108 Nice 2 France
| | - Masahiro Nakaoka
- Akkeshi Marine Station Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere Hokkaido University Akkeshi Hokkaido 088‐1113 Japan
| | - Katherine R. O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering The University of Queensland St Lucia Qld 4072 Australia
| | - Erik I. Paling
- Ichthys Onshore LNG 11/14 Winnellie Road Winnellie NT 0820 Australia
| | - Chris Pickerell
- Marine Program Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County 423 Griffing Avenue, Suite 100 Riverhead NY 11901 USA
| | - Aryan M. A. Ransijn
- Department of Environmental Science Faculty of Science Institute for Water and Wetland Research Radboud University Nijmegen Heyendaalseweg 135 6525 AJ Nijmegen The Netherlands
| | - Jennifer J. Verduin
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences Environmental and Conservation Sciences Murdoch University South Street Murdoch 6150 Perth WA Australia
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Kilminster K, McMahon K, Waycott M, Kendrick GA, Scanes P, McKenzie L, O'Brien KR, Lyons M, Ferguson A, Maxwell P, Glasby T, Udy J. Unravelling complexity in seagrass systems for management: Australia as a microcosm. Sci Total Environ 2015; 534:97-109. [PMID: 25917445 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.04.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Revised: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 04/15/2015] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Environmental decision-making applies transdisciplinary knowledge to deliver optimal outcomes. Here we synthesise various aspects of seagrass ecology to aid environmental decision-making, management and policy. Managers often mediate conflicting values and opinions held by different stakeholders. Critical to this role is understanding the drivers for change, effects of management actions and societal benefits. We use the diversity of seagrass habitats in Australia to demonstrate that knowledge from numerous fields is required to understand seagrass condition and resilience. Managers are often time poor and need access to synthesised assessments, commonly referred to as narratives. However, there is no single narrative for management of seagrass habitats in Australia, due to the diversity of seagrass meadows and dominant pressures. To assist the manager, we developed a classification structure based on attributes of seagrass life history, habitat and meadow form. Seagrass communities are formed from species whose life history strategies can be described as colonising, opportunistic or persistent. They occupy habitats defined by the range and variability of their abiotic environment. This results in seagrass meadows that are either transitory or enduring. Transitory meadows may come and go and able to re-establish from complete loss through sexual reproduction. Enduring meadows may fluctuate in biomass but maintain a presence by resisting pressures across multiple scales. This contrast reflects the interaction between the spatial and temporal aspects of species life history and habitat variability. Most management and monitoring strategies in place today favour enduring seagrasses. We adopt a functional classification of seagrass habitats based on modes of resilience to inform management for all seagrass communities. These concepts have world-wide relevance as the Australian case-studies have many analogues throughout the world. Additionally, the approach used to classify primary scientific knowledge into synthesised categories to aid management has value for many other disciplines interfacing with environmental decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kathryn McMahon
- School of Natural Sciences and Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, WA 6027, Australia
| | - Michelle Waycott
- University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia; Plant Biodiversity Centre, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Gary A Kendrick
- The Oceans Institute (M470) and School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Peter Scanes
- NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, PO Box A290, Sydney South, NSW 1232, Australia
| | - Len McKenzie
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia
| | - Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Mitchell Lyons
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia
| | - Angus Ferguson
- NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, PO Box A290, Sydney South, NSW 1232, Australia
| | - Paul Maxwell
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; Healthy Waterways, PO Box 13086 George St, Brisbane QLD 4003, Australia
| | - Tim Glasby
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries NSW, Locked Bag 1, Nelson Bay, NSW, 2315, Australia
| | - James Udy
- Healthy Waterways, PO Box 13086 George St, Brisbane QLD 4003, Australia
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22
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Behrman EL, Watson SS, O'Brien KR, Heschel MS, Schmidt PS. Seasonal variation in life history traits in two Drosophila species. J Evol Biol 2015; 28:1691-704. [PMID: 26174167 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Revised: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 07/01/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Seasonal environmental heterogeneity is cyclic, persistent and geographically widespread. In species that reproduce multiple times annually, environmental changes across seasonal time may create different selection regimes that may shape the population ecology and life history adaptation in these species. Here, we investigate how two closely related species of Drosophila in a temperate orchard respond to environmental changes across seasonal time. Natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans were sampled at four timepoints from June through November to assess seasonal change in fundamental aspects of population dynamics as well as life history traits. D. melanogaster exhibit pronounced change across seasonal time: early in the season, the population is inferred to be uniformly young and potentially represents the early generation following overwintering survivorship. D. melanogaster isofemale lines derived from the early population and reared in a common garden are characterized by high tolerance to a variety of stressors as well as a fast rate of development in the laboratory environment that declines across seasonal time. In contrast, wild D. simulans populations were inferred to be consistently heterogeneous in age distribution across seasonal collections; only starvation tolerance changed predictably over seasonal time in a parallel manner as in D. melanogaster. These results suggest fundamental differences in population and evolutionary dynamics between these two taxa associated with seasonal heterogeneity in environmental parameters and associated selection pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- E L Behrman
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - S S Watson
- Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - K R O'Brien
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - M S Heschel
- Department of Organismal Biology & Ecology, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
| | - P S Schmidt
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Bergland AO, Behrman EL, O'Brien KR, Schmidt PS, Petrov DA. Genomic evidence of rapid and stable adaptive oscillations over seasonal time scales in Drosophila. PLoS Genet 2014; 10:e1004775. [PMID: 25375361 PMCID: PMC4222749 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 308] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2014] [Accepted: 09/24/2014] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In many species, genomic data have revealed pervasive adaptive evolution indicated by the fixation of beneficial alleles. However, when selection pressures are highly variable along a species' range or through time adaptive alleles may persist at intermediate frequencies for long periods. So called “balanced polymorphisms” have long been understood to be an important component of standing genetic variation, yet direct evidence of the strength of balancing selection and the stability and prevalence of balanced polymorphisms has remained elusive. We hypothesized that environmental fluctuations among seasons in a North American orchard would impose temporally variable selection on Drosophila melanogaster that would drive repeatable adaptive oscillations at balanced polymorphisms. We identified hundreds of polymorphisms whose frequency oscillates among seasons and argue that these loci are subject to strong, temporally variable selection. We show that these polymorphisms respond to acute and persistent changes in climate and are associated in predictable ways with seasonally variable phenotypes. In addition, our results suggest that adaptively oscillating polymorphisms are likely millions of years old, with some possibly predating the divergence between D. melanogaster and D. simulans. Taken together, our results are consistent with a model of balancing selection wherein rapid temporal fluctuations in climate over generational time promotes adaptive genetic diversity at loci underlying polygenic variation in fitness related phenotypes. Herein, we investigate the genomic basis of rapid adaptive evolution in response to seasonal fluctuations in the environment. We identify hundreds of polymorphisms (seasonal SNPs) that undergo dramatic shifts in allele frequency – on average between 40 and 60% – and oscillate between seasons repeatedly over multiple years, likely inducing high levels of genome-wide genetic differentiation. We provide evidence that seasonal SNPs are functional, being both sensitive to an acute frost event and associated with two stress tolerance traits. Finally, we show that some seasonal SNPs are possibly ancient balanced polymorphisms. Taken together, our results suggest that environmental heterogeneity can promote the long-term persistence of functional polymorphisms within populations that fuels fast directional adaptive response at any one time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan O. Bergland
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Emily L. Behrman
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Katherine R. O'Brien
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Paul S. Schmidt
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Dmitri A. Petrov
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
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Lavington E, Cogni R, Kuczynski C, Koury S, Behrman EL, O'Brien KR, Schmidt PS, Eanes WF. A small system--high-resolution study of metabolic adaptation in the central metabolic pathway to temperate climates in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Biol Evol 2014; 31:2032-41. [PMID: 24770333 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msu146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In this article, we couple the geographic variation in 127 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) frequencies in genes of 46 enzymes of central metabolism with their associated cis-expression variation to predict latitudinal or climatic-driven gene expression changes in the metabolic architecture of Drosophila melanogaster. Forty-two percent of the SNPs in 65% of the genes show statistically significant clines in frequency with latitude across the 20 local population samples collected from southern Florida to Ontario. A number of SNPs in the screened genes are also associated with significant expression variation within the Raleigh population from North Carolina. A principal component analysis of the full variance-covariance matrix of latitudinal changes in SNP-associated standardized gene expression allows us to identify those major genes in the pathway and its associated branches that are likely targets of natural selection. When embedded in a central metabolic context, we show that these apparent targets are concentrated in the genes of the upper glycolytic pathway and pentose shunt, those controlling glycerol shuttle activity, and finally those enzymes associated with the utilization of glutamate and pyruvate. These metabolites possess high connectivity and thus may be the points where flux balance can be best shifted. We also propose that these points are conserved points associated with coupling energy homeostasis and energy sensing in mammals. We speculate that the modulation of gene expression at specific points in central metabolism that are associated with shifting flux balance or possibly energy-state sensing plays a role in adaptation to climatic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Lavington
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University
| | - Rodrigo Cogni
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University
| | | | - Spencer Koury
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University
| | | | | | | | - Walter F Eanes
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University
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Cogni R, Kuczynski C, Koury S, Lavington E, Behrman EL, O'Brien KR, Schmidt PS, Eanes WF. THE INTENSITY OF SELECTION ACTING ON THECOUCH POTATOGENE-SPATIAL-TEMPORAL VARIATION IN A DIAPAUSE CLINE. Evolution 2013; 68:538-48. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2013] [Accepted: 09/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Cogni
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; Stony Brook University; Stony Brook New York
| | - Caitlin Kuczynski
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; Stony Brook University; Stony Brook New York
| | - Spencer Koury
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; Stony Brook University; Stony Brook New York
| | - Erik Lavington
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; Stony Brook University; Stony Brook New York
| | - Emily L. Behrman
- Department of Biology; University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia Pennsylvania
| | | | - Paul S. Schmidt
- Department of Biology; University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia Pennsylvania
| | - Walter F. Eanes
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; Stony Brook University; Stony Brook New York
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Saunders MI, Leon J, Phinn SR, Callaghan DP, O'Brien KR, Roelfsema CM, Lovelock CE, Lyons MB, Mumby PJ. Coastal retreat and improved water quality mitigate losses of seagrass from sea level rise. Glob Chang Biol 2013; 19:2569-2583. [PMID: 23564697 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2013] [Revised: 03/18/2013] [Accepted: 03/19/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The distribution and abundance of seagrass ecosystems could change significantly over the coming century due to sea level rise (SLR). Coastal managers require mechanistic understanding of the processes affecting seagrass response to SLR to maximize their conservation and associated provision of ecosystem services. In Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia, vast seagrass meadows supporting populations of sea turtles and dugongs are juxtaposed with the multiple stressors associated with a large and rapidly expanding human population. Here, the interactive effects of predicted SLR, changes in water clarity, and land use on future distributions of seagrass in Moreton Bay were quantified. A habitat distribution model of present day seagrass in relation to benthic irradiance and wave height was developed which correctly classified habitats in 83% of cases. Spatial predictions of seagrass and presence derived from the model and bathymetric data were used to initiate a SLR inundation model. Bathymetry was iteratively modified based on SLR and sedimentary accretion in seagrass to simulate potential seagrass habitat at 10 year time steps until 2100. The area of seagrass habitat was predicted to decline by 17% by 2100 under a scenario of SLR of 1.1 m. A scenario including the removal of impervious surfaces, such as roads and houses, from newly inundated regions, demonstrated that managed retreat of the shoreline could potentially reduce the overall decline in seagrass habitat to just 5%. The predicted reduction in area of seagrass habitat could be offset by an improvement in water clarity of 30%. Greater improvements in water clarity would be necessary for larger magnitudes of SLR. Management to improve water quality will provide present and future benefits to seagrasses under climate change and should be a priority for managers seeking to compensate for the effects of global change on these valuable habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan I Saunders
- Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
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27
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Saeck EA, O'Brien KR, Weber TR, Burford MA. Changes to chronic nitrogen loading from sewage discharges modify standing stocks of coastal phytoplankton. Mar Pollut Bull 2013; 71:159-167. [PMID: 23632088 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2012] [Revised: 03/04/2013] [Accepted: 03/16/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Nutrient delivery in subtropical coastal systems is predominantly via acute episodic high flow events. However, continuous nutrient discharges from point sources alter these natural fluctuations in nutrient delivery, and are therefore likely to lead to different ecosystem responses. The aim of this study was to assess how a reduction in chronic sewage nutrient inputs affected chlorophyll a (chl a) concentrations in a subtropical bay, in the context of seasonal fluctuations in riverine nutrient inflows. Reduced nutrient inputs from a large sewage treatment plant (STP) resulted in lower mean dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phytoplankton chl a concentrations during both the austral summer wet and winter dry season. This was measurable within 10 y of nutrient reductions and despite the confounding effects of nutrient inflow events. Our study demonstrates that reductions in STP inputs can have significant effects on phytoplankton biomass despite confounding factors over relatively short time frames.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A Saeck
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia.
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