1
|
Liu S, Xue L, Xiao Y, Yang M, Liu Y, Han Q, Ma J. Dynamic process of ecosystem water use efficiency and response to drought in the Yellow River Basin, China. Sci Total Environ 2024; 934:173339. [PMID: 38763192 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173339] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
Ecosystem water use efficiency (WUE) is a crucial indicator of the impact of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems, reflecting the balance between biological processes (photosynthesis and transpiration) and physical processes (evapotranspiration). However, the response mechanisms and driving processes of WUE to drought remain to be further understood. In this study, we analyzed the spatial and temporal dynamics and response mechanisms of WUE in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) using data on Gross Primary Productivity (GPP), Evapotranspiration (ET) and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), which revealed the cumulative effect of drought on WUE and assessed the ecosystem's resilience. The study results showed that (1) GPP, ET and WUE in the YRB exhibited a significant increasing trend, with 63.04 % of the area showing a marked increase in WUE. (2) GPP was the dominant factor influencing WUE in 65.36 % of the area, particularly in cropland and grassland, while ET was more influential in forested areas. Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was identified as the principal driver affecting vegetation GPP in semi-arid and semi-humid regions of the YRB. In contrast, soil moisture (SM) was the limiting factor in arid areas. (3) 71.00 % of the WUE in the basin was affected by drought cumulative effects, with an average cumulative duration of 4.5 months. Arid regions experienced the most extended duration of 7.29 months, compared to 3.05 months in semi-humid regions. (4) 74.85 % of the regional ecosystems exhibited ecological resilience to drought, particularly in the source areas of the western basin of the YRB. Shrublands have the highest drought resilience among vegetation types, while grasslands have the lowest. The resilience of each climatic zone was in the order of semi-humid, semi-arid, and arid order. This study comprehensively analyzed of the spatial and temporal dynamics and response mechanisms of WUE in the YRB, offering a new perspective and scientific basis for understanding and predicting the ecosystem response to climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- SaiHua Liu
- College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Lianqing Xue
- College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; School of Hydraulic Engineering, Wanjiang University of Technology, Anhui 243031, China.
| | - Ying Xiao
- College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Mingjie Yang
- College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Yuanhong Liu
- College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Qiang Han
- College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Jingtian Ma
- College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hu M, Sardans J, Sun D, Yan R, Wu H, Ni R, Peñuelas J. Microbial diversity and keystone species drive soil nutrient cycling and multifunctionality following mangrove restoration. Environ Res 2024; 251:118715. [PMID: 38490631 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118715] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Vegetation restoration exerts transformative effects on nutrient cycling, microbial communities, and ecosystem functions. While extensive research has been conducted on the significance of mangroves and their restoration efforts, the effectiveness of mangrove restoration in enhancing soil multifunctionality in degraded coastal wetlands remains unclear. Herein, we carried out a field experiment to explore the impacts of mangrove restoration and its chronosequence on soil microbial communities, keystone species, and soil multifunctionality, using unrestored aquaculture ponds as controls. The results revealed that mangrove restoration enhanced soil multifunctionality, with these positive effects progressively amplifying over the restoration chronosequence. Furthermore, mangrove restoration led to a substantial increase in microbial diversity and a reshaping of microbial community composition, increasing the relative abundance of dominant phyla such as Nitrospirae, Deferribacteres, and Fusobacteria. Soil multifunctionality exhibited positive correlations with microbial diversity, suggesting a link between variations in microbial diversity and soil multifunctionality. Metagenomic screening demonstrated that mangrove restoration resulted in a simultaneous increase in the abundance of nitrogen (N) related genes, such as N fixation (nirD/H/K), nitrification (pmoA-amoA/B/C), and denitrification (nirK, norB/C, narG/H, napA/B), as well as phosphorus (P)-related genes, including organic P mineralization (phnX/W, phoA/D/G, phnJ/N/P), inorganic P solubilization (gcd, ppx-gppA), and transporters (phnC/D/E, pstA/B/C/S)). The relationship between the abundance of keystone species (such as phnC/D/E) and restoration-induced changes in soil multifunctionality indicates that mangrove restoration enhances soil multifunctionality through an increase in the abundance of keystone species associated with N and P cycles. Additionally, it was observed that changes in microbial community and multifunctionality were largely associated with shifts in soil salinity. These findings demonstrate that mangrove restoration positively influences soil multifunctionality and shapes nutrient dynamics, microbial communities, and overall ecosystem resilience. As global efforts continue to focus on ecosystem restoration, understanding the complexity of mangrove-soil interactions is critical for effective nutrient management and mangrove conservation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Minjie Hu
- Key Laboratory of Humid Sub-tropical Eco-geographical Processes of Ministry of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China; School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China.
| | - Jordi Sardans
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Dongyao Sun
- School of Geography Science and Geomatics Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China.
| | - Ruibing Yan
- School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Hui Wu
- School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Ranxu Ni
- School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Sánchez Sánchez M, Lara C. Exotic and native plants play equally important roles in supporting and structuring plant-hummingbird networks within urban green spaces. PeerJ 2024; 12:e16996. [PMID: 38406283 PMCID: PMC10893870 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16996] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Urban gardens, despite their transformed nature, serve as invaluable microcosms for a quantitative examination of floral resource provision to urban pollinators, considering the plant's origin. Thus, knowledge has increased, emphasizing the importance of these green areas for hosting and conserving pollinator communities. However, there is a significant knowledge gap concerning the changing availability of these native and exotic floral resources over time and their impact on structuring interaction networks with specific pollinators. Methods Over a year-long period, monthly surveys were conducted to record both native and exotic plant species visited by hummingbirds in an urban garden at Tlaxcala, Mexico. Flower visits were recorded, and the total flowers on each plant visited were tallied. Additionally, all observed hummingbirds were recorded during the transect walks, regardless of plant visits, to determine hummingbird abundance. The interactions were summarized using matrices, and network descriptors like connectance, specializacion, nestedness, and modularity were computed. Plant and hummingbird species in the core and periphery of the network were also identified. Lastly, simulations were performed to assess the network's resilience to the extinction of highly connected native and exotic plant species, including those previously situated in the network's core. Results We recorded 4,674 interactions between 28 plant species, and eight hummingbird species. The majority of plants showed an ornithophilic syndrome, with 20 species considered exotic. Despite asynchronous flowering, there was overlap observed across different plant species throughout the year. Exotic plants like Jacaranda mimosifolia and Nicotiana glauca produced more flowers annually than native species. The abundance of hummingbirds varied throughout the study, with Saucerottia berillyna being the most abundant species. The plant-hummingbird network displayed high connectance, indicating generalization in their interaction. Significant nestedness was observed, mainly influenced by exotic plant species. The core of the network was enriched with exotic plants, while Basilinna leucotis and Cynanthus latirostris played central roles among hummingbirds. Network resilience to species extinction remained generally high. Conclusions Our findings provide valuable insights into the dynamics and structure of plant-hummingbird interactions in urban gardens, emphasizing the influence of exotic plant species and the network's resilience to perturbations. Understanding and managing the impact of exotic plants on such networks is crucial for the conservation and sustainable functioning of urban ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Monserrat Sánchez Sánchez
- Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Maestría en Biotecnología y Manejo de Recursos Naturales, San Felipe Ixtacuixtla, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Carlos Lara
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Ixtacuixtla, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Thakur TK, Swamy SL, Thakur A, Mishra A, Bakshi S, Kumar A, Altaf MM, Kumar R. Land cover changes and carbon dynamics in Central India's dry tropical forests: A 25-year assessment and nature-based eco-restoration approaches. J Environ Manage 2024; 351:119809. [PMID: 38113791 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119809] [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: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic land use and land cover changes are major drivers of environmental degradation and declining soil health across heterogeneous landscapes in Central India. To examines the land cover changes and spatio-temporal variations in forest carbon stock and soil organic carbon (SOC) over the past 25 years in central India. Geospatial techniques, coupled with ground measurements were employed to detect changes in land cover, carbon stocks in vegetation, and soil carbon in various vegetation types. The results indicate that forested areas have decreased, while agriculture and habitation have expanded between 1997 and 2022. Vegetation C stocks varied significantly (P < 0.05) from 39.42 to 139.95 Mg ha-1 and the SOC varied from 7.02 to 17.98 Mg ha-1 under different soil profiles across vegetation types, which decreased with soil depth, while the pH and bulk density increased. The maximum bulk density in the soil was found at a depth of 40-60 cm (lower profile) in Bamboo Brake, while the minimum was observed under Dense Mixed Forest at a depth of 0-20 cm (top profile). The topsoil profile contributed 33.6%-39%, the middle profile (20-40 cm) was 33.6%-34.4%, and the lower profile was 26.5%-30.8% of soil organic carbon. The study site has experienced rapid carbon losses due to changes in land cover, such as illegal expansion of agriculture, encroachments into forest fringes, and activities like selective logging and overgrazing, which have degraded dense forests. The ecological engineering of degraded ecosystems poses a great challenge and application of complex biological, mechanical and engineering measures is highly cumbersome, expensive, uneconomical and practically not feasible for upscaling. Nevertheless, proposed nature-based solutions mimic natural reparation and processes provide sustainable interventions for the reclamation of ruined landscapes besides improving ecological integrity and rendering many co-benefits to ecosystems and human societies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tarun Kumar Thakur
- Department of Environmental Science, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak, MP, 484887, India.
| | - S L Swamy
- Indira Gandhi Agricultural University, Raipur, CG, 492012, India.
| | - Anita Thakur
- Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak, MP, 484887, India.
| | - Alka Mishra
- Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur, CG, 495001, India.
| | - Sanjeev Bakshi
- Department of Statistics, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak, MP, 484887, India.
| | - Amit Kumar
- Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Nanjing, 210044, China.
| | - Muhammad Mohsin Altaf
- Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China.
| | - Rupesh Kumar
- Jindal Global Business School (JGBS), O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, 131001, Haryana, India.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Vorobeichik EL, Korkina IN. A bizarre layer cake: Why soil animals recolonizing polluted areas shape atypical humus forms. Sci Total Environ 2023; 904:166810. [PMID: 37689209 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166810] [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: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
During soil recolonization by macrofauna in areas previously defaunated by industrial pollution, non-typical humus forms are produced. Given that the evidence of zoogenic activity cessation with increased forest litter depth in these humus forms, we tested the hypothesis that the lower organic layers are more toxic than the upper ones. The studies were conducted in the southern taiga, near the Middle Ural Copper Smelter (Revda city, Russia), in spruce-fir and birch forests. We investigated the series of degraded humus forms at different recovery stages, including those without signs of regradation, as well as at the initial and advanced recovery stages. In the organic layers, each of which were 1-2 cm thick and 6-8 cm in total, we measured the following parameters: pH(water), total acidity, the content of exchangeable Ca2+ and Mg2+, acid-soluble and exchangeable metals (Cu, Pb, Fe, Cd, and Zn), organic carbon, and total nitrogen. Simultaneously, we diagnosed the degree of zoogenicity of the organic layers following the European morpho-functional classification of humus forms. Concentrations of the metals increased with forest litter depth, reaching a maximum at the boundary between the organic and organic-mineral horizons (the difference exceeded an order of magnitude). In the same direction, the acidity increased, but the saturation of the exchange complex with Ca2+ and Mg2+ decreased. Within a particular forest litter profile, metal concentrations and acidity were lower in the layer with the highest zoogenicity compared to the layer with the lowest zoogenicity. Based on the metals, pH(water), and exchange complex, the accuracy of the predictions of the degree of layer zoogenicity within the OF horizon in the discriminant analysis reached 100 %. These findings suggest that the vertical gradient of toxic burden persisting in the forest litter after pollution cessation can explain the recovery pattern of humus forms in the contaminated areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Evgenii L Vorobeichik
- Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 8 Marta Str. 202, 620144 Yekaterinburg, Russia.
| | - Irina N Korkina
- Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 8 Marta Str. 202, 620144 Yekaterinburg, Russia.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rai PK, Sonne C, Song H, Kim KH. The effects of COVID-19 transmission on environmental sustainability and human health: Paving the way to ensure its sustainable management. Sci Total Environ 2022; 838:156039. [PMID: 35595144 PMCID: PMC9113776 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156039] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
The transmission dynamics and health risks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are inextricably linked to ineract with environment, climate, air pollution, and meteorological conditions. The spread of COVID-19 infection can thus perturb the 'planetary health' and livelihood by exerting impacts on the temporal and spatial variabilities of environmental pollution. Prioritization of COVID-19 by the health-care sector has been posing a serious threat to economic progress while undermining the efforts to meet the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for environmental sustainability. Here, we review the multifaceted effects of COVID-19 with respect to environmental quality, climatic variables, SDGs, energy resilience, and sustainability programs. It is well perceived that COVID-19 may have long-lasting and profound effects on socio-economic systems, food security, livelihoods, and the 'nexus' indicators. To seek for the solution of these problems, consensus can be drawn to establish and ensure a sound health-care system, a sustainable environment, and a circular bioeconomy. A holistic analysis of COVID-19's effects on multiple sectors should help develop nature-based solutions, cleaner technologies, and green economic recovery plans to help maintain environmental sustainability, ecosystem resilience, and planetary health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Prabhat Kumar Rai
- Phyto-Technologies and Plant Invasion Lab, Department of Environmental Science, School of Earth Sciences and Natural Resources Management, Mizoram University, Aizawl, Mizoram, India
| | - C Sonne
- Department of Ecoscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - H Song
- Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea
| | - Ki-Hyun Kim
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-Ro, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
de Necker L, Brendonck L, Gerber R, Lemmens P, Soto DX, Ikenaka Y, Ishizuka M, Wepener V, Smit NJ. Drought altered trophic dynamics of an important natural saline lake: A stable isotope approach. Sci Total Environ 2022; 834:155338. [PMID: 35452726 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155338] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Climate change and associated droughts threaten the ecology and resilience of natural saline lakes globally. There is a distinct lack of research regarding their ecological response to climatic events in the Global South. This region is predicted to experience climatic events such as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) more often and with greater severity with the potential to alter the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems significantly. From 2015 to 2016 South Africa experienced one of the most severe country-wide droughts as a result of a strong ENSO event. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of this supra-seasonal drought on the trophic structure of fish communities in a naturally saline shallow lake of a Ramsar wetland using stable isotope techniques. Fishes and potential basal sources were collected from the lake, during predrought conditions in 2010 and after severe drought (recovery phase; 2017). The δ13C and δ15N values of food web elements were determined and analysed using Bayesian mixing models and Bayesian Laymen metrics to establish the proportional contribution of C3 and C4 basal sources to the fish (consumer) diets, and examine the fish community in terms of isotopic niche and trophic structure, respectively. Fish consumers relied predominantly on C3 basal sources in the predrought and shifted to greater reliance on C4 basal sources, decreased isotopic niche space use and a reduction in trophic length in the recovery phase. Drought altered the type and abundance of the basal sources available by limiting sources to those that are more drought-tolerant, reducing the trophic pathways of the food web with no significant alterations in the fish community. These results demonstrate the resilience and biological plasticity of Lake Nyamithi and its aquatic fauna, highlighting the importance of freshwater inflow to saline lakes with alterations thereof posing a significant threat to their continued functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lizaan de Necker
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa; South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (NRF-SAIAB), Makhanda 6139, South Africa.
| | - Luc Brendonck
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa; Animal Ecology, Global Change and Sustainable Development, Department of Biology, University of Leuven, 32 Charles Deberiotstraat, Leuven 3000, Belgium.
| | - Ruan Gerber
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
| | - Pieter Lemmens
- Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, KU Leuven, Ch. Deberiotstraat 32, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany.
| | - David X Soto
- Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Isotope Hydrology Section, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Yoshinori Ikenaka
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa; Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan; Translational Research Unit, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan; One Health Research Center, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan.
| | - Mayumi Ishizuka
- Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan.
| | - Victor Wepener
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.
| | - Nico J Smit
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Zhang H, Sun T, Zhou Z, Cao H, Qiu J, Huang X. Increased river flow enhances the resilience of spatially patterned mudflats to erosion. Water Res 2022; 220:118660. [PMID: 35640503 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118660] [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: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Estuarine mudflats are profoundly affected by increased coastal erosion and reduced sediment delivery from major rivers. Although managers are having difficulties to control the cause of increased coastal erosion, they can help to manage the resilience of mudflat ecosystems to erosion through river flow regulation. In this study, we associated the resilience of a mudflat ecosystem to erosion with various magnitudes of river flow using a mechanism-based eco-morphodynamic model. Ecosystem resilience was reported in terms of i) what range of erosion rate the system can withstand before function collapse (persistence), ii) at which point function can be recovered (recovery), and iii) the uncertainty of system response to disturbances (response uncertainty). Specifically, the function of intertidal mudflat was characterized by landscape heterogeneity, primary productivity, and sediment stabilization. In a case study of the Yellow River Estuary (YRE) of China, it is found that increased erosion induced a collapse of the functioning state. Once collapsed, the erosion rate at which mudflat could recovered was lower than the erosion rate at which mudflat collapsed. Increased river flow enhanced the resilience of the mudflat ecosystem to erosion by increasing sediment deposition rate, which was an important attribute in the interaction process driving ecosystem resilience. Furthermore, given the same river flow allocation, the system with dynamic grazer population was more resilient than the system with a constant grazer number, highlighting the importance of controlling mudflat aquaculture to optimize the performance of river flow regulation. Our modeling results are dependent on the environment with several assumptions, however, as a preliminary, we believe our work represents a fundamental shift to modeling ecosystem resilience based on the mechanism of bio-physical interactions rather than relying on just quantifying the vital rates of particular species to compare river flow scenarios.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Heyue Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; The Key Laboratory of marine ecological monitoring and restoration technology of the Ministry of natural resources, Shanghai 201206, China; State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Tao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Zeng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; Nantong Ocean and Coastal Engineering Research Institute, Hohai University, Nantong 226000, China.
| | - Haobing Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Jufei Qiu
- East Sea Marine Environmental Investigation and Surveying Centre, State Oceanic Administration of China, Shanghai 310115, China
| | - Xiuqing Huang
- East Sea Marine Environmental Investigation and Surveying Centre, State Oceanic Administration of China, Shanghai 310115, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Altenritter ME, DeBoer JA, Maxson KA, Casper AF, Lamer JT. Ecosystem responses to aquatic invasive species management: A synthesis of two decades of bigheaded carp suppression in a large river. J Environ Manage 2022; 305:114354. [PMID: 34954679 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114354] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The invasion of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (H. nobilis) or "bigheaded carps" has caused extensive ecological and economic harm throughout the Mississippi River and its tributaries. To prevent their continued spread upstream toward the Great Lakes, intense commercial harvest was implemented on the Illinois River, a large tributary that connects the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan. Since implementation, harvest has reduced densities at the invasion front while also presenting an opportunity to generate a synthesis on ecosystem resilience in the face of accelerating invasion. Resilience, the ability of an ecosystem to recover after perturbation, was observed at local scales and within some taxa but has yet to manifest at a river-wide scale and often co-varied with abiotic environmental or seasonal factors. Thus, while intensive harvest has limited further spread of bigheaded carps, and evidence of additional secondary ecosystem benefits exists, opportunities remain to identify potential pathways that could spread such ecosystem benefits even farther.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew E Altenritter
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey, 704 North Schrader Avenue, Havana, IL, 62644, United States.
| | - Jason A DeBoer
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey, 704 North Schrader Avenue, Havana, IL, 62644, United States
| | - Kristopher A Maxson
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey, 704 North Schrader Avenue, Havana, IL, 62644, United States
| | - Andrew F Casper
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey, 704 North Schrader Avenue, Havana, IL, 62644, United States
| | - James T Lamer
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey, 704 North Schrader Avenue, Havana, IL, 62644, United States
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Papantoniou G, Giannoulaki M, Stoumboudi MT, Lefkaditou E, Tsagarakis K. Food web interactions in a human dominated Mediterranean coastal ecosystem. Mar Environ Res 2021; 172:105507. [PMID: 34742025 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105507] [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: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Mediterranean coastal ecosystems provide various valuable ecosystem goods and services; however, they are vulnerable to ecological degradation due to a dramatic increase in resource use and environmental stress. Disentangling the effects of multiple human interventions on coastal ecosystems requires whole description of food web interactions using quantitative tools. A mass balance Ecopath model has been developed here for Saronikos Gulf, a naturally oligotrophic Mediterranean coastal ecosystem with a long history of human interventions. Our main focus was to describe the structure and functioning of the ecosystem, investigate the trophic interplay among the various compartments of the food web under the impact of mixed multi-gear fisheries, and to quantify resilience related emergent ecosystem properties. To this end, we reviewed a large amount of local and regional biological information which was integrated in 40 functional groups covering all trophic levels, while fishing activities were described with 7 fleets. The model shared characteristics of both productive (e.g., high amount of flows) and oligotrophic systems (e.g., low biomass accumulation) and presented typical features of Mediterranean ecosystem functioning, such as the importance of detritus as an energy source, strong benthic-pelagic coupling and the dominance of the pelagic compartment in terms of total production and consumption. Trophic forcing in the ecosystem of Saronikos Gulf was complex with both top-down and bottom-up drivers being important. Zooplankton was the central nexus between basal resources and higher trophic levels, while top predators such as hake, squids and anglerfish were identified as keystone species presenting a significant overall effect on the food web via direct and indirect trophic interactions. Ecological indicators depicted a moderately complex food-web of a large and immature ecosystem with its strengths in reserve being affected by environmental degradation. Additionally, exploitation indices classified fishing activities in Saronikos Gulf as unsustainable, affecting several target groups, including high trophic level species. However, the morphological and bathymetric complexity of Saronikos Gulf seems to function as a natural ecological reserve for the ecosystem by providing nursery grounds to various species (e.g., hake, small pelagic fishes) and supporting important fish stocks for local fisheries.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Georgia Papantoniou
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, 46.7 km Athinon-Souniou Ave, P.O. BOX 712, Anavyssos, GR19013, Greece.
| | - Marianna Giannoulaki
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, P.O. Box 2214, 71003, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
| | - Maria Th Stoumboudi
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, 46.7 km Athinon-Souniou Ave, P.O. BOX 712, Anavyssos, GR19013, Greece.
| | - Evgenia Lefkaditou
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, 46.7 km Athinon-Souniou Ave, P.O. BOX 712, Anavyssos, GR19013, Greece.
| | - Konstantinos Tsagarakis
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, 46.7 km Athinon-Souniou Ave, P.O. BOX 712, Anavyssos, GR19013, Greece.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Kayiranga A, Chen B, Zhang H, Nthangeni W, Measho S, Ndayisaba F. Spatially explicit and multiscale ecosystem shift probabilities and risk severity assessments in the greater Mekong subregion over three decades. Sci Total Environ 2021; 798:149281. [PMID: 34333436 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystem functioning and related risks could become compromised by climate change and severely affect livestock in different ways. Based on four climate indices (i.e., SPI, SPEI, PDSI and SEDI), livestock determinants and biogeochemical proxies, we analysed the temporal and geographical extent of terrestrial ecosystem shift probabilities and drought-wetness risk severity at multiple scales (i.e., land cover, climate and elevation) in the greater Mekong subregion (GMS) during the period 1981-2020 by using different cartographic techniques. The results indicated that in the GMS area, approximately 3.8% experienced the highest ecosystem shift probability, 4% was exposed to a high risk of drought and wetness, and only approximately 55% experienced a low risk of drought and/or wetness stress. Cambodia and Thailand experienced the highest ecosystem shift probability ratio and drought-wetness risk severity compared to other GMS countries. Woody savanna and urban land covers; temperate-fully humid-cold summer and tropical rainfall fully humid climate zones; and elevations -47-200 m and ≥2500 m showed common characteristics leading to a very high ecosystem shift probability and experienced high drought-wetness risk severity. This study provides useful information that may exert to a strong control and improved future terrestrial in the context of changes in climate and biogeophysical aspects at the regional and country scales.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alphonse Kayiranga
- State Key Laboratory of Resource and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Baozhang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Resource and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China; School of Remote Sensing and Geomatics Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Institute of Atmospheric Composition and Environmental Meteorology, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Huifang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Resource and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Winny Nthangeni
- University of Johannesburg, Faculty of Sustainable Urban Planning and Development, P.O Box 17011, Doornfontein, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
| | - Simon Measho
- State Key Laboratory of Resource and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Felix Ndayisaba
- Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Leonard LT, Brodie EL, Williams KH, Sharp JO. Effect of elevation, season and accelerated snowmelt on biogeochemical processes during isolated conifer needle litter decomposition. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11926. [PMID: 34434657 PMCID: PMC8362670 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Increased drought and temperatures associated with climate change have implications for ecosystem stress with risk for enhanced carbon release in sensitive biomes. Litter decomposition is a key component of biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, but questions remain regarding the local response of decomposition processes to climate change. This is particularly complex in mountain ecosystems where the variable nature of the slope, aspect, soil type, and snowmelt dynamics play a role. Hence, the goal of this study was to determine the role of elevation, soil type, seasonal shifts in soil moisture, and snowmelt timing on litter decomposition processes. Experimental plots containing replicate deployments of harvested lodgepole and spruce needle litter alongside needle-free controls were established in open meadows at three elevations ranging from 2,800–3,500 m in Crested Butte, Colorado. Soil biogeochemistry variables including gas flux, porewater chemistry, and microbial ecology were monitored over three climatically variable years that shifted from high monsoon rains to drought. Results indicated that elevation and soil type influenced baseline soil biogeochemical indicators; however, needle mass loss and chemical composition were consistent across the 700 m elevation gradient. Rates of gas flux were analogously consistent across a 300 m elevation gradient. The additional variable of early snowmelt by 2–3 weeks had little impact on needle chemistry, microbial composition and gas flux; however, it did result in increased dissolved organic carbon in lodgepole porewater collections suggesting a potential for aqueous export. In contrast to elevation, needle presence and seasonal variability of soil moisture and temperature both played significant roles in soil carbon fluxes. During a pronounced period of lower moisture and higher temperatures, bacterial community diversity increased across elevation with new members supplanting more dominant taxa. Microbial ecological resilience was demonstrated with a return to pre-drought structure and abundance after snowmelt rewetting the following year. These results show similar decomposition processes across a 700 m elevation gradient and reveal the sensitivity but resilience of soil microbial ecology to low moisture conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura T Leonard
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, United States
| | - Eoin L Brodie
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States
| | - Kenneth H Williams
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States.,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, Colorado, United States
| | - Jonathan O Sharp
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, United States.,Hydrologic Science and Engineering Program, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, United States
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Pereira M, Greet J, Jones CS. Native Riparian Plant Species Dominate the Soil Seedbank of In-channel Geomorphic Features of a Regulated River. Environ Manage 2021; 67:589-599. [PMID: 33582868 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-021-01435-4] [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: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Flow regulation impacts on riparian vegetation composition, often increasing the prevalence of exotic and terrestrial plant species. Environmental flows may benefit native riparian vegetation via the promotion of plant recruitment from riparian soil seedbanks, but this is dependent on an intact native seedbank. Thus, we assessed the composition of the soil seedbank of different riverine geomorphic features to determine its potential response to environmental flows. Soil seedbank samples were taken from channel bars, benches and floodplains at six sites along the Campaspe River, Australia, a heavily regulated river that receives environmental flows. These geomorphic features represent a gradient in elevation and thus flooding frequency from frequently flooded (bars) to infrequently flooded (floodplain). Seedbank samples were 'grown out' in a glasshouse, and seedlings identified and classified according to taxa, flood tolerance and origin (native or exotic). We identified 6515 seedlings across all geomorphic features and sites, with monocots most abundant. Soil seedbank composition varied between geomorphic features. Overall, seedling abundances were greater for in-channel features (bars and benches) than floodplains, but taxa richness did not vary likewise. Soil seedbanks of in-channel features were dominated by flood tolerant and native taxa, while flood intolerant and exotic taxa were generally associated with floodplains. The dominance of native flood tolerant taxa in the soil seedbanks of in-channel geomorphic features suggest these seedbanks can play an important role in the resilience of native riparian plant communities. Moreover, environmental flows are likely to play a positive role in maintaining native riparian plant communities given such conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie Pereira
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Burnley, 3121, VIC, Australia.
| | - Joe Greet
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Burnley, 3121, VIC, Australia
| | - Christopher S Jones
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Heidelberg, 3084, VIC, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Livne-Luzon S, Shemesh H, Osem Y, Carmel Y, Migael H, Avidan Y, Tsafrir A, Glassman SI, Bruns TD, Ovadia O. High resilience of the mycorrhizal community to prescribed seasonal burnings in eastern Mediterranean woodlands. Mycorrhiza 2021; 31:203-216. [PMID: 33475801 DOI: 10.1007/s00572-020-01010-5] [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: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Fire effects on ecosystems range from destruction of aboveground vegetation to direct and indirect effects on belowground microorganisms. Although variation in such effects is expected to be related to fire severity, another potentially important and poorly understood factor is the effect of fire seasonality on soil microorganisms. We carried out a large-scale field experiment examining the effects of spring (early-dry season) versus autumn (late-dry- season) burns on the community composition of soil fungi in a typical Mediterranean woodland. Although the intensity and severity of our prescribed burns were largely consistent between the two burning seasons, we detected differential fire season effects on the composition of the soil fungal community, driven by changes in the saprotrophic fungal guild. The community composition of ectomycorrhizal fungi, assayed both in pine seedling bioassays and from soil sequencing, appeared to be resilient to the variation inflicted by seasonal fires. Since changes in the soil saprotrophic fungal community can directly influence carbon emission and decomposition rates, we suggest that regardless of their intensity and severity, seasonal fires may cause changes in ecosystem functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stav Livne-Luzon
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, POB 653, Beer Sheva, 84105, Israel.
- Department of Plant & Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel.
| | - Hagai Shemesh
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Tel-Hai College, Kiryat Shmona, 1220800, Israel
| | - Yagil Osem
- Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Institute of Plant Sciences, Bet Dagan, Israel
| | - Yohay Carmel
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Hen Migael
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Tel-Hai College, Kiryat Shmona, 1220800, Israel
| | - Yael Avidan
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990, Israel
| | - Anat Tsafrir
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, POB 653, Beer Sheva, 84105, Israel
| | - Sydney I Glassman
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, UC Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Thomas D Bruns
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3102, USA
| | - Ofer Ovadia
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, POB 653, Beer Sheva, 84105, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Dhar A, Naeth MA, Jennings PD, Gamal El-Din M. Perspectives on environmental impacts and a land reclamation strategy for solar and wind energy systems. Sci Total Environ 2020; 718:134602. [PMID: 31843306 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Global energy demands and environmental concerns are a driving force for use of alternative, sustainable and clean energy sources. Solar and wind are among the most promising sources and have been developing steadily in recent years. However, these energy developments are not free of adverse environmental consequences, which require appropriate reclamation procedures. The environmental issues caused by solar and wind plants were reviewed in this paper by summarizing existing studies and synthesizing the principles that could underlie development of reclamation practices. The major environmental drawback of solar and wind energy plants are bird mortality, biodiversity, and habitat loss; noise; visual impact; and hazardous chemicals used in solar panels. Available mitigation measures to minimize these adverse environmental impacts, and appropriate reclamation protocol for the disturbed ecosystems, including key research needs are discussed. We include socio-economic perspectives of solar and wind energy, such as policy related to re-powering initiatives, decommissioning, and reclamation liability. The intent of this paper is to provide current perspectives on environmental issues associated with solar and wind energy development, strategies to mitigate environmental impacts, and potential reclamation practices to solar and wind energy planners and developers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amalesh Dhar
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 847 General Services Bldg, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, Canada.
| | - M Anne Naeth
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 847 General Services Bldg, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, Canada.
| | - P Dev Jennings
- Alberta School of Business, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R6, Canada.
| | - Mohamed Gamal El-Din
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1H9, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Wu W, Biber P, Mishra DR, Ghosh S. Sea-level rise thresholds for stability of salt marshes in a riverine versus a marine dominated estuary. Sci Total Environ 2020; 718:137181. [PMID: 32105940 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137181] [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: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We studied the ecological resilience of salt marshes by deriving sea level rise (SLR) thresholds in two estuaries with contrasting upland hydrological inputs in the north-central Gulf of Mexico: Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) with limited upland input, and the Pascagoula River delta drained by the Pascagoula River, the largest undammed river in the continental United States. We applied a mechanistic model to account for vegetation responses and hydrodynamics to predict salt marsh distributions under future SLR scenarios. We further investigated the potential mechanisms that contribute to salt marsh resilience to SLR. The modeling results show that salt marshes in the riverine dominated estuary are more resilient to SLR than in the marine dominated estuary with SLR thresholds of 10.3 mm/yr and 7.2 mm/yr respectively. This difference of >3 mm/yr is mainly contributed by larger quantities of riverine-borne mineral sediments in the Pascagoula River. In both systems, sediment trapping by the above-ground vegetation appears to contribute more to marsh platform accretion than organic matter from below-ground biomass based on the medians of the accretion rates. However, below-ground biomass could contribute up to 90% of accretion in the marine dominated estuary compared to only 60% of accretion in the riverine dominated estuary. SLR thresholds of salt marshes are more sensitive to vegetation biomass in the marine dominated estuary while biomass and sediment similarly affect SLR thresholds of salt marshes in the riverine dominated estuary. This research will likely help facilitate more informed decisions on conservation/restoration policies for these two types of systems in the near-term needed to minimize future catastrophic loss of these coastal marsh habitats once SLR thresholds are exceeded.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wu
- Division of Coastal Sciences, School of Ocean Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 703 East Beach Dr., Ocean Springs, MS 39564, USA.
| | - Patrick Biber
- Division of Coastal Sciences, School of Ocean Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 703 East Beach Dr., Ocean Springs, MS 39564, USA
| | - Deepak R Mishra
- Center for Geospatial Research, Department of Geography, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Shuvankar Ghosh
- Department of Geospatial Monitoring and Information Technology, French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP), 11, St Louis St, White Town, Puducherry 605001, India
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Jaiswal D, Pandey J. Hypoxia and associated feedbacks at sediment-water interface as an early warning signal of resilience shift in an anthropogenically impacted river. Environ Res 2019; 178:108712. [PMID: 31520829 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.108712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/31/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Multiple human perturbations in the large rivers often cause habitat fragmentation creating patches of unpredictable structural and functional attributes. The resilience has been largely neglected in riverine studies, despite its pivotal importance in ecosystem recovery. We expect that a shift in sub-habitat conditions along a river transect subjected to frequent oxygen fluctuation and release of carbon, nutrients and other substances generate feedbacks to overstep the resilience and constrain ecosystem recovery. Because dissolved oxygen (DO) plays a regulatory role in ecosystem structure and functioning and feedbacks the denitrification and sediment-P release, we consider the mechanistic links among DOsw, denitrification and sediment-P release to identify resilience level and to construct a dynamic fit model to uncover the level of resilience and critical transitions in the river. We investigated 180 sites downstream two point sources and two tributaries, each with a 1.4 km river segment, covering 630 km length of the Ganga River. The dynamic fit model intersecting the DOsw at <1.5 mg L-1, sediment-P release >7.03 mg m-2 d-1 and denitrification rate >1.0 mg N m-2 hr-1 at 25 m reach downstream point sources indicated a threat to natural/self-recovery of the Ganga River. The non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and neighbor-joining analysis indicated that locations up to 700 m downstream Wazidpur drain have overstepped the ecosystem resilience. We found almost similar results downstream Assi drain and study confluences. Our explicit incorporation of DOsw, sediment-P release, and denitrification in an organized framework provides key insights to detect resilience and critical transitions in an anthropogenically impacted river ecosystem. Given the importance of the Ganga River for national water security and supply across several major states in India, research on the factors and status of resilience underpinning its recovery should be high on our national agenda.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Deepa Jaiswal
- Ganga River Ecology Research Laboratory, Environmental Science Division, Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India
| | - Jitendra Pandey
- Ganga River Ecology Research Laboratory, Environmental Science Division, Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Arhonditsis GB, Neumann A, Shimoda Y, Javed A, Blukacz-Richards A, Mugalingam S. When can we declare a success? A Bayesian framework to assess the recovery rate of impaired freshwater ecosystems. Environ Int 2019; 130:104821. [PMID: 31326868 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [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: 02/12/2019] [Revised: 05/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Evaluating the degree of improvement of an impaired freshwater ecosystem resembles the statistical null-hypothesis testing through which the prevailing conditions are compared against a reference state. The pillars of this process involve the robust delineation of what constitutes an achievable reference state; the establishment of threshold values for key environmental variables that act as proxies of the degree of system impairment; and the development of an iterative decision-making process that takes advantage of monitoring data to assess the system-restoration progress and revisit management actions accordingly. Drawing the dichotomy between impaired and non-impaired conditions is a challenging exercise that is surrounded by considerable uncertainty stemming from the variability that natural systems display over time and space, the presence of ecosystem feedback loops (e.g., internal loading) that actively influence the degree of recovery, and our knowledge gaps about biogeochemical processes directly connected to the environmental problem at hand. In this context, we reappraise the idea of probabilistic water quality criteria, whereby the compliance rule stipulates that no more than a stated number of pre-specified water quality extremes should occur within a given number of samples collected over a compliance assessment domain. Our case study is the Bay of Quinte, Ontario, Canada; an embayment lying on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario with a long history of eutrophication problems. Our study explicitly accounts for the covariance among multiple water quality variables and illustrates how we can assess the degree of improvement for a given number of violations of environmental goals and samples collected from the system. The present framework offers a robust way to impartially characterize the degree of restoration success and minimize the influence of the conflicting perspectives among decision makers/stakeholders and conscious (or unconscious) biases pertaining to water quality management.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- George B Arhonditsis
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Alex Neumann
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Yuko Shimoda
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Aisha Javed
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Agnes Blukacz-Richards
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington, Ontario L7S 1A1, Canada
| | - Shan Mugalingam
- Lower Trent Conservation Authority, Trenton, Ontario K8V 5P4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Capdeville C, Abdallah K, Walcker R, Rols JL, Fromard F, Leflaive J. Contrasted resistance and resilience of two mangrove forests after exposure to long-term and short-term anthropic disturbances. Mar Environ Res 2019; 146:12-23. [PMID: 30890271 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2019.03.002] [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: 10/26/2018] [Revised: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Mangroves, coastal forests under the influence of tides, are known to be very resilient when they face natural disturbances such as storms or tsunami. While they provide several ecological services, they are threatened by many anthropic pressures. The aim of this study was to assess and to compare the stability of two mangrove fringes defined by contrasted set of natural constraints and exposed to pretreated domestic wastewaters discharges. The in situ experimental system set up in Mayotte Island (Indian Ocean) allowed us to determine both the short-term (2 years) and the long-term (9 years) resistance and the resilience. We focused on vegetation and crabs, an essential component of mangroves fauna. Wastewater discharges induced increases in tree coverage, leaves productivity and pigment content, and a decrease in crab diversity and density. Within 2 years after the release of the disturbance, several parameters reach back control values indicating fast resilience. Our results notably emphasized the high stability of the mangrove fringe dominated by Rhizophora mucronata trees, which was both more resistant and more resilient. This makes this fringe more suitable for application purposes, such as outfall for domestic wastewaters treatment plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Capdeville
- EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - K Abdallah
- Syndicat Intercommunal d'Eau et d'Assainissement de Mayotte, France
| | - R Walcker
- EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - J L Rols
- EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - F Fromard
- EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - J Leflaive
- EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Abstract
Nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly applied to guide the design of resilient landscapes and cities to enable them to reach economic development goals with beneficial outcomes for the environment and society. The NBS concept is closely related to other concepts including sustainability, resilience, ecosystem services, coupled human and environment, and green (blue) infrastructure; however, NBS represent a more efficient and cost-effective approach to development than traditional approaches. The European Commission is actively engaged in investing in NBS as a driver in developing ecosystem services-based approaches throughout Europe and the world. The pool of knowledge and expertise presented in this Special Issue of Environmental Research highlights the applications of NBS as 'living' and adaptable tools to boost the capacity of landscapes and cities to face today's critical environmental, economic and societal challenges. Based on the literature and papers of this Special Issue, we propose five specific challenges for the future of NBS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Lafortezza
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Bari A. Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy; Center for Global Change and Earth Observations (CGCEO)/Geography, Michigan State University, 1405 S. Harrison Road, Manly Miles Building, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA.
| | - Jiquan Chen
- Center for Global Change and Earth Observations (CGCEO)/Geography, Michigan State University, 1405 S. Harrison Road, Manly Miles Building, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
| | - Cecil Konijnendijk van den Bosch
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Thomas B Randrup
- Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 23 053 Alnarp, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Means MM, Ahn C, Noe GB. Planting richness affects the recovery of vegetation and soil processes in constructed wetlands following disturbance. Sci Total Environ 2017; 579:1366-1378. [PMID: 27914638 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.11.134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 10/06/2016] [Revised: 11/18/2016] [Accepted: 11/19/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The resilience of constructed wetland ecosystems to severe disturbance, such as a mass herbivory eat-out or soil disturbance, remains poorly understood. In this study, we use a controlled mesocosm experiment to examine how original planting diversity affects the ability of constructed freshwater wetlands to recover structurally and functionally after a disturbance (i.e., aboveground harvesting and soil coring). We assessed if the planting richness of macrophyte species influences recovery of constructed wetlands one year after a disturbance. Mesocosms were planted in richness groups with various combinations of either 1, 2, 3, or 4 species (RG 1-4) to create a gradient of richness. Structural wetland traits measured include morphological regrowth of macrophytes, soil bulk density, soil moisture, soil %C, and soil %N. Functional wetland traits measured include above ground biomass production, soil potential denitrification, and soil potential microbial respiration. Total mesocosm cover increased along the gradient of plant richness (43.5% in RG 1 to 84.5% in RG 4) in the growing season after the disturbance, although not all planted individuals recovered. This was largely attributed to the dominance of the obligate annual species. The morphology of each species was affected negatively by the disturbance, producing shorter, and fewer stems than in the years prior to the disturbance, suggesting that the communities had not fully recovered one year after the disturbance. Soil characteristics were almost uniform across the planting richness gradient, but for a few exceptions (%C, C:N, and non-growing season soil moisture were higher slightly in RG 2). Denitrification potential (DEA) increased with increasing planting richness and was influenced by the abundance and quality of soil C. Increased open space in unplanted mesocosms and mesocosms with lower species richness increased labile C, leading to higher C mineralization rates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mary M Means
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
| | - Changwoo Ahn
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA.
| | - Gregory B Noe
- United States Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Dr, Reston, VA 20192, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Duponnois R, Ramanankierana H, Hafidi M, Baohanta R, Baudoin E, Thioulouse J, Sanguin H, Bâ A, Galiana A, Bally R, Lebrun M, Prin Y. [Native plant resources to optimize the performances of forest rehabilitation in Mediterranean and tropical environment: some examples of nursing plant species that improve the soil mycorrhizal potential]. C R Biol 2013; 336:265-72. [PMID: 23916201 DOI: 10.1016/j.crvi.2013.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The overexploitation of natural resources, resulting in an increased need for arable lands by local populations, causes a serious dysfunction in the soil's biological functioning (mineral deficiency, salt stress, etc.). This dysfunction, worsened by the climatic conditions (drought), requires the implementation of ecological engineering strategies allowing the rehabilitation of degraded areas through the restoration of essential ecological services. The first symptoms of weathering processes of soil quality in tropical and Mediterranean environments result in an alteration of the plant cover structure with, in particular, the pauperization of plant species diversity and abundance. This degradation is accompanied by a weakening of soils and an increase of the impact of erosion on the surface layer resulting in reduced fertility of soils in terms of their physicochemical characteristics as well as their biological ones (e.g., soil microbes). Among the microbial components particularly sensitive to erosion, symbiotic microorganisms (rhizobia, Frankia, mycorrhizal fungi) are known to be key components in the main terrestrial biogeochemical cycles (C, N and P). Many studies have shown the importance of the management of these symbiotic microorganisms in rehabilitation and revegetation strategies of degraded environments, but also in improving the productivity of agrosystems. In particular, the selection of symbionts and their inoculation into the soil were strongly encouraged in recent decades. These inoculants were selected not only for their impact on the plant, but also for their ability to persist in the soil at the expense of the residual native microflora. The performance of this technique was thus evaluated on the plant cover, but its impact on soil microbial characteristics was totally ignored. The role of microbial diversity on productivity and stability (resistance, resilience, etc.) of eco- and agrosystems has been identified relatively recently and has led to a questioning of the conceptual bases of controlled inoculation in sustainable land management. It has been suggested that the environmental characteristics of the area to rehabilitate should be taken into account, and more particularly its degradation level in relation to the threshold of ecological resilience. This consideration should lead to the optimization of the cultural practices to either (i) restore the original properties of an ecosystem in case of slightly degraded environments or (ii) transform an ecosystem in case of highly degraded soils (e.g., mine soils). In this chapter, we discuss, through various examples of experiments conducted in tropical and Mediterranean areas, the performance of different strategies to manage the microbial potential in soils (inoculation of exotic vs. native species, inoculation or controlled management potential microbial stratum via aboveground vegetation, etc.) based on the level of environmental degradation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robin Duponnois
- IRD, UMR 113, laboratoire des symbioses tropicales et méditerranéennes, campus Cirad de Baillarguet, 98 Montpellier cedex 5, France.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|