Protecting Health and Livelihoods in an Era of Climatic Extremes: Coastal Habitats in the Final Decade of SDG Action

We studied macrophyte and diatom assemblages and a range of environmental factors in the large hypertrophic Dehtář fishpond (Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic) over the course of several growing seasons. The spatial diversity of the environment was considered when collecting diatoms and water samples in three distinct parts of the fishpond, where automatic sensor stations continually measuring basic factors were established. Macrophytes were mapped in 30 segments of the fishpond littoral altogether. High species richness and spatiotemporal variability were found in assemblages of these groups of autotrophs. Water level fluctuations, caused by the interaction of fish farming management and climatic extremes, were identified as one of the most important factors shaping the structure and species composition of diatom and macrophyte assemblages. The distance of the sampling sites from large inflows reflected well the spatial variability within the fishpond, with important differences in duration of bottom drainage and exposure to disturbances in different parts of the fishpond. Disturbances caused by intensive wave action are most probably a crucial factor allowing the coexistence of species with different nutrient requirements under the hypertrophic conditions of the Dehtář fishpond. Due to a range of variables tested and climatic extremes encountered, our study may be considered as a basis for predictive model constructions in similar hypertrophic water bodies under a progressing climate change.

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Temporal and spatial variation in adult and juvenile mobile fauna associated with natural and artificial coastal habitats

Marine Biology ◽

10.1007/s00227-021-03823-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 168 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Alice E. Hall ◽

Roger J. H. Herbert ◽

Richard Stafford

Keyword(s):

Dicentrarchus Labrax ◽

Early Summer ◽

Coastal Habitats ◽

Artificial Structures ◽

Artificial Habitats ◽

Mobile Species ◽

Spatial And Seasonal Variation ◽

Black Bream ◽

Temporal And Spatial ◽

Natural Reefs

AbstractCoastal habitats are important for commercially exploited and protected species of fish and larger mobile invertebrates. The addition of artificial structures within the marine environment has the potential to alter the connectivity between habitats and to affect metapopulations of a region. Baited remote underwater videos (BRUV) were used to investigate the spatial and seasonal variation in abundance of adult and juvenile mobile species associated with subtidal natural and artificial habitats within Poole Bay on the south coast of England in 2019. Metrics included the relative maximum abundance (MaxN), number of species seen (S), assemblage structure and size range of fish. Higher values of MaxN and S were recorded on artificial structures in the spring and early summer; however, this pattern was reversed by mid-summer and early autumn when more fish were recorded on the natural reefs. Yet overall differences in MaxN and S between habitats were not significant. Differences in assemblage composition between habitats varied monthly, but this was mostly driven by particular sites. Although most fish observed were juveniles, there were some seasonal differences in the size of fish using natural and artificial sites, especially bib (Trisopterus luscus), black bream (Spondyliosoma cantharus), bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and pollack (Pollachius pollachius). The artificial habitats in this region appeared to be important in certain months, so temporal studies of this type need to be incorporated within surveys, particularly those in proximity to protected areas.

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Quantifying Coastal Shoreline Erosion Due to Climatic Extremes Using Remote-Sensed Estimates from Sentinel-2A Data

Environmental Processes ◽

10.1007/s40710-021-00522-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Amna M. Al Ruheili ◽

Alaba Boluwade

Keyword(s):

Shoreline Erosion ◽

Climatic Extremes ◽

Sentinel 2A

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Fire, drought and flooding rains: The effect of climatic extremes on bird species’ responses to time since fire

Diversity and Distributions ◽

10.1111/ddi.13287 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jemima Connell ◽

Mark A. Hall ◽

Dale G. Nimmo ◽

Simon J. Watson ◽

Michael F. Clarke

Keyword(s):

Bird Species ◽

Climatic Extremes ◽

Time Since Fire ◽

Species Responses

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Ecological plasticity to ions concentration determines genetic response and dominance of Anopheles coluzzii larvae in urban coastal habitats of Central Africa

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-94258-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Neil M. Longo-Pendy ◽

Billy Tene-Fossog ◽

Robert E. Tawedi ◽

Ousman Akone-Ella ◽

Celine Toty ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urban Expansion ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Central Africa ◽

Physicochemical Characteristics ◽

Anopheles Coluzzii ◽

Plastic Response ◽

Coastal Habitats ◽

Breeding Sites ◽

Ecological Plasticity ◽

Rural Sites

AbstractIn Central Africa, the malaria vector Anopheles coluzzii is predominant in urban and coastal habitats. However, little is known about the environmental factors that may be involved in this process. Here, we performed an analysis of 28 physicochemical characteristics of 59 breeding sites across 5 urban and rural sites in coastal areas of Central Africa. We then modelled the relative frequency of An. coluzzii larvae to these physicochemical parameters in order to investigate environmental patterns. Then, we assessed the expression variation of 10 candidate genes in An. coluzzii, previously incriminated with insecticide resistance and osmoregulation in urban settings. Our results confirmed the ecological plasticity of An. coluzzii larvae to breed in a large range of aquatic conditions and its predominance in breeding sites rich in ions. Gene expression patterns were comparable between urban and rural habitats, suggesting a broad response to ions concentrations of whatever origin. Altogether, An. coluzzii exhibits a plastic response to occupy both coastal and urban habitats. This entails important consequences for malaria control in the context of the rapid urban expansion in Africa in the coming years.

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