Disentangling the impact of artificial substrata on the trophic ecology of the highly endangered marine invertebrate Patella ferruginea Gmelin, 1791

The late Pleistocene–early Holocene transition period was characterized by rapid environmental change. Here, we investigate the impact of these changes on the marine invertebrates living in a shallow inlet of the post-glacial Goldthwait Sea. The site is located near Baie-Comeau (QC, Canada), where a number of remarkably well-preserved shell deposits are found along the Rivière aux Anglais Valley on the north shore of the St. Lawrence maritime estuary. Seven phyla of marine invertebrates with a minimum of 25 species or taxa were inventoried in a shell deposit, dominated by a community of Hiatella arctica with Mytilus edulis and barnacles composing the subcommunity. The majority of taxa identified in the shell deposit are boreal and sub-Arctic species; however, temperate species that exist today in the St. Lawrence maritime estuary have not been found. Based on marine invertebrate diversity and δ18O(CaCO3) of Mytilus edulis, the water in the shallow inlet of the Goldthwait Sea must have been cold and saline. The range of AMS 14C ages from 15 Mytilus edulis, constrained to 10,900 and 10,690 cal. yr BP, and exceptional state of preservation of adult and juvenile molluscan specimens suggest the abrupt mortality of entire invertebrate communities due to changing hydrodynamic conditions that included the combined effect of freshwater discharge from the receding Laurentide Ice Sheet and rapid isostatic uplift.

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Reefs as the Centralizing Theme in an Undergraduate Invertebrate Paleontology Course

The Paleontological Society Special Publications ◽

10.1017/s2475262200009217 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 21-42

Author(s):

Constance M. Soja

Keyword(s):

Fossil Record ◽

Evolutionary History ◽

Marine Invertebrate ◽

Scientific Information ◽

Field Trip ◽

Mass Extinctions ◽

Paleontological Data ◽

San Salvador ◽

Invertebrate Paleontology ◽

The Impact

This course is designed so that topics in invertebrate paleontology are discussed in the context of reefs and their change through time. The goal is to help undergraduate students connect modern conservation issues with an enlightened appreciation of the fossil record. Using reefs as the centralizing theme of the course allows key concepts (invertebrate taxonomy and systematics, form and function, evolution, etc.) to be emphasized while exploring the importance of biogenic buildups—and communities that inhabited ecosystems adjacent to those “engines of evolution”—from the past to the present. Students who satisfactorily complete the course achieve seven main learning objectives: They 1) are intimately familiar with the fossil record of marine invertebrate life; 2) understand the evolutionary history of reefs and the ecological roles played by key reef-building invertebrates through time; 3) are able to engage in discussions about paleontological data published in the primary literature; 4) are knowledgeable about the value of paleontological evidence for shedding insights into the decline of ancient and living reefs; 5) gain experience working collaboratively and thinking outside-of-the-box to explore solutions to societal problems linked with the degradation of modern coral reefs; 6) improve scientific writing; and 7) develop a personal style for communicating scientific information to the general public. During classroom discussions, laboratories, a field trip, and museum visit, students explore the anatomy, ecology, evolutionary history, and life-sustaining ecosystem services of shelly animals and associated marine organisms that coexisted in reefs and adjacent habitats past and present. Evolutionary events, including the Cambrian “explosion,” mass extinctions, and gaps in reef existence, are linked to dramatic physical (tectonic) and climatic changes that occurred in Earth's past. Emphasizing evidence for the impact of global change on ancient reef communities alerts students to the value of paleontological data for predicting how modern reefs—and invertebrates living in interconnected marine ecosystems—will respond as the Sixth Extinction gains traction. That topic is the focus of an optional extended study (nine-day field trip offered in alternate years during spring break) of modern and Pleistocene reefs on San Salvador Island, Bahamas.

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IMPACT RESILIENCE: ECOLOGICAL RECOVERY OF A CARBONATE FACTORY IN THE WAKE OF THE LATE DEVONIAN IMPACT EVENT

Palaios ◽

10.2110/palo.2019.001 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

pp. 12-21

Author(s):

BENJAMIN E. RENDALL ◽

LEIF TAPANILA

Keyword(s):

Marine Invertebrate ◽

Depositional Environments ◽

Ecological Resilience ◽

Late Devonian ◽

Impact Event ◽

Geographic Ranges ◽

Marine Communities ◽

Before And After ◽

The Alamo ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACT Conformable limestone deposits bracketing the Alamo breccia (Late Devonian, Nevada) provide a robust dataset for comparisons of depositional environments and marine communities before and after a significant meteor impact. Rank abundances of more than 3000 faunal identifications from 158 sampling localities cluster in three major faunal groups that are arranged in an onshore-offshore lithofacies gradient. Comparison of faunal clusters before and after the impact show little to no dissimilarity. The recovery of marine invertebrate communities following the Alamo impact event was geologically instantaneous. Broad geographic ranges of the fauna may have contributed to ecological resilience. From a geologic perspective, marine communities appear to rebound quickly and fully following meteor impacts, leaving impact-related extinctions as outliers that correspond only to the largest impacts.

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Modeling the impact of polystyrene microparticles on toxicity of phenol to Artemia

10.32469/10355/46089 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Susana F. Lizcano Gonzalez

Keyword(s):

Marine Organism ◽

Marine Invertebrate ◽

Organic Pollutant ◽

Human Health Risk ◽

Aquatic Organism ◽

Consumer Products ◽

Plastic Pollution ◽

University Of Missouri ◽

Polystyrene Microparticles ◽

The Impact

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The increasing use and availability of micro and nanoparticles for use in science, technology and daily consumer products has led to unique challenges related to understanding their toxicity and exposure pathways for proper ecological and human health risk assessments In marine environments for example, plastic pollution constitutes a threat to marine wildlife due to the potential impacts related to entanglement and ingestion of plastic debris. However, studies related to the fate and transport of plastic-based materials fragmented into micro-sizes and their interaction with other pollutants have been limited. The research purpose of this study involved an evaluation of the fate and impact of polystyrene microparticles and phenol (organic pollutant) to a marine invertebrate (Artemia, brine shrimp). The results were guided towards developing a mathematical model that could explain the toxicity of plastic microparticles and phenol to a marine organism. This model was supported by toxicology experiments of Artemia exposed to phenol and polystyrene beads. Results suggested that the presence of suspended plastic microparticles can potentially increase or decrease the apparent acute toxicity of an organic compound to a filter-feeding aquatic organism such as Artemia depending on the affinity of both particles and Artemia to phenol as well as the uptake and retention of microparticles by these organisms.

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The impact of lithification on the diversity, size distribution, and recovery dynamics of marine invertebrate assemblages

Geology ◽

10.1130/g25286a.1 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 115-118 ◽

Cited By ~ 49

Author(s):

Jocelyn A. Sessa ◽

Mark E. Patzkowsky ◽

Timothy J. Bralower

Keyword(s):

Size Distribution ◽

Marine Invertebrate ◽

Invertebrate Assemblages ◽

Recovery Dynamics ◽

The Impact

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Road construction enables establishment of a novel predator category to resident anuran community: a case study from a primary lowland Bornean rain forest

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467413000795 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 13-22 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Oliver Konopik ◽

Karl-Eduard Linsenmair ◽

T. Ulmar Grafe

Keyword(s):

Rain Forest ◽

Trophic Ecology ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Road Construction ◽

Nitrogen Isotope ◽

Lowland Rain Forest ◽

The Road ◽

Brunei Darussalam ◽

Immigrant Species ◽

The Impact

Abstract:For a total of 17 mo, we investigated the impact of a road constructed through pristine tropical lowland rain forest, on the composition and structure of the resident anuran community in the Ulu Temburong National Park (Brunei Darussalam). One year after road construction, eight new anuran species had immigrated into the impacted area. Encounter surveys were conducted and radio-transmitters attached to a total of 16 frogs to identify habitat use and distribution of the largest (>130 mm SVL) immigrant species (Limnonectes ingeri) in comparison with a similar sized resident congener. A strong preference for roadside habitat was found for the immigrant. However, several incursions of more than 500 m beyond the road into the pristine forest were also recorded. Over 200 stomach content samples as well as stable nitrogen isotope ratios of 76 individuals were used to assess the trophic ecology of the two species. Invertebrate diet composition did not differ. However, the immigrant species ate over 400% more frogs than its resident congener and had a significantly higher δ15N ratio, indicating a higher position in the food web. This suggests that L. ingeri acts as a new top frog predator in the system and indicates that it may have a significant negative impact on the local anuran community. Overall, road construction in the absence of logging has led to the immigration of new frog species with impacts far beyond the linear disturbance of the road itself.

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Facultative feeding in a marine copepod: effects of larval food and temperature on performance

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps13470 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 652 ◽

pp. 33-47

Author(s):

AN Gangur ◽

DJ Marshall

Keyword(s):

Development Time ◽

Marine Invertebrate ◽

Harpacticoid Copepod ◽

Environmental Drivers ◽

Larval Performance ◽

Larval Food ◽

Marine Copepod ◽

Adult Performance ◽

Size At Metamorphosis ◽

The Impact

Most marine invertebrate larvae either feed or rely on reserves provisioned by parents to fuel development, but facultative feeders can do both. Food availability and temperature are key environmental drivers of larval performance, but the effects of larval experience on performance later in life are poorly understood in facultative feeders. In particular, the functional relevance of facultative feeding is unclear. One feature to be tested is whether starved larvae can survive to adulthood and reproduce. We evaluated effects of larval temperature and food abundance on performance in a marine harpacticoid copepod, Tisbe sp. In doing so, we report the first example of facultative feeding across the entire larval stage for a copepod. In a series of experiments, larvae were reared with ad libitum food or with no food, and at 2 different temperatures (20 vs. 24°C). We found that higher temperatures shortened development time, and larvae reared at higher temperature tended to be smaller. Larval food consistently improved early performance (survival, development rate and size) in larvae, while starvation consistently decreased survival, increased development time and decreased size at metamorphosis. Nonetheless, a small proportion (3-9.5%, or 30-42.7% with antibiotics) of larvae survived to metamorphosis, could recover from a foodless larval environment, reach maturity and successfully reproduce. We recommend that future studies of facultative feeding consider the impact of larval environments on adult performance and ability to reproduce.

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Effects of sediment pollution on food webs in a tropical river (Borneo, Indonesia)

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf09065 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 61 (2) ◽

pp. 204 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Catherine M. Yule ◽

Luz Boyero ◽

Richard Marchant

Keyword(s):

Food Webs ◽

Trophic Ecology ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Fish Distribution ◽

Mining Activities ◽

Alluvial Gold ◽

Tropical Conditions ◽

Polluted Sites ◽

Highly Correlated ◽

The Impact

The impact of pollution on the trophic ecology of the Kelian River (Borneo, Indonesia) was studied by comparing food webs (on the basis of gut analysis and field and laboratory observations) at six sites. The upper sites were in pristine rainforest but the river became increasingly polluted downstream, largely owing to sedimentation from alluvial gold mining activities. Four previous studies all showed a downstream decrease in macroinvertebrates (mean abundance: 272 per 400 cm2 at Site 1 dropped to 2.6 at Site 6; mean number of taxa: 37.6 at Site 1 down to 1.6 at Site 6), and this was highly correlated with suspended solids. Food webs also reflected the effect of pollution. Cleaner sites had more complex food webs, with more elements, links, higher linkage density and higher complexity than did downstream polluted sites, which lacked grazers, shredders and filterers. Several taxa that were grazers at clean sites became collector-gatherers at polluted sites. Despite the enormous impact of pollution, cessation of alluvial mining activities resulted in some recovery. The resilience of the fauna is likely to be enhanced by the tropical conditions with high rainfall, rapid flow rates and high temperatures, coupled with rapid life cycles. Fish distribution and diets did not appear to be affected by pollution.

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Trawling disturbance effects on the trophic ecology of two co-generic Astropectinid species

Mediterranean Marine Science ◽

10.12681/mms.1256 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 538 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

M. C. MANGANO ◽

M. J. KAISER ◽

E. M.D. PORPORATO ◽

G. I. LAMBERT ◽

N. SPANÒ

Keyword(s):

Diet Composition ◽

Trophic Ecology ◽

Feeding Rate ◽

Stomach Contents ◽

Benthic Organisms ◽

Physical Disturbance ◽

Fishing Activity ◽

Diet Diversity ◽

Positive Effects ◽

The Impact

Physical disturbance by trawling can have both negative and positive effects on populations of scavenging benthic organisms. In the present study the impact of fishing activity on feeding behaviour of the two Astropectinids, Astropecten bispinosus and A. irregularis, was assessed based on stomach contents analysis. The study was carried out along trawled seabed highlighting the positive response of the two facultative scavengers to carrion generated by trawl disturbance. Furthermore, there was greater food specialization in areas that were more heavily exploited by trawling. This specialisation could be linked to the availability of certain prey that results from the passage of fishing gears across the seabed. Interestingly, differences between the two species analysed have been highlighted in term of population dynamic, feeding rate, diet composition and diet diversity, testifying their capacity to coexist in the same fishing grounds.

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The Value of a Deep-Sea Collection of the Azores (NE Atlantic Ocean): Marine invertebrate biodiversity in an era of global environmental change

Biodiversity Information Science and Standards ◽

10.3897/biss.3.37209 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Íris Sampaio ◽

Telmo Morato ◽

Filipe Porteiro ◽

Cristina Gutiérrez-Zárate ◽

Gerald Taranto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Deep Sea ◽

Cold Water ◽

Marine Invertebrate ◽

Global Environmental Change ◽

Geographic Location ◽

Deep Ocean ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Marine Research ◽

The Impact

The deep ocean is the largest and least explored biome with the highest richness of species and phylogenetic biodiversity on Earth. The high costs of using sophisticated technological means to access deep-sea ecosystems gives an inestimable value to specimens collected in these environments. Azorean scientists have long started collaborating with fishermen to collect deep-sea marine invertebrate fauna accidentally captured during fishing activities, thus obtaining deep-sea organisms opportunistically. Specimens have been stored and catalogued at the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries – University of the Azores’ Marine Biological Reference Collection (COLETA) since 2006. The collection has been continuously growing through oceanographic cruises and fisheries observer programs in the framework of several national and international collaborations. Currently, COLETA has 14367 specimens and samples corresponding to 10827 databased entries representing mostly corals (3415) and sponges (1941) of the deep sea (Fig. 1), for which data are available until 2012 (Institute of Marine Research (IMAR - Azores), Portugal and Department of Oceanography and Fisheries (DOP) - UAC, Portugal 2015). Specimens and associated metadata have contributed for the the taxonomy, population genetics and life history (age, growth, reproduction) of corals and other organisms. The homonym COLETA database, besides the taxonomic identification and photography of the specimen, has metadata including geographic location, depth, and the method of collection (e.g. survey, fishing). Thus, COLETA has also been instrumental in the mapping of distribution of biodiversity and vulnerable marine ecosystems such as coral gardens, sponge grounds, hidrarian gardens and sea pen fields in the Azores Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Efforts have been made to make COLETA compatible with other databases, such as the database of historical records of cold-water coral occurrences in the Azores (e.g. Prince Albert of Monaco Campaigns in the 19th century) and other fisheries databases, in order to maximize its potential to study trends in biodiversity loss related to climate change and fisheries impacts. Underwater images of live specimens from video surveys have also been cross-referenced with specimens stored at COLETA in an effort to join taxonomists and ecologists in the characterization of new habitats. Curated collections and datasets based on vouchered records, which can be continuously consulted, are essential to study deep-sea biodiversity. A continuously growing collection has also the potential of adding a time frame to the study of the impact of climate change, fishing and pollution on the deep-sea. In an era of biodiversity loss, COLETA represents a good example of where physical specimens and associated metadata databases can be combined to research and discover species, to achieve ecosystem conservation and guide marine spatial planning.

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