scholarly journals A cross-scale trophic cascade from large predatory fish to algae in coastal ecosystems

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1859) ◽  
pp. 20170045 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Donadi ◽  
Å. N. Austin ◽  
U. Bergström ◽  
B. K. Eriksson ◽  
J. P. Hansen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trophic Cascade ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Trophic Cascades ◽  
Scale Dependence ◽  
Predatory Fish ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Epiphytic Algae ◽  
Assemblage Composition ◽  
The Baltic

Trophic cascades occur in many ecosystems, but the factors regulating them are still elusive. We suggest that an overlooked factor is that trophic interactions (TIs) are often scale-dependent and possibly interact across spatial scales. To explore the role of spatial scale for trophic cascades, and particularly the occurrence of cross-scale interactions (CSIs), we collected and analysed food-web data from 139 stations across 32 bays in the Baltic Sea. We found evidence of a four-level trophic cascade linking TIs across two spatial scales: at bay scale, piscivores (perch and pike) controlled mesopredators (three-spined stickleback), which in turn negatively affected epifaunal grazers. At station scale (within bays), grazers on average suppressed epiphytic algae, and indirectly benefitted habitat-forming vegetation. Moreover, the direction and strength of the grazer–algae relationship at station scale depended on the piscivore biomass at bay scale, indicating a cross-scale interaction effect, potentially caused by a shift in grazer assemblage composition. In summary, the trophic cascade from piscivores to algae appears to involve TIs that occur at, but also interact across, different spatial scales. Considering scale-dependence in general, and CSIs in particular, could therefore enhance our understanding of trophic cascades.

scholarly journals Evaluating impacts of bottom trawling and hypoxia on benthic communities at the local, habitat, and regional scale using a modelling approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 278-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
P D van Denderen ◽  
S G Bolam ◽  
R Friedland ◽  
J G Hiddink ◽  
K Norén ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Benthic Habitats ◽  
Bottom Trawling ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Local Habitat

Abstract Bottom trawling disturbance and hypoxia are affecting marine benthic habitats worldwide. We present an approach to predict their effects on benthic communities, and use the approach to estimate the state, the biomass relative to carrying capacity, of the Baltic Sea at the local, habitat, and regional scale. Responses to both pressures are expected to depend on the longevity of fauna, which is predicted from benthic data from 1558 locations. We find that communities in low-salinity regions mostly consist of short-lived species, which are, in our model, more resilient than those of the saline areas. The model predicts that in 14% of the Baltic Sea region benthic biomass is reduced by at least 50%, whereas an additional 8% of the region has reductions of 10–50%. The effects of hypoxia occur over larger spatial scales and lead to a low state of especially deep habitats. The approach is based on a simple characterization of the benthic community, which comes with high uncertainty, but allows for the identification of benthic habitats that are at greatest risk and prioritization of management actions at the regional scale. This information supports the development of sustainable approaches to manage impact of human activities on benthic ecosystems.

The Role of the Barotropic Water Exchange in the Formation of the Baltic Sea-Level Spectrum

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-15
Author(s):  
E. A. Kulikov ◽  
I. P. Medvedev ◽  
K. P. Koltermann
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Water Exchange ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Level Spectrum ◽  
The Baltic

Stickleback increase in the Baltic Sea – A thorny issue for coastal predatory fish

2015 ◽  
Vol 163 ◽  
pp. 134-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulf Bergström ◽  
Jens Olsson ◽  
Michele Casini ◽  
Britas Klemens Eriksson ◽  
Ronny Fredriksson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Predatory Fish ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic

Probable causes for cyanobacterial expansion in the Baltic Sea: Role of anoxia and phosphorus retention

Estuaries ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 680-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Westman ◽  
Johanna Borgendahl ◽  
Thomas S. Bianchi ◽  
Nianhong Chen
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Phosphorus Retention ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic

Grain Market Integration in the Baltic Sea Region in the Nineteenth Century

2015 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 749-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fredrik N.G. Andersson ◽  
Jonas Ljungberg
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Market Integration ◽  
Dynamic Factor Analysis ◽  
Dynamic Factor ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
Atlantic Economy ◽  
The Baltic

This article explores the development of market integration within the Baltic Sea region and with England, from the 1840s to the late 1880s. It exploits two new datasets on grain prices. The degree of market integration is estimated using a wavelet variant of dynamic factor analysis that takes account of both time and distance. Additionally, we use the London corn market as the benchmark for the degree of market integration. Our results show that the role of distance disappeared in the wheat and rye, but not in the oats and barley trade, as the Baltic Sea Region became integrated into the Atlantic economy.

scholarly journals Elemental composition of invertebrates shells composed of different CaCO<sub>3</sub> polymorphs at different ontogenetic stages: a case study from the brackish Gulf of Gdansk (the Baltic Sea)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Piwoni-Piórewicz ◽  
Stanislav Strekopytov ◽  
Emma Humphreys-Williams ◽  
Piotr Kukliński
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Trace Elements ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Gulf Of Gdańsk ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Gulf Of Gdansk ◽  
The Baltic

Abstract. In this study, the concentrations of 12 metals: Ca, Na, Sr, Mg, Ba, Mn, Cu, Pb, V, Y, U and Cd in shells of bivalve molluscs (aragonitic: Cerastoderma glaucum, Mya arenaria and Limecola balthica and bimineralic: Mytilus trossulus) and arthropods (calcitic: Amphibalanus improvisus) were obtained. The main goal was to determine the incorporation patterns of shells built with different calcium carbonate polymorphs. The role of potential biological control on the shell chemistry was assessed by comparing the concentrations of trace elements between younger and older individuals (different size classes). The potential impact of environmental factors on the observed elemental concentrations in the studied shells is discussed. Specimens were collected from brackish waters of the Baltic Sea (the Gulf of Gdansk). For every species, 40 individuals (ten in each size class) were selected. Pre-cleaned shells were analysed by ICP-OES and ICP-MS to determine the concentrations of metals. The distributions of elements both differ between species and exhibit high intraspecific variability. Calcitic shells preferentially incorporated Mg > Sr > Na, aragonitic shells incorporated Na > Sr > Mg, and bimineralic shells accumulated Na approximately two times more intensively, than Mg and Sr which remained at similar levels. Among all species, the calcitic shells of A. improvisus most effectively concentrated the majority of the studied elements, especially Mg > Mn > Ba, which was contrary to the shells of aragonitic molluscs that contained the lowest levels of trace elements. The size-dependent distributions of elements in shells did not exhibit a consistent pattern. The highest significant differences were found for the bimineralic shells of M. trossulus, while the smallest were found for aragonitic shells; if any variability occurred, it was observed in heavy metals (Pb, Cd). Our results indicate that elemental variability, especially that of Mg and Sr, is dominated by the properties of the crystal lattice. The inconsistent variability of trace element concentrations between species and within single populations supports the important role of species-specific biological control of the biomineralization process and indicates that environmental factors have a significant influence on the incorporation of trace elements into the shells.

scholarly journals Scaling up biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships: the role of environmental heterogeneity in space and time

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1946) ◽  
pp. 20202779
Author(s):  
Patrick L. Thompson ◽  
Sonia Kéfi ◽  
Yuval R. Zelnik ◽  
Laura E. Dee ◽  
Shaopeng Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Environmental Heterogeneity ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Formal Model ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Scale Dependence ◽  
Space And Time ◽  
Number Of Species

The biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationship is expected to be scale-dependent. The autocorrelation of environmental heterogeneity is hypothesized to explain this scale dependence because it influences how quickly biodiversity accumulates over space or time. However, this link has yet to be demonstrated in a formal model. Here, we use a Lotka–Volterra competition model to simulate community dynamics when environmental conditions vary across either space or time. Species differ in their optimal environmental conditions, which results in turnover in community composition. We vary biodiversity by modelling communities with different sized regional species pools and ask how the amount of biomass per unit area depends on the number of species present, and the spatial or temporal scale at which it is measured. We find that more biodiversity is required to maintain functioning at larger temporal and spatial scales. The number of species required increases quickly when environmental autocorrelation is low, and slowly when autocorrelation is high. Both spatial and temporal environmental heterogeneity lead to scale dependence in BEF, but autocorrelation has larger impacts when environmental change is temporal. These findings show how the biodiversity required to maintain functioning is expected to increase over space and time.

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