scholarly journals Coral niche construction: coral recruitment increases along a coral-built structural complexity gradient

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viviana Brambilla ◽  
Andrew Baird ◽  
Miguel Barbosa ◽  
Inga Dehnert ◽  
Joshua S Madin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Ecological Niche ◽  
Niche Construction ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Building Structures ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Coral Recruitment ◽  
Larval Recruitment ◽  
Positive Effect

Niche construction is the process through which organisms modify environmental states in ways favourable to their own fitness. Here, we test experimentally whether scleractinian corals can be considered niche constructors. In particular, we demonstrate a positive feedback involved in corals building structures which facilitate recruitment. Coral larval recruitment is a key process for coral reef persistence. Larvae require low flow conditions to settle from the plankton, and hence the presence of colony structures that can break the flow is expected to facilitate coral recruitment. Here, we show an increase in settler presence on artificial tiles deployed in the field along a gradient of coral-built structural complexity. Structural complexity had a positive effect on settlement, with an increase of 15,71% of settler presence probability along the range of structural complexity considered. This result provides evidence that coral built structural complexity creates conditions that facilitate coral settlement, while demonstrating that corals meet the criteria for ecological niche construction.

Geochemistry of Red Mountain Creek, Colorado, under low-flow conditions, August 2002

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Runkel ◽  
Briant A. Kimball ◽  
Katherine Walton-Day ◽  
Philip L. Verplanck
Keyword(s):  
Low Flow ◽  
Flow Conditions

Sources of Chlorophenolic Compounds to the Fraser River Estuary

1988 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Carey ◽  
J. H. Hart
Keyword(s):  
River Flow ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
Pulp Mills ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Downstream Site ◽  
Upstream Site ◽  
The North ◽  
Main River

Abstract The identity and concentrations of chlorophenolic compounds in the Fraser River estuary were determined under conditions of high and low river flow at three sites: a site upstream from the trifurcation and at downstream sites for each main river arm. Major chlorophenolics present under both flow regimes were 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol (2,3,4,6-TeCP), pentachlorophenol (PCP), tetrachloroguaiacol (TeCG) and a compound tentatively identified as 3,4,5-trichloroguaiacol (3,4,5-TCG). Under high flow conditions, concentrations of the guaiacols were higher than any of the Chlorophenols and concentrations of all five chlorophenolics appeared to correlate. Under low flow conditions, concentrations of chloroguaiacols were higher than Chlorophenols at the upstream site and at the downstream site on the Main Arm, whereas at the downstream site on the North Arm, concentrations of 2,3,4,6-TeCP and PCP were higher than the chloroguaiacols in some samples. Overall, the results indicate that pulp mills upstream from the estuary are important sources of chlorophenolics to the estuary under all flow conditions. Additional episodic inputs of 2,3,4,6-TeCP and PCP from lumber mills occur along the North Arm. When these inputs occur, they can cause the concentrations of Chlorophenols in the North Arm to exceed provisional objectives. If chloroguaiacols are included as part of the objective, concentrations of total chlorophenolics in water entering the estuary can approach and exceed these objectives, especially under low flow conditions.

scholarly journals Forensic Investigation of Four Monitored Green Infrastructure Inlets

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 1787
Author(s):  
Leena J. Shevade ◽  
Franco A. Montalto
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Uncertainty ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Inflow Rate ◽  
Forensic Investigation ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
The Mean

Green infrastructure (GI) is viewed as a sustainable approach to stormwater management that is being rapidly implemented, outpacing the ability of researchers to compare the effectiveness of alternate design configurations. This paper investigated inflow data collected at four GI inlets. The performance of these four GI inlets, all of which were engineered with the same inlet lengths and shapes, was evaluated through field monitoring. A forensic interpretation of the observed inlet performance was conducted using conclusions regarding the role of inlet clogging and inflow rate as described in the previously published work. The mean inlet efficiency (meanPE), which represents the percentage of tributary area runoff that enters the inlet was 65% for the Nashville inlet, while at Happyland the NW inlet averaged 30%, the SW inlet 25%, and the SE inlet 10%, considering all recorded events during the monitoring periods. The analysis suggests that inlet clogging was the main reason for lower inlet efficiency at the SW and NW inlets, while for the SE inlet, performance was compromised by a reverse cross slope of the street. Spatial variability of rainfall, measurement uncertainty, uncertain tributary catchment area, and inlet depression characteristics are also correlated with inlet PE. The research suggests that placement of monitoring sensors should consider low flow conditions and a strategy to measure them. Additional research on the role of various maintenance protocols in inlet hydraulics is recommended.

scholarly journals Defining the niche for niche construction: evolutionary and ecological niches

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose Trappes
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Ecological Niche ◽  
Niche Construction ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Niche Concept ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Compare And Contrast ◽  
Extreme Habitat

AbstractNiche construction theory (NCT) aims to transform and unite evolutionary biology and ecology. Much of the debate about NCT has focused on construction. Less attention has been accorded to the niche: what is it, exactly, that organisms are constructing? In this paper I compare and contrast the definition of the niche used in NCT with ecological niche definitions. NCT’s concept of the evolutionary niche is defined as the sum of selection pressures affecting a population. So defined, the evolutionary niche is narrower than the ecological niche. Moreover, when contrasted with a more restricted ecological niche concept, it has a slightly different extension. I point out three kinds of cases in which the evolutionary niche does not coincide with realized ecological niches: extreme habitat degradation, commensalism, and non-limiting or super-abundant resources. These conceptual differences affect the role of NCT in unifying ecology and evolutionary biology.

Influence of climate change on low flow conditions. Case study: Laborec River, eastern Slovakia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Kubiak-Wójcicka ◽  
Martina Zeleňáková ◽  
Peter Blištan ◽  
Dorota Simonová ◽  
Agnieszka Pilarska
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Flow Conditions

scholarly journals Soil microbial inoculation during flood events shapes headwater stream microbial communities and diversity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Caillon ◽  
Katharina Besemer ◽  
Peter Peduzzi ◽  
Jakob Schelker
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Bacterial Diversity ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Headwater Streams ◽  
High Flow ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Flood Events ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Microbial Inoculation

AbstractFlood events are now recognized as potentially important occasions for the transfer of soil microbes to stream ecosystems. Yet, little is known about these “dynamic pulses of microbial life” for stream bacterial community composition (BCC) and diversity. In this study, we explored the potential alteration of stream BCC by soil inoculation during high flow events in six pre-alpine first order streams and the larger Oberer Seebach. During 1 year, we compared variations of BCC in soil water, stream water and in benthic biofilms at different flow conditions (low to intermediate flows versus high flow). Bacterial diversity was lowest in biofilms, followed by soils and highest in headwater streams and the Oberer Seebach. In headwater streams, bacterial diversity was significantly higher during high flow, as compared to low flow (Shannon diversity: 7.6 versus 7.9 at low versus high flow, respectively, p < 0.001). Approximately 70% of the bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) from streams and stream biofilms were the same as in soil water, while in the latter one third of the OTUs were specific to high flow conditions. These soil high-flow OTUs were also found in streams and biofilms at other times of the year. These results demonstrate the relevance of floods in generating short and reoccurring inoculation events for flowing waters. Moreover, they show that soil microbial inoculation during high flow enhances microbial diversity and shapes fluvial BCC even during low flow. Hence, soil microbial inoculation during floods could act as a previously overlooked driver of microbial diversity in headwater streams.

scholarly journals Using virtual reality to estimate aesthetic values of coral reefs

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 172226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Vercelloni ◽  
Sam Clifford ◽  
M. Julian Caley ◽  
Alan R. Pearse ◽  
Ross Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Aesthetic Value ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Holistic Conservation ◽  
Past Experiences ◽  
Aesthetic Values

Aesthetic value, or beauty, is important to the relationship between humans and natural environments and is, therefore, a fundamental socio-economic attribute of conservation alongside other ecosystem services. However, beauty is difficult to quantify and is not estimated well using traditional approaches to monitoring coral-reef aesthetics. To improve the estimation of ecosystem aesthetic values, we developed and implemented a novel framework used to quantify features of coral-reef aesthetics based on people's perceptions of beauty. Three observer groups with different experience to reef environments (Marine Scientist, Experienced Diver and Citizen) were virtually immersed in Australian's Great Barrier Reef (GBR) using 360° images. Perceptions of beauty and observations were used to assess the importance of eight potential attributes of reef-aesthetic value. Among these, heterogeneity, defined by structural complexity and colour diversity, was positively associated with coral-reef-aesthetic values. There were no group-level differences in the way the observer groups perceived reef aesthetics suggesting that past experiences with coral reefs do not necessarily influence the perception of beauty by the observer. The framework developed here provides a generic tool to help identify indicators of aesthetic value applicable to a wide variety of natural systems. The ability to estimate aesthetic values robustly adds an important dimension to the holistic conservation of the GBR, coral reefs worldwide and other natural ecosystems.

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