Incorporating Biological Traits into Conservation Strategies

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 421-443
Author(s):  
Marta Miatta ◽  
Amanda E. Bates ◽  
Paul V.R. Snelgrove
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Planning ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Marine Conservation ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Biological Traits ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Marine Applications ◽  
Monitoring Protocols

Implementation of marine conservation strategies, such as increasing the numbers, extent, and effectiveness of protected areas (PAs), can help achieve conservation and restoration of ocean health and associated goods and services. Despite increasing recognition of the importance of including aspects of ecological functioning in PA design, the physical characteristics of habitats and simple measures of species diversity inform most PA designations. Marine and terrestrial ecologists have recently been using biological traits to assess community dynamics, functioning, and vulnerability to anthropogenic impacts. Here, we explore potential trait-based marine applications to advance PA design. We recommend strategies to integrate biological traits into ( a) conservation objectives (e.g., by assessing and predicting impacts and vulnerability), ( b) PA spatial planning (e.g., mapping ecosystem functions and functional diversity hot spots), and ( c) time series monitoring protocols (e.g., using functional traits to detect recoveries). We conclude by emphasizing the need for pragmatic tools to improve the efficacy of spatial planning and monitoring efforts.

The Paradox Introduced: Concepts and Cases

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel J. G. van Eeten ◽  
Emery Roe
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Spatial Planning ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
The Other ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Agricultural Modernization ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
The Third ◽  
National Environmental ◽  
Over Time

To recapitulate, the hard paradox is this: how do you improve ecological functions and related human services at the same time, if not everywhere then at least over the ecosystem and landscape as a whole? How do decision makers meet the twofold recoupling goal: (1) where they are managing for reliable ecosystem services, they would also be improving the associated ecosystem functions, and/or (2) where they are managing for improved ecosystem functions, they would also be better ensuring the reliability of the ecosystem services associated with those functions. In short, how do decision makers recouple ecosystem functions and services that over time have been decoupled to their detriment? A set of terms have just been introduced that require explanation. The terms “recoupling,” “decoupling,” and, by implication, “coupling” are central to the arguments of our book and are formalized more fully in later chapters. (The controversial terms, “functions” and “services,” are discussed in the next section.) Basically, the literature uses the former terms to refer to biophysical connections, organizational connections, or both. An example of the first is Ausubel (1996, pp. 1, 7, 8), who notes that agricultural modernization has meant “food decoupled from acreage” through the production of more crops on less land. Advances in science and technology “increasingly decouple our goods and services from the demands on planetary resources.” Ausubel adds that we can expect “further decoupling [of] food from land. For more green occupations, today’s farmers might become tomorrow’s park rangers and ecosystem guardians. In any case, the rising yields, spatial contraction of agriculture, and sparing of land are a powerful antidote to the current losses of biodiversity and related environmental ills.” Opschoor (1995) speaks of a similar technological phenomenon, “delinking,” where rising incomes are decoupled over time from intensive material use. Also, the third Dutch national environmental policy plan seeks as one of its goals the decoupling of economic growth from environmental pollution (Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment 1998). These uses of “decoupling” all refer to the relation between services and environmental degradation. We, on the other hand, are talking about the relation between services and environmental assets, that is, ecosystem functions.

scholarly journals Neotropical coastal lagoons: an appraisal of their biodiversity, functioning, threats and conservation management

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (4 suppl) ◽  
pp. 967-981 ◽  
Author(s):  
FA. Esteves ◽  
A. Caliman ◽  
JM. Santangelo ◽  
RD. Guariento ◽  
VF. Farjalla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Coastal Lagoons ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Species Introduction ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
Aquatic Biodiversity ◽  
Scenic Beauty ◽  
Functional Regulation

Neotropical coastal lagoons (NCL) are human-dominated ecosystems. Their distribution along densely populated coastal areas of developing countries makes these systems among the most threatened in the world. Here, we summarize some aspects of the causes and consequences of NCL biodiversity, their functioning, their importance to the surrounding populations, their fragility, and their responses to local and global anthropogenic impacts and the challenges that Neotropical countries face in conserving these systems. Although still scarce and geographically concentrated, a growing body of studies has shown that NCLs are physiographically diversified systems, which harbor a considerable and particular proportion of the Neotropical inland aquatic biodiversity. Despite the fact that coastal lagoons are ecotones that are intricately connected to surrounding environments, they develop mechanisms for structural and functional regulation, which confer to these systems higher productivity and carrying capacities than surrounding ecosystems. Such traits attract residential developments and subsidize local traditional populations with important economic and aesthetic ecosystem revenues such as fisheries and scenic beauty. However, the disorganized human occupation around NCLs are causing profound impacts such as eutrophication, salinization, exotic species introduction, as well as other effects, which are ultimately imposing major habitat degradations and biodiversity extirpations in NCLs. We argue that interdisciplinary conservation strategies, which integrate scientific expertise, government officials, private companies and the general public, are the most likely to overcome the geographic and economic obstacles to NCL conservation.

Effects of Ocean Acidification on Sediment Fauna

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Widdicombe ◽  
John I. Spicer
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Unconsolidated Sediments ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Biological Interactions ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Marine Realm ◽  
Critical Components ◽  
The Many ◽  
And Function

The vast majority of the seafloor is covered not in rocky or biogenic reefs but in unconsolidated sediments and, consequently, the majority of marine biodiversity consists of invertebrates either residing in (infauna) or on (epifauna) sediments (Snelgrove 1999). The biodiversity within these sediments is a result of complex interactions between the underlying environmental conditions (e.g. depth, temperature, organic supply, and granulometry) and the biological interactions operating between organisms (e.g. predation and competition). Not only are sediments important depositories of biodiversity but they are also critical components in many key ecosystem functions. Nowhere is this more apparent than in shallow coastal seas and oceans which, despite covering less than 10% of the earth’s surface, deliver up to 30% of marine production and 90% of marine fisheries (Gattuso et al. 1998). These areas are also the site for 80% of organic matter burial and 90% of sedimentary mineralization and nutrient–sediment biogeochemical processes. They also act as the sink for up to 90% of the suspended load in the world’s rivers and the many associated contaminants this material contains (Gattuso et al. 1998). Human beings depend heavily on the goods and services provided, for free, by the marine realm (Hassan et al. 2005 ) and it is no coincidence that nearly 70% of all humans live within 60 km of the sea or that 75% of all cities with more than 10 million inhabitants are in the coastal zone (Small and Nicholls 2003; McGranahan et al. 2007) Given these facts, it is clear that any broad-scale environmental impact that affects the diversity, structure, and function of sediment ecosystems could have a considerable impact on human health and well-being. It is therefore essential that the impacts of ocean acidification on sediment fauna, and the ecosystem functions they support, are adequately considered. This chapter will first describe the geochemical environment within which sediment organisms live. It will then explore the role that sediment organisms play as ecosystem engineers and how they alter the environment in which they live and the overall biodiversity of sediment communities.

scholarly journals Ocean Optimism: Moving Beyond the Obituaries in Marine Conservation

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 479-499
Author(s):  
Nancy Knowlton
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Marine Conservation ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Single Solution ◽  
Important Progress ◽  
Made In

While the ocean has suffered many losses, there is increasing evidence that important progress is being made in marine conservation. Examples include striking recoveries of once-threatened species, increasing rates of protection of marine habitats, more sustainably managed fisheries and aquaculture, reductions in some forms of pollution, accelerating restoration of degraded habitats, and use of the ocean and its habitats to sequester carbon and provide clean energy. Many of these achievements have multiple benefits, including improved human well-being. Moreover, better understanding of how to implement conservation strategies effectively, new technologies and databases, increased integration of the natural and social sciences, and use of indigenous knowledge promise continued progress. Enormous challenges remain, and there is no single solution; successful efforts typically are neither quick nor cheap and require trust and collaboration. Nevertheless, a greater focus on solutions and successes will help them to become the norm rather than the exception.

scholarly journals Aridity-driven shift in biodiversity–soil multifunctionality relationships

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Weigang Hu ◽  
Jinzhi Ran ◽  
Longwei Dong ◽  
Qiajun Du ◽  
Mingfei Ji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Soil Microbial Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Multifunctionality

AbstractRelationships between biodiversity and multiple ecosystem functions (that is, ecosystem multifunctionality) are context-dependent. Both plant and soil microbial diversity have been reported to regulate ecosystem multifunctionality, but how their relative importance varies along environmental gradients remains poorly understood. Here, we relate plant and microbial diversity to soil multifunctionality across 130 dryland sites along a 4,000 km aridity gradient in northern China. Our results show a strong positive association between plant species richness and soil multifunctionality in less arid regions, whereas microbial diversity, in particular of fungi, is positively associated with multifunctionality in more arid regions. This shift in the relationships between plant or microbial diversity and soil multifunctionality occur at an aridity level of ∼0.8, the boundary between semiarid and arid climates, which is predicted to advance geographically ∼28% by the end of the current century. Our study highlights that biodiversity loss of plants and soil microorganisms may have especially strong consequences under low and high aridity conditions, respectively, which calls for climate-specific biodiversity conservation strategies to mitigate the effects of aridification.

scholarly journals Expected time-invariant effects of biological traits on mammal species duration

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (42) ◽  
pp. 13015-13020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter D. Smits
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Biological Traits ◽  
Mass Extinctions ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Expected Time ◽  
Species Vulnerability ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Time Invariant

Determining which biological traits influence differences in extinction risk is vital for understanding the differential diversification of life and for making predictions about species’ vulnerability to anthropogenic impacts. Here I present a hierarchical Bayesian survival model of North American Cenozoic mammal species durations in relation to species-level ecological factors, time of origination, and phylogenetic relationships. I find support for the survival of the unspecialized as a time-invariant generalization of trait-based extinction risk. Furthermore, I find that phylogenetic and temporal effects are both substantial factors associated with differences in species durations. Finally, I find that the estimated effects of these factors are partially incongruous with how these factors are correlated with extinction risk of the extant species. These findings parallel previous observations that background extinction is a poor predictor of mass extinction events and suggest that attention should be focused on mass extinctions to gain insight into modern species loss.

scholarly journals An Integrated Approach to Determine the Stock Structure of Spinyhead Croaker Collichthys lucidus (Sciaenidae) in Chinese Coastal Waters

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuai Zhang ◽  
Min Li ◽  
Jiangfeng Zhu ◽  
Shannan Xu ◽  
Zuozhi Chen
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Biological Traits ◽  
Otolith Chemistry ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Natural Tags ◽  
Southern Chinese ◽  
Collichthys Lucidus

An integrated approach including analyses of different biological traits is a proven and powerful tool used to assess the population structures of fish species, which is vital for fishery stock conservation and management of wild resources. This study evaluates the use of three natural tags (i.e., microsatellites, parasites, and otolith nucleus chemistry) in order to describe the population structure of the spinyhead croaker, Collichthys lucidus, in the coastal waters of China, on evolutionary and ecological time scales. Spinyhead croaker was assigned with 86% accuracy to its regional origin (northern China vs. southern China) using all three natural tags. Accuracy decreased when incorporating only one type of natural tag (genetics: 19–69%; parasites: 30–60%; otolith chemistry: 51–86%) or when assigning the fish to a fine scale (sea areas: 44–64%; sampled estuaries: 19–66%). However, the overall accuracy assignment improved slightly compared with otolith chemistry (estuaries: 55 vs. 51%; sea areas: 66 vs. 64%; regions: 86 vs. 86%). Three natural tags and integrated results show that C. lucidus in Chinese coastal waters can be separated into distinct northern and southern Chinese stocks. Finally, this information should promote the development of effective conservation strategies and integrated fisheries management plans for this commercially important species.

scholarly journals Navigating a just and inclusive path towards sustainable oceans

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Spatial Planning ◽  
Marine Conservation ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Marine Spatial Planning ◽  
Ocean Science ◽  
Ocean Governance ◽  
Blue Economy

The ocean is the next frontier for many conservation and development activities. Growth in marine protected areas, fisheries management, the blue economy, and marine spatial planning initiatives are occurring both within and beyond national jurisdictions. This mounting activity has coincided with increasing concerns about sustainability and international attention to ocean governance. Yet, despite growing concerns about exclusionary decision-making processes and social injustices, there remains inadequate attention to issues of social justice and inclusion in ocean science, management, governance and funding. In a rapidly changing and progressively busier ocean, we need to learn from past mistakes and identify ways to navigate a just and inclusive path towards sustainability. Proactive attention to inclusive decision-making and social justice is needed across key ocean policy realms including marine conservation, fisheries management, marine spatial planning, the blue economy, climate adaptation and global ocean governance for both ethical and instrumental reasons. This discussion paper aims to stimulate greater engagement with these critical topics. It is a call to action for ocean-focused researchers, policy-makers, managers, practitioners, and funders.

scholarly journals Insights into bioassessment of water quality status using functional units of protozoan periphytons in marine ecosystems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Shabi Ul Hassan Kazmi ◽  
Uroosa Uroosa ◽  
Henglong Xu
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Baseline Survey ◽  
Biological Traits ◽  
Ecological Features ◽  
Water Quality Status ◽  
Functional Units ◽  
Quality Status

Abstract Protozoan periphytons with their ecological features are considered as a robust bioindicator for bioassessment of both environmental stress and anthropogenic impacts in aquatic ecosystems. Keeping in view the ability of protozoan fauna for discriminating water quality status, a 1-year baseline survey was conducted using glass slides as an artificial substratum in coastal waters of Yellow sea, northern China. Four sampling sites (A–D) were selected from a clean area to a polluted station, and samples were collected monthly at a depth of 1 m. Environmental variables such as salinity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved oxygen (DO), soluble reactive phosphates (SRP), ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) were measured synchronically to compare with biotic factors. From a total of 144 identified protozoan species, 53 functional units (FUs) were proposed based on four biological traits: feeding type, resource of food supply, body size and movement type. These FUs represented a clear variability in spatial distribution among four study sites. The relative abundances of the sessile colonial bacterivores (e.g., BOS5s) showed an increasing trend from sites A to D. Multivariate analysis revealed that the patterns of the protozoan FUs showed a significant variation among four sampling sites, and were driven by the increasing levels of nutrients (e.g., NH4-N) and decreasing ranks of DO (P < 0.05). The bacterivorous FUs (e.g., BOS5s and BIS3v) were significantly positively related to NH4-N, while the vagile algivorous FUs (e.g., AIS8v, AOS3v, AOS6v) and sessile predators (e.g., RIS4s) were significantly positively correlated with transparency. These findings suggested that FUs of protozoan periphytons may be used as a useful bioindicators of water quality status in marine ecosystems.

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