A global perspective on wetland salinization : Ecological consequences of a growing threat to freshwater wetlands
- Herbert, Ellen, Boon, Paul, Burgin, Amy, Neubauer, Scott, Franklin, Rima, Ardon, Marcelo, Hopfensperger, Kristine, Lamers, Leon, Gell, Peter
- Authors: Herbert, Ellen , Boon, Paul , Burgin, Amy , Neubauer, Scott , Franklin, Rima , Ardon, Marcelo , Hopfensperger, Kristine , Lamers, Leon , Gell, Peter
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecosphere Vol. 6, no. 10 (2015), p. 1-43
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Salinization, a widespread threat to the structure and ecological functioning of inland and coastal wetlands, is currently occurring at an unprecedented rate and geographic scale. The causes of salinization are diverse and include alterations to freshwater flows, land-clearance, irrigation, disposal of wastewater effluent, sea level rise, storm surges, and applications of de-icing salts. Climate change and anthropogenic modifications to the hydrologic cycle are expected to further increase the extent and severity of wetland salinization. Salinization alters the fundamental physicochemical nature of the soil-water environment, increasing ionic concentrations and altering chemical equilibria and mineral solubility. Increased concentrations of solutes, especially sulfate, alter the biogeochemical cycling of major elements including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, iron, and silica. The effects of salinization on wetland biogeochemistry typically include decreased inorganic nitrogen removal (with implications for water quality and climate regulation), decreased carbon storage (with implications for climate regulation and wetland accretion), and increased generation of toxic sulfides (with implications for nutrient cycling and the health/functioning of wetland biota). Indeed, increased salt and sulfide concentrations induce physiological stress in wetland biota and ultimately can result in large shifts in wetland communities and their associated ecosystem functions. The productivity and composition of freshwater species assemblages will be highly altered, and there is a high potential for the disruption of existing interspecific interactions. Although there is a wealth of information on how salinization impacts individual ecosystem components, relatively few studies have addressed the complex and often non-linear feedbacks that determine ecosystem-scale responses or considered how wetland salinization will affect landscape-level processes. Although the salinization of wetlands may be unavoidable in many cases, these systems may also prove to be a fertile testing ground for broader ecological theories including (but not limited to): investigations into alternative stable states and tipping points, trophic cascades, disturbance-recovery processes, and the role of historical events and landscape context in driving community response to disturbance. © 2015 Herbert et al.
- Authors: Herbert, Ellen , Boon, Paul , Burgin, Amy , Neubauer, Scott , Franklin, Rima , Ardon, Marcelo , Hopfensperger, Kristine , Lamers, Leon , Gell, Peter
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecosphere Vol. 6, no. 10 (2015), p. 1-43
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Salinization, a widespread threat to the structure and ecological functioning of inland and coastal wetlands, is currently occurring at an unprecedented rate and geographic scale. The causes of salinization are diverse and include alterations to freshwater flows, land-clearance, irrigation, disposal of wastewater effluent, sea level rise, storm surges, and applications of de-icing salts. Climate change and anthropogenic modifications to the hydrologic cycle are expected to further increase the extent and severity of wetland salinization. Salinization alters the fundamental physicochemical nature of the soil-water environment, increasing ionic concentrations and altering chemical equilibria and mineral solubility. Increased concentrations of solutes, especially sulfate, alter the biogeochemical cycling of major elements including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, iron, and silica. The effects of salinization on wetland biogeochemistry typically include decreased inorganic nitrogen removal (with implications for water quality and climate regulation), decreased carbon storage (with implications for climate regulation and wetland accretion), and increased generation of toxic sulfides (with implications for nutrient cycling and the health/functioning of wetland biota). Indeed, increased salt and sulfide concentrations induce physiological stress in wetland biota and ultimately can result in large shifts in wetland communities and their associated ecosystem functions. The productivity and composition of freshwater species assemblages will be highly altered, and there is a high potential for the disruption of existing interspecific interactions. Although there is a wealth of information on how salinization impacts individual ecosystem components, relatively few studies have addressed the complex and often non-linear feedbacks that determine ecosystem-scale responses or considered how wetland salinization will affect landscape-level processes. Although the salinization of wetlands may be unavoidable in many cases, these systems may also prove to be a fertile testing ground for broader ecological theories including (but not limited to): investigations into alternative stable states and tipping points, trophic cascades, disturbance-recovery processes, and the role of historical events and landscape context in driving community response to disturbance. © 2015 Herbert et al.
Reduced gene flow in a vulnerable species reflects two centuries of habitat loss and fragmentation
- Stevens, Kate, Harrisson, Katherine, Hogan, Fiona, Cooke, Raylene, Clarke, Rohan
- Authors: Stevens, Kate , Harrisson, Katherine , Hogan, Fiona , Cooke, Raylene , Clarke, Rohan
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecosphere Vol. 9, no. 2 (2018), p. 1-15
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Understanding the effects of landscape modification on gene flow of fauna is central to informing conservation strategies that promote functional landscape connectivity and population persistence. We explored the effects of large-scale habitat loss and fragmentation on spatial and temporal patterns of gene flow in a threatened Australian woodland bird: the Grey-crowned Babbler Pomatostomus temporalis. Using microsatellite data, we (1) investigated historical (i.e., pre-fragmentation) and contemporary (i.e., post-fragmentation) levels of gene flow among subpopulations and/or regions, (2) identified first-generation migrants and likely dispersal events, (3) tested for signatures of genetic bottlenecks, (4) estimated contemporary and historical effective population sizes, and (5) explored the relative influences of drift and migration in shaping contemporary population structure. Results indicated that the functional connectivity of landscapes used by the Grey-crowned Babbler is severely compromised in the study area. The proportion of individuals that were recent immigrants among all subpopulations were low. Habitat fragmentation has led to a clear division between subpopulations in the east and west, and the patterns of gene flow exchange between these two regions have changed over time. The effective population size estimates for these two regions are now well below that required for long-term population viability (Ne < 100). Demographic history models indicate that genetic drift was a greater influence on subpopulations than gene flow, and most subpopulations show signatures of bottlenecks. Translocations to promote gene flow and boost genetic diversity in the short term and targeted habitat restoration to improve landscape functional connectivity in the long term represent promising conservation management strategies that will likely have benefits for many other woodland bird species. © 2018 Stevens et al.
- Authors: Stevens, Kate , Harrisson, Katherine , Hogan, Fiona , Cooke, Raylene , Clarke, Rohan
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecosphere Vol. 9, no. 2 (2018), p. 1-15
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Understanding the effects of landscape modification on gene flow of fauna is central to informing conservation strategies that promote functional landscape connectivity and population persistence. We explored the effects of large-scale habitat loss and fragmentation on spatial and temporal patterns of gene flow in a threatened Australian woodland bird: the Grey-crowned Babbler Pomatostomus temporalis. Using microsatellite data, we (1) investigated historical (i.e., pre-fragmentation) and contemporary (i.e., post-fragmentation) levels of gene flow among subpopulations and/or regions, (2) identified first-generation migrants and likely dispersal events, (3) tested for signatures of genetic bottlenecks, (4) estimated contemporary and historical effective population sizes, and (5) explored the relative influences of drift and migration in shaping contemporary population structure. Results indicated that the functional connectivity of landscapes used by the Grey-crowned Babbler is severely compromised in the study area. The proportion of individuals that were recent immigrants among all subpopulations were low. Habitat fragmentation has led to a clear division between subpopulations in the east and west, and the patterns of gene flow exchange between these two regions have changed over time. The effective population size estimates for these two regions are now well below that required for long-term population viability (Ne < 100). Demographic history models indicate that genetic drift was a greater influence on subpopulations than gene flow, and most subpopulations show signatures of bottlenecks. Translocations to promote gene flow and boost genetic diversity in the short term and targeted habitat restoration to improve landscape functional connectivity in the long term represent promising conservation management strategies that will likely have benefits for many other woodland bird species. © 2018 Stevens et al.
Ecological processes associated with different animal taxa in urban environments
- Evans, Maldwyn, Barton, Philip, Westgate, Martin, Soga, Masashi, Fujita, Go, Miyashita, Tadashi
- Authors: Evans, Maldwyn , Barton, Philip , Westgate, Martin , Soga, Masashi , Fujita, Go , Miyashita, Tadashi
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecosphere Vol. 12, no. 8 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Urbanization is increasing globally with wide-ranging consequences for biodiversity and the ecological processes it performs. Yet knowledge of the range of ecological processes supported by biodiversity in urban environments, and the different taxa that perform these processes is poorly understood. We used a text-analysis approach to identify the research trends and gaps in knowledge in the literature on ecological processes provided by animals in urban environments. We found a divide in urban ecological processes research that grouped studies into those with an explicit link to ecological processes and those that focused on biodiversity and made an implicit link to ecological processes. We also found that the dominant taxa in urban ecological processes research were insects, which has more than twice as many studies as birds or mammals, potentially due to their recognized and explicit link to key processes and services (e.g., pollination, pollution biomonitoring) and disservices (e.g., pests, disease transmission). We found a further split between terrestrial and aquatic studies, with urban aquatic studies also declining in relative prevalence over the last 20 yr. To consolidate and advance research on ecological processes in urban environments, we suggest it will be important to bridge the divide between studies on explicit services and others on more general biodiversity. This might be achieved by placing greater focus on the processes provided by non-insect taxa, and by integrating aquatic and terrestrial perspectives. © 2021 The Authors.
- Authors: Evans, Maldwyn , Barton, Philip , Westgate, Martin , Soga, Masashi , Fujita, Go , Miyashita, Tadashi
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecosphere Vol. 12, no. 8 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Urbanization is increasing globally with wide-ranging consequences for biodiversity and the ecological processes it performs. Yet knowledge of the range of ecological processes supported by biodiversity in urban environments, and the different taxa that perform these processes is poorly understood. We used a text-analysis approach to identify the research trends and gaps in knowledge in the literature on ecological processes provided by animals in urban environments. We found a divide in urban ecological processes research that grouped studies into those with an explicit link to ecological processes and those that focused on biodiversity and made an implicit link to ecological processes. We also found that the dominant taxa in urban ecological processes research were insects, which has more than twice as many studies as birds or mammals, potentially due to their recognized and explicit link to key processes and services (e.g., pollination, pollution biomonitoring) and disservices (e.g., pests, disease transmission). We found a further split between terrestrial and aquatic studies, with urban aquatic studies also declining in relative prevalence over the last 20 yr. To consolidate and advance research on ecological processes in urban environments, we suggest it will be important to bridge the divide between studies on explicit services and others on more general biodiversity. This might be achieved by placing greater focus on the processes provided by non-insect taxa, and by integrating aquatic and terrestrial perspectives. © 2021 The Authors.
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