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| 2. |
- Austin, Åsa N., et al.
(författare)
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Relationships between aquatic vegetation and water turbidity : A field survey across seasons and spatial scales
- 2017
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 12:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Field surveys often show that high water turbidity limits cover of aquatic vegetation, while many small-scale experiments show that vegetation can reduce turbidity by decreasing water flow, stabilizing sediments, and competing with phytoplankton for nutrients. Here we bridged these two views by exploring the direction and strength of causal relationships between aquatic vegetation and turbidity across seasons (spring and late summer) and spatial scales (local and regional), using causal modeling based on data from a field survey along the central Swedish Baltic Sea coast. The two best-fitting regional-scale models both suggested that in spring, high cover of vegetation reduces water turbidity. In summer, the relationships differed between the two models; in the first model high vegetation cover reduced turbidity; while in the second model reduction of summer turbidity by high vegetation cover in spring had a positive effect on summer vegetation which suggests a positive feedback of vegetation on itself. Nitrogen load had a positive effect on turbidity in both seasons, which was comparable in strength to the effect of vegetation on turbidity. To assess whether the effect of vegetation was primarily caused by sediment stabilization or a reduction of phytoplankton, we also tested models where turbidity was replaced by phytoplankton fluorescence or sediment-driven turbidity. The best-fitting regional-scale models suggested that high sediment-driven turbidity in spring reduces vegetation cover in summer, which in turn has a negative effect on sediment-driven turbidity in summer, indicating a potential positive feedback of sediment-driven turbidity on itself. Using data at the local scale, few relationships were significant, likely due to the influence of unmeasured variables and/or spatial heterogeneity. In summary, causal modeling based on data from a large-scale field survey suggested that aquatic vegetation can reduce turbidity at regional scales, and that high vegetation cover vs. high sediment-driven turbidity may represent two self-enhancing, alternative states of shallow bay ecosystems.
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| 3. |
- Austin, Åsa N., 1988-, et al.
(författare)
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Stronger effect of individual species’ traits than shading on aquatic plant community productivity and interspecific competition
- 2023
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Ingår i: Aquatic Botany. - : Elsevier BV. - 0304-3770 .- 1879-1522. ; 187
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Competition is one of the major factors structuring plant communities. Species with similar traits generally compete more intensely and have more similar yield than functionally dissimilar species, which often respond differently to environmental change. Little is known about how the interacting species’ traits influence the effect of environmental change on interspecific competition. However, theory predicts that environmental change should lead to more asymmetric competition, by favouring the species best adapted to the particular environmental change. Here we used a mesocosm experiment with three common aquatic plant species from the Baltic Sea (Northern Europe), to test how community productivity and competition asymmetry were affected by functional dissimilarity, individual species’ traits and a common stressor: shading. Competition asymmetry was defined as the absolute difference in reductions in yield relative to monocultures of two interacting species. Community productivity decreased and competition asymmetry increased with functional dissimilarity of the interacting species, possibly explained by the traits of the superior species, which had higher specific leaf area, maximum canopy height and primary production rate than the subordinate species. Community productivity was not affected by shading, contrary to our expectation, while competition asymmetry was higher in shaded than ambient conditions. Individual species yield depended on species identity and species combination. Only the shortest species was negatively affected by shading. Thus, by favouring tall-growing species, shading can alter interspecific competition. Together, these findings suggest that non-random species loss following environmental change can be caused by competitive exclusion, in addition to a direct effect of abiotic filtering.
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| 4. |
- Austin, Åsa N., et al.
(författare)
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Synergistic Effects of Rooted Aquatic Vegetation and Drift Wrack on Ecosystem Multifunctionality
- 2021
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Ingår i: Ecosystems (New York. Print). - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-9840 .- 1435-0629. ; 24:7, s. 1670-1686
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ecosystem multifunctionality is an increasingly popular concept used to approximate multifaceted ecosystem functioning, which in turn may help advance ecosystem-based management. However, while experimental studies have shown a positive effect of diversity on multifunctionality, observational studies from natural systems-particularly aquatic-are scarce. Here, we tested the relative importance of species richness and cover of rooted aquatic vegetation, as well as cover of the loose-lying form of the macroalgae bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus), for ecosystem multifunctionality in shallow bays along the western Baltic Sea coast. We estimated multifunctionality based on four indicators of functions that support ecosystem services: recruitment of large predatory fish, grazer biomass, inverted 'nuisance' algal biomass, and water clarity. Piecewise path analysis showed that multifunctionality was driven by high cover of rooted aquatic vegetation and bladderwrack, particularly when the two co-occurred. This synergistic effect was nearly three times as strong as a negative effect of land-derived nitrogen loading. Species richness of aquatic vegetation indirectly benefitted multifunctionality by increasing vegetation cover. Meanwhile, high bladderwrack cover tended to decrease vegetation species richness, indicating that bladderwrack has both positive and negative effects on multifunctionality. We conclude that managing for dense and diverse vegetation assemblages may mitigate effects of anthropogenic pressures (for example, eutrophication) and support healthy coastal ecosystems that provide a range of benefits. To balance the exploitation of coastal ecosystems and maintain their multiple processes and services, management therefore needs to go beyond estimation of vegetation cover and consider the diversity and functional types of aquatic vegetation.
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| 5. |
- Donadi, Serena, et al.
(författare)
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A cross-scale trophic cascade from large predatory fish to algae in coastal ecosystems
- 2017
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 284:1859
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 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.
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| 6. |
- Donadi, Serena, et al.
(författare)
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Density-dependent positive feedbacks buffer aquatic plants from interactive effects of eutrophication and predator loss
- 2018
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Ingår i: Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0012-9658 .- 1939-9170. ; 99:11, s. 2515-2524
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Self-facilitation allows populations to persist under disturbance by ameliorating experienced stress. In coastal ecosystems, eutrophication and declines of large predatory fish are two common disturbances that can synergistically impact habitat-forming plants by benefitting ephemeral algae. In theory, density-dependent intraspecific plant facilitation could weaken such effects by ameliorating the amount of experienced stress. Here, we tested whether and how shoot density of a common aquatic plant (Myriophyllum spicatum) alters the response of individual plants to eutrophication and exclusion of large predatory fish, using a 12-week cage experiment in the field. Results showed that high plant density benefitted individual plant performance, but only when the two stressors were combined. Epiphytic algal biomass per plant more than doubled in cages that excluded large predatory fish, indicative of a trophic cascade. Moreover, in this treatment, individual shoot biomass, as well as number of branches, increased with density when nutrients were added, but decreased with density at ambient nutrient levels. In contrast, in open cages that large predatory fish could access, epiphytic algal biomass was low and individual plant biomass and number of branches were unaffected by plant density and eutrophication. Plant performance generally decreased under fertilization, suggesting stressful conditions. Together, these results suggest that intraspecific plant facilitation occurred only when large fish exclusion (causing high epiphyte load) was accompanied by fertilization, and that intraspecific competition instead prevailed when no nutrients were added. As coastal ecosystems are increasingly exposed to multiple and often interacting stressors such as eutrophication and declines of large predatory fish, maintaining high plant density is important for ecosystem-based management.
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| 7. |
- Eklöf, Johan S., 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of seasonal spawning closures on pike (Esox lucius L.) and perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) catches and coastal food webs in the western Baltic Sea
- 2023
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Ingår i: Fisheries Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0165-7836 .- 1872-6763. ; 263
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Marine protected areas have become one of the main tools in the battle to curb marine biodiversity loss and habitat degradation. Yet, implementation of permanent fishery closures has often generated resource user conflicts that ultimately undermine conservation goals. Here we assessed the influence of an alternative and often more accepted measure – seasonal fish spawning closures – on large predatory fish and coastal food webs in the western Baltic Sea (Sweden). In spring 2017, we conducted a multivariable field survey in 11 seasonal closures and 11 paired references areas open to fishing. In each area, pike was sampled through angling, and perch and mesopredators through gillnet surveys. To assess trophic cascades, we measured zooplankton abundance and loss of tethered gammarids from predation. Catches per unit effort of northern pike (Esox lucius) – the main target species in recreational fisheries – were ca. 2.5 times higher per unit effort in closures than reference areas; an effect that may be caused by higher abundance and/or higher catchability of pike in the absence of fishing. Catch and weight per unit effort of the more common predator European perch (Perca fluviatilus), and the mesopredators roach (Rutilus rutilus) and three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in survey nets were, however, unaffected by closures. Moreover, a previously hypothesized trophic cascade from perch to zooplankton via three-spined stickleback was supported by the analyses, but appeared independent of closures. Yet, predation risk for tethered gammarid amphipods (a prey of stickleback and an important grazer on macroalgae) was three times higher in fished areas than in closures; a cascading closure effect that may potentially be caused by small predatory fish being less active in protected areas to avoid pike predation. Overall, our results suggest that spawning closures impact pike abundance and/or behavior and could help limit the effects of fishing, but that more research is needed to disentangle i) what mechanism(s) that underlie the protection effect on pike catches, ii) the apparently weaker closure impacts on other fish species, as well as iii) the potential for cascading effects on lower trophic levels. Therefore, new seasonal spawning closures should be implemented in addition to (and not instead of) much-needed permanent closures, which have well-known effects on the wider ecosystem.
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| 8. |
- Eklöf, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Size matters : relationships between body size and body mass of common coastal, aquatic invertebrates in the Baltic Sea
- 2017
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Ingår i: PeerJ. - : PeerJ. - 2167-8359. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Organism biomass is one of the most important variables in ecological studies, making biomass estimations one of the most common laboratory tasks. Biomass of small macroinvertebrates is usually estimated as dry mass or ash-free dry mass (hereafter `DM' vs. 'AFDM') per sample; a laborious and time consuming process, that often can be speeded up using easily measured and reliable proxy variables like body size or wet (fresh) mass. Another common way of estimating AFDM (one of the most accurate but also time-consuming estimates of biologically active tissue mass) is the use of AFDM/DM ratios as conversion factors. So far, however, these ratios typically ignore the possibility that the relative mass of biologically active vs. non-active support tissue (e.g., protective exoskeleton or shell)-and therefore, also AFDM/DM ratios-may change with body size, as previously shown for taxa like spiders, vertebrates and trees.Methods. We collected aquatic, epibenthic macroinvertebrates (>1 mm) in 32 shallow bays along a 360 km stretch of the Swedish coast along the Baltic Sea; one of the largest brackish water bodies on Earth. We then estimated statistical relationships between the body size (length or height in mm), body dry mass and ash-free dry mass for 14 of the most common taxa; five gastropods, three bivalves, three crustaceans and three insect larvae. Finally, we statistically estimated the potential influence of body size on the AFDM/DM ratio per taxon.Results. For most taxa, non-linear regression models describing the power relationship between body size and (i)DM and (ii) AFDM fit the data well (as indicated by low SE and high R-2). Moreover, for more than half of the taxa studied (including the vast majority of the shelled molluscs), body size had a negative influence on organism AFDM/DM ratios.Discussion. The good fit of the modelled power relationships suggests that the constants reported here can be used to quickly estimate organism dry-and ash-free dry mass based on body size, thereby freeing up considerable work resources. However, the considerable differences in constants between taxa emphasize the need for tax on specific relationships, and the potential dangers associated with ignoring body size. The negative influence of body size on the AFDM/DM ratio found in a majority of the molluscs could be caused by increasingly thicker shells with organism age, and/or spawning-induced loss of biologically active tissue in adults. Consequently, future studies utilizing AFDM/DM (and presumably also AFDM/wet mass) ratios should carefully assess the potential influence of body size to ensure more reliable estimates of organism body mass.
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| 9. |
- Eriksson, Britas Klemens, et al.
(författare)
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Habitat segregation of plate phenotypes in a rapidly expanding population of three-spined stickleback
- 2021
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Ingår i: Ecosphere. - : Wiley. - 2150-8925 .- 2150-8925. ; 12:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Declines of large predatory fish due to overexploitation are restructuring food webs across the globe. It is now becoming evident that restoring these altered food webs requires addressing not only ecological processes, but evolutionary ones as well, because human-induced rapid evolution may in turn affect ecological dynamics. We studied the potential for niche differentiation between different plate armor phenotypes in a rapidly expanding population of a small prey fish, the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). In the central Baltic Sea, three-spined stickleback abundance has increased dramatically during the past decades. The increase in this typical mesopredator has restructured near-shore food webs, increased filamentous algal blooms, and threatens coastal biodiversity. Time-series data covering 22 years show that the increase coincides with a decline in the number of juvenile perch (Perca fluviatilis), the most abundant predator of stickleback along the coast. We investigated the distribution of different stickleback plate armor phenotypes depending on latitude, environmental conditions, predator and prey abundances, nutrients, and benthic production; and described the stomach content of the stickleback phenotypes using metabarcoding. We found two distinct lateral armor plate phenotypes of stickleback, incompletely and completely plated. The proportion of incompletely plated individuals increased with increasing benthic production and decreasing abundances of adult perch. Metabarcoding showed that the stomach content of the completely plated individuals more often contained invertebrate herbivores (amphipods) than the incompletely plated ones. Since armor plates are defense structures favored by natural selection in the presence of fish predators, the phenotype distribution suggests that a novel low-predation regime favors stickleback with less armor. Our results suggest that morphological differentiation of the three-spined stickleback has the potential to affect food web dynamics and influence the persistence and resilience of the stickleback take-over in the Baltic Sea.
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| 10. |
- Hansen, Joakim P., et al.
(författare)
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Recreational boating degrades vegetation important for fish recruitment
- 2019
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Ingår i: Ambio. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-7447 .- 1654-7209. ; 48:6, s. 539-551
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recreational boating increases globally and associated moorings are often placed in vegetated habitats important for fish recruitment. Meanwhile, assessments of the effects of boating on vegetation, and potential effects on associated fish assemblages are rare. Here, we analysed (i) the effect of small-boat marinas on vegetation structure, and (ii) juvenile fish abundance in relation to vegetation cover in shallow wave-sheltered coastal inlets. We found marinas to have lower vegetation cover and height, and a different species composition, compared to control inlets. This effect became stronger with increasing berth density. Moreover, there was a clear positive relationship between vegetation cover and fish abundance. We conclude that recreational boating and related moorings are associated with reduced cover of aquatic vegetation constituting important habitats for juvenile fish. We therefore recommend that coastal constructions and associated boating should be allocated to more disturbance tolerant environments (e.g. naturally wave-exposed shores), thereby minimizing negative environmental impacts.
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