| 1. |
- Beaugrand, G., et al.
(författare)
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Synchronous marine pelagic regime shifts in the Northern Hemisphere
- 2015
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Ingår i: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8436 .- 1471-2970. ; 370:1659
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Regime shifts are characterized by sudden, substantial and temporally persistent changes in the state of an ecosystem. They involve major biological modifications and often have important implications for exploited living resources. In this study, we examine whether regime shifts observed in 11 marine systems from two oceans and three regional seas in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) are synchronous, applying the same methodology to all. We primarily infer marine pelagic regime shifts from abrupt shifts in zooplankton assemblages, with the exception of the East Pacific where ecosystem changes are inferred from fish. Our analyses provide evidence for quasi-synchronicity of marine pelagic regime shifts both within and between ocean basins, although these shifts lie embedded within considerable regional variability at both year-to-year and lower-frequency time scales. In particular, a regime shift was detected in the late 1980s in many studied marine regions, although the exact year of the observed shift varied somewhat from one basin to another. Another regime shift was also identified in the mid-to late 1970s but concerned less marine regions. We subsequently analyse the main biological signals in relation to changes in NH temperature and pressure anomalies. The results suggest that the main factor synchronizing regime shifts on large scales is NH temperature; however, changes in atmospheric circulation also appear important. We propose that this quasi-synchronous shift could represent the variably lagged biological response in each ecosystem to a large-scale, NH change of the climatic system, involving both an increase in NH temperature and a strongly positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation. Further investigation is needed to determine the relative roles of changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure patterns and their resultant teleconnections in synchronizing regime shifts at large scales.
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| 2. |
- Otto, Saskia A., et al.
(författare)
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Ekosystembaserad utveckling av indikatorer för pelagiska födovävar
- 2017
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Utveckling av indikatorer under EU:s ramdirektiv om en marin strategi, Havsmiljödirektivet, är en särskild utmaning när det gäller födovävar. Dessa indikatorer ska helst beskriva tillståndet i ett marint system, trots att sådana system är dynamiska och har komplexa interaktioner som ofta är icke-linjära. Havsområden som karaktäriseras av tydliga miljögradienter, som exempelvis Östersjön, medför ytterligare svårighet vid bedömningar av systemets tillstånd, eftersom det är nödvändigt att känna till hur pass relevanta indikatorerna är över hela spannet av miljöförhållanden som finns i området. Robusta tester och utvärderingar av indikatorerna är därför nödvändiga, särskilt för att undersöka hur de svarar på samtidiga påverkansvariabler och hur olika indikatorer är länkade genom artinteraktioner. I detta projekt använde vi flera olika metoder för att på ett robust sätt testa indikatorer för pelagiska födovävar i flera utsjöregioner i Östersjön: Bornholmsbassängen, Gotlandsbassängen, och Bottenhavet. Arbetet organiserades i tre delprojekt.I delprojekt 1 utvecklade vi ett modellbaserat ramverk där enskilda indikatorer testades mot enskilda påverkansvariabler, som till exempel koncentration av näringsämnen och fiskeintensitet. Detta möjliggjorde utvärdering av indikatorerna med avseende på deras sensitivitet, robusthet och specificitet. Med hjälp av ramverket kunde vi jämföra sex djurplanktonbaserade födovävsindikatorer och sju fiskbaserade födovävsindikatorer i två bassänger i Östersjön (Bornholmsbassängen och Gotlandsbassängen), medan i Bottenhavet jämfördes sex djurplanktonbaserade indikatorer (i detta område saknas längre tidsserier för fisk). De indikatorer som fick bäst resultat, inklusive de två tidigare föreslagna indikatorerna (’HELCOM core indicators’) baserade på djurplankton: Total djurplanktonförekomst (Total Zooplankton Abundance, TZA) och Medelstorlek av djurplankton (Mean Size, MS), analyserades vidare för att förstå eventuellt samspeloch påverkan mellan indikatorer.Två metoder för att testa indikatorer utvecklades för att kunna förstå och kvantifiera kopplingen mellan indikatorer orsakade av interaktioner (samspel) mellan olika arter, samt hur förhållandet mellan indikatorer och påverkansvariabler ser ut när hänsyns tas till indikatorernas koppling pga samspel mellan arter. Dessa metoder tillämpades sedan på olika typer av födovävsindikatorer på två samspelande nivåer i födoväven (delprojekt 2, storleksbaserade indikatorer samt mängd av fiskätande fisk och av bytesfiskar) och på tre samspelande nivåer (delprojekt 3, olika fisk och djurplanktonbaserade indikatorer) i Bornholmsbassängen och Gotlandsbassängen.Länkar mellan födovävsindikatorer från olika trofinivåer, som beror på de olika arternas samspel, var nödvändiga att ta hänsyn till för att kunna förklara hur dessa indikatorer varierade över tid. Detta visades i analyser av födovävsindikatorerna baserade på torsk Gadus morhua, en rovfisk, och i de indikatorer baserade på dess huvudsakliga bytesdjur skarpsill Sprattus sprattus och strömming Clupea harengus i Bornholmsbassängen, där både länkar (som motsvarar samspelet mellan rovdjur och byten) samt täthetsberoende effekter inom varje art behövde inkluderas för att förklara variationen i dessa pelagiska födovävsindikatorer från 1980-talet fram till 2012. Detta gällde för både abundans- och storleksbaserade indikatorer, men variationen över tid kunde förklaras bättre för de förstnämnda (testade 1979-2012) än de senare (testade 1984-2012). Vi lyckades inte anpassa någon statistiskt säkerställd modell för dessa två typer av indikatorer i Gotlandsbassängen, där mängden oförklarad variation förblev stor. När indikatorer testades på tre samspelande trofinivåer med en annan metod visade även dessa analyser att indikatorer på olika trofinivåer ofta påverkade varandra. Robusta modeller som förklarade variationen över tid kunde utvecklas för de djurplanktonbaserade indikatorerna (i båda bassängerna) och för indikatorn baserad på rovfisk (torsk) i Bornholmsbassängen. Utvecklingen över tid för storleksbaserade fiskindikatorerna förklarades sämre av modellerna än för de andra indikatorerna också i denna testmetod.Båda typerna av analyser i delprojekt 2 och 3 (två och tre samspelande nivåer i födoväven) visade att indikatorerna i allmänhet svarade mot ett flertal påverkansvariabler snarare än en enda, och att dessa var variabler kopplade till klimat, fiske och koncentration av näringsämnen eller primärproduktion. I studierna av två samspelande nivåer i födoväven, i detta fall de olika fiskbaserade indikatorerna, var salthalt, temperatur och syreförhållanden samt näringsämnen väsentliga för att kunna förklara utvecklingen av indikatorerna över tid. När tre samspelande nivåer i födoväven studerades – dvs. när djurplanktonbaserade indikatorer även var med i analysen – hade klimatvariabler ofta en starkare effekt på indikatorerna än fiske och primärproduktion. Detta belyser vikten av att ta hänsyn till klimatförändring när indikatorer tolkas och används till utvärdering av förvaltningsinsatser. Indikatorernas svar på externa påverkansvariabler var i många fall icke-linjära och berodde i vissa fall på nivån av en annan påverkansvariabel. Detta visar på nyttan med avancerade modellverktyg som kan fånga upp den relevanta dynamiken i system som karakteriseras av olika tillstånd (där olika orsakssamband kan gälla under olika tillstånd, s.k. ’alternativa regimer’).Projektets resultat utgör de första stegen mot en bedömning av födovävarnas nuvarande status, baserat på bassängspecifika uppsättningar av välfungerande fiskoch djurplanktonbaserade födovävsindikatorer. Våra resultat visar att (1) kopplingar mellan olika indikatorer, som uppkommer genom samspel mellan arter på olika nivåer i födoväven, bör beaktas i arbetet med att utveckla indikatorer för födovävar, (2) indikatorer för pelagiska födovävar som representerar djurplankton, planktonätande fisk och fiskätande fisk svarar alla mot flera samtidiga påverkansvariabler och (3) variationen över tid i variabler relaterade till fiske, övergödning (primärproduktion och näringsämnen) och klimatförändring förklarade indikatorernas historiska utveckling (1979/1984-2012).Det fanns ett fåtal skillnader mellan de olika metodernas resultat vad gäller de specifika sambanden mellan indikatorer och påverkansvariabler, men vi bedömer de samband som identifierats av minst två metoder som tillförlitliga. Dessa påverkansvariabler anses därför som de huvudsakliga. Det var dock inte alla indikatorer som hade statistiskt tillförlitliga samband till påverkansvariabler, varken inom en metod eller vid jämförelser mellan metoder. Därför är det ett urval av indikatorer som vi rekommenderar, givet det underliggande datamaterialet och provtagningsförfarandet.Vi rekommenderar att följande indikatorer används till riskanalyser eller utvärdering av förvaltningsalternativ för pelagiska födovävar i de studerade områdena, inom Havsmiljödirektivet:• För Bornholmsbassängen: Total djurplanktonförekomst (Total Zooplankton Abundance, TZA), förhållandet mellan hinnkräftor och hoppkräftor (Ratio Cladocerans to Copepods, RCC), skarpsill (Sprat), strömming (Herring), samt torsk (Cod).• För Gotlandsbassängen: Medelstorlek av djurplankton (Mean Size, MS), förhållandet mellan hinnkräftor och hoppkräftor (Ratio Cladocerans to Copepods, RCC), skarpsill (Sprat), strömming (Herring), samt torsk (Cod).• För Bottenhavet (där långsiktiga fiskdata saknas): Total djurplanktonförekomst (Total Zooplankton Abundance, TZA), Medelstorlek av djurplankton (Mean Size, MS) samt hoppkräftsbiomassa (Cops).
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| 3. |
- Ammar, Yosr, et al.
(författare)
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The rise of novelty in marine ecosystems : The Baltic Sea case
- 2021
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 27:7, s. 1485-1499
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Global environmental changes have accelerated at an unprecedented rate in recent decades due to human activities. As a consequence, the incidence of novel abiotic conditions and biotic communities, which have been continuously emerging in the Earth system, has rapidly risen. Despite growing attention to the incidence and challenges posed by novelty in terrestrial ecosystems, novelty has not yet been quantified in marine ecosystems. Here, we measured for the rate of novelty (RoN) in abiotic conditions and community structure for three trophic levels, i.e., phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish, in a large marine system - the Baltic Sea. We measured RoN as the degree of dissimilarity relative to a specific spatial and temporal baseline, and contrasted this with the rate of change as a measure of within-basin change over time. We found that over the past 35 years abiotic and biotic RoN showed complex dynamics varying in time and space, depending on the baseline conditions. RoN in abiotic conditions was smaller in the open Central Baltic Sea than in the Kattegat and the more enclosed Gulf of Bothnia, Gulf of Riga, and Gulf of Finland in the north. We found a similar spatial pattern for biotic assemblages, which resulted from changes in composition and stock size. We identified sea-surface temperature and salinity as key drivers of RoN in biotic communities. Hence, future environmental changes that are expected to affect the biogeochemistry of the Baltic Sea, may favor the rise of biotic novelty. Our results highlighted the need for a deeper understanding of novelty development in marine ecosystems, including interactions between species and trophic levels, ecosystem functioning under novel abiotic conditions, and considering novelty in future management interventions.
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| 4. |
- Downing, Andrea S., et al.
(författare)
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Zooming in on size distribution patterns underlying species coexistence in Baltic Sea phytoplankton
- 2014
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Ingår i: Ecology Letters. - : Wiley. - 1461-023X .- 1461-0248. ; 17:10, s. 1219-1227
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Scale is a key to determining which processes drive community structure. We analyse size distributions of phytoplankton to determine time scales at which we can observe either fixed environmental characteristics underlying communities structure or competition-driven size distributions. Using multiple statistical tests, we characterise size distributions of phytoplankton from 20-year time series in two sites of the Baltic Sea. At large temporal scales (5-20 years), size distributions are unimodal, indicating that fundamental barriers to existence are here subtler than in other systems. Frequency distributions of the average size of the species weighted by biovolume are multimodal over large time scales, although this is the product of often unimodal short-term (<1 year) patterns. Our study represents a much-needed structured, high-resolution analysis of phytoplankton size distributions, revealing that short-term analyses are necessary to determine if, and how, competition shapes them. Our results provide a stepping-stone on which to further investigate the intricacies of competition and coexistence.
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| 5. |
- Kadin, Martina, et al.
(författare)
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Trophic Interactions, Management Trade-Offs and Climate Change : The Need for Adaptive Thresholds to Operationalize Ecosystem Indicators
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Marine Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-7745.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ecosystem-based management (EBM) is commonly applied to achieve sustainable use of marine resources. For EBM, regular ecosystem-wide assessments of changes in environmental or ecological status are essential components, as well as assessments of the effects of management measures. Assessments are typically carried out using indicators. A major challenge for the usage of indicators in EBM is trophic interactions as these may influence indicator responses. Trophic interactions can also shape trade-offs between management targets, because they modify and mediate the effects of pressures on ecosystems. Characterization of such interactions is in turn a challenge when testing the usability of indicators. Climate variability and climate change may also impact indicators directly, as well as indirectly through trophic interactions. Together, these effects may alter interpretation of indicators in assessments and evaluation of management measures. We developed indicator networks - statistical models of coupled indicators - to identify links representing trophic interactions between proposed food-web indicators, under multiple anthropogenic pressures and climate variables, using two basins in the Baltic Sea as a case study. We used the networks to simulate future indicator responses under different fishing, eutrophication and climate change scenarios. Responsiveness to fishing and eutrophication differed between indicators and across basins. Almost all indicators were highly dependent on climatic conditions, and differences in indicator trajectories > 10% were found only in comparisons of future climates. In some cases, effects of nutrient load and climate scenarios counteracted each other, altering how management measures manifested in the indicators. Incorporating climate change, or other regionally non-manageable drivers, is thus necessary for an accurate interpretation of indicators and thereby of EBM measure effects. Quantification of linkages between indicators across trophic levels is similarly a prerequisite for tracking effects propagating through the food web, and, consequently, for indicator interpretation. Developing meaningful indicators under climate change calls for iterative indicator validations, accounting for natural processes such as trophic interactions and for trade-offs between management objectives, to enable learning as well as setting target levels or thresholds triggering actions in an adaptive manner. Such flexible strategies make a set of indicators operational over the long-term and facilitate success of EBM.
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| 6. |
- Otto, Saskia A., et al.
(författare)
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A quantitative framework for selecting and validating food web indicators
- 2018
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Ingår i: Ecological Indicators. - : Elsevier BV. - 1470-160X .- 1872-7034. ; 84, s. 619-631
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Finding suitable state indicators is challenging and cumbersome in stochastic and complex ecological systems. Typically, a great focus is given to criteria such as data availability, scientific basis, or measurability. Features associated with the indicator's performance such as sensitivity or robustness are often neglected due to the lack of quantitative validation tools. In this paper, we present a simple but flexible framework for selecting and validating the performance of food web indicators. In specific, we suggest a 7-step process in which indicator performances at a regional scale are quantified and visualized allowing for the selection of complementary indicator suites. We demonstrate its application by comparing the performance of pelagic food web indicators for three basins of the Baltic Sea and by assessing the food web status based on selected indicator suites. Our analysis sheds light on spatial differences in indicator performances with respect to direct and indirect pressures, the role of non-linearity and non-additivity in pressure responses, as well as relationships between indicators caused by species interactions. Moreover, our results suggest that the present food web states in the Bornholm and Gotland basins of the Baltic Sea deviate distinctly from an earlier reference period. We advocate the use of our quantitative framework as decision-support tool for selecting suites of complementary indicators under given management schemes such as the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
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| 7. |
- Otto, Saskia A., et al.
(författare)
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Habitat Heterogeneity Determines Climate Impact on Zooplankton Community Structure and Dynamics
- 2014
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:3, s. e90875-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Understanding and predicting species distribution in space and time and consequently community structure and dynamics is an important issue in ecology, and particularly in climate change research. A crucial factor determining the composition and dynamics of animal populations is habitat heterogeneity, i.e., the number of structural elements in a given locality. In the marine pelagic environment habitat heterogeneity is represented by the distribution of physical oceanographic parameters such as temperature, salinity and oxygen that are closely linked to atmospheric conditions. Little attention has been given, however, to the role of habitat heterogeneity in modulating the response of animal communities to external climate forcing. Here we investigate the long-term dynamics of Acartia spp., Temora longicornis, and Pseudocalanus acuspes, three dominant zooplankton species inhabiting different pelagic habitats in the Central Baltic Sea (CBS). We use the three copepods as indicator species for changes in the CBS zooplankton community and apply non-linear statistical modeling techniques to compare spatial population trends and to identify their drivers. We demonstrate that effects of climate variability and change depend strongly on species-specific habitat utilization, being more direct and pronounced at the upper water layer. We propose that the differential functional response to climate-related drivers in relation to strong habitat segregation is due to alterations of the species' environmental niches. We stress the importance of understanding how anticipated climate change will affect ecological niches and habitats in order to project spatio-temporal changes in species abundance and distribution.
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| 8. |
- Otto, Saskia A., et al.
(författare)
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Interactions among density, climate, and food web effects determine long-term life cycle dynamics of a key copepod
- 2014
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Ingår i: Marine Ecology Progress Series. - : Inter-Research Science Center. - 0171-8630 .- 1616-1599. ; 498, s. 73-U408
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increasing pressure on animal populations through climate change and anthropogenic exploitation fuel the need to understand complex life cycle dynamics of key ecosystem species and their responses to external factors. Here, we provide a novel, integrative study on the long-term population dynamics of Pseudocalanus acuspes, a key species in the Baltic Sea, explicitly considering its distinct life-history stages, and testing for linear, non-linear, and non-additive climate and food web effects. Based on a unique data set of stage-specific abundance covering almost 5 decades of sampling (1960 to 2008, with 1408 samples), we use generalized additive modeling (GAM) and its respective non-additive threshold (TGAM) formulation to test for (1) density effects on subsequent life-history stages within the internal life cycle, (2) the effect of exogenous bottom-up (i.e. hydro-climatic) and top-down (i.e. predation) pressures, and (3) changes between bottom-up and top-down regulation. We show that linear density effects are always present, explaining a high proportion of interannual variability, while effects of external pressures are non-linear or non-additive and strongly stage- and season-specific. In general, younger stages of P. acuspes are more affected by atmospheric winter conditions and water temperature, whereas older stages are influenced by conditions of deepwater salinity and predation pressure. These bottom-up processes, however, are not necessarily stable, and can depend on the level of top-down predation pressure. Our study demonstrates the complex and non-stationary interplay between internal and external factors regulating long-term animal population dynamics.
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| 9. |
- Otto, Saskia A., et al.
(författare)
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Life Cycle Dynamics of a Key Marine Species Under Multiple Stressors
- 2020
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Marine Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-7745. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Identifying key indicator species, their life cycle dynamics and the multiple driving forces they are affected by is an important step in ecosystem-based management. Similarly important is understanding how environmental changes and trophic interactions shape future trajectories of key species with potential implications for ecosystem state and service provision. We here present a statistical modeling framework to assess and quantify cumulative effects on the long-term dynamics of the copepod Pseudocalanus acuspes, a key species in the Baltic Sea. Our model integrates linear and non-linear responses to changes in life stage density, climate and predation pressure as well as stochastic processes. We use the integrated life cycle model to simulate copepod dynamics under a combination of stressor scenarios and to identify conditions under which population responses are potentially mitigated or magnified. Our novel modeling approach reliably captures the historical P. acuspes population dynamics and allows us to identify females in spring and younger copepodites in summer as stages most sensitive to direct and indirect effects of the main environmental stressors, salinity and temperature. Our model simulations furthermore demonstrate that population responses to stressors are dampened through density effects. Multiple stressor interactions were mostly additive except when acting on the same life stage. Here, negative synergistic and positive dampening effects lead to a lower total population size than expected under additive interactions. As a consequence, we found that a favorable increase of oxygen and phosphate conditions together with a reduction in predation pressure by 50% each could counteract the negative effect of a 25% decrease in salinity by only 6%. Ultimately, our simulations suggest that P. acuspes will most certainly decline under a potential freshening of the Baltic Sea and increasing temperatures, which is conditional on the extent of the assumed climate change. Also the planned nutrient reduction strategy and fishery management plan will not necessarily benefit the temporal development of P. acuspes. Moving forward, there is a growing opportunity for using population modeling in cumulative effects assessments. Our modeling framework can help here as simple tool for species with a discrete life cycle to explore stressor interactions and the safe operating space under future climate change.
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| 10. |
- Tomczak, Maciej T., et al.
(författare)
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Ecological Network Indicators of Ecosystem Status and Change in the Baltic Sea
- 2013
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 8:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several marine ecosystems under anthropogenic pressure have experienced shifts from one ecological state to another. In the central Baltic Sea, the regime shift of the 1980s has been associated with food-web reorganization and redirection of energy flow pathways. These long-term dynamics from 1974 to 2006 have been simulated here using a food-web model forced by climate and fishing. Ecological network analysis was performed to calculate indices of ecosystem change. The model replicated the regime shift. The analyses of indicators suggested that the system's resilience was higher prior to 1988 and lower thereafter. The ecosystem topology also changed from a web-like structure to a linearized food-web.
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