| 1. |
- Graham, Nicholas A. J., et al.
(författare)
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Managing resilience to reverse phase shifts in coral reefs
- 2013
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. - : Wiley. - 1540-9295 .- 1540-9309. ; 11:10, s. 541-548
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Both coral-dominated and degraded reef ecosystems can be resistant to change. Typically, research and management have focused on maintaining coral dominance and avoiding phase shifts to other species compositions, rather than on weakening the resilience of already degraded reefs to re-establish coral dominance. Reversing degraded coral-reef states will involve reducing local chronic drivers like fishing pressure and poor water quality. Reversals will also require management of key ecological processes - such as those performed by different functional groups of marine herbivores - that both weaken the resilience of the degraded state and strengthen the coral-dominated state. If detrimental human impacts are reduced and key ecological processes are enhanced, pulse disturbances, such as extreme weather events, and ecological variability may provide opportunities for a return to a coral-dominated state. Critically, achieving these outcomes will necessitate a diverse range of integrated approaches to alter human interactions with reef ecosystems.
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| 2. |
- Gärdenfors, Ulf
(författare)
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The SAFE index is not safe!
- 2011
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. - 1540-9295 .- 1540-9309. ; 9, s. 485-486
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Annan publikation (refereegranskat)
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| 3. |
- Howarth, Robert, et al.
(författare)
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Coupled biogeochemical cycles: eutrophication and hypoxia in temperate estuaries and coastal marine ecosystems
- 2011
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. - : Wiley. - 1540-9309 .- 1540-9295. ; 9:1, s. 18-26
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nutrient fluxes to coastal areas have risen in recent decades, leading to widespread hypoxia and other ecological damage, particularly from nitrogen (N). Several factors make N more limiting in estuaries and coastal waters than in lakes: desorption (release) of phosphorus (P) bound to clay as salinity increases, lack of planktonic N fixation in most coastal ecosystems, and flux of relatively P-rich, N-poor waters from coastal oceans into estuaries. During eutrophication, biogeochemical feedbacks further increase the supply of N and P, but decrease availability of silica - conditions that can favor the formation and persistence of harmful algal blooms. Given sufficient N inputs, estuaries and coastal marine ecosystems can be driven to P limitation. This switch contributes to greater far-field N pollution; that is, the N moves further and contributes to eutrophication at greater distances. The physical oceanography (extent of stratification, residence time, and so forth) of coastal systems determines their sensitivity to hypoxia, and recent changes in physics have made some ecosystems more sensitive to hypoxia. Coastal hypoxia contributes to ocean acidification, which harms calcifying organisms such as mollusks and some crustaceans.
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| 4. |
- Jørgensen, Dolly
(författare)
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Rigs-to-reefs is more than rigs and reefs
- 2012
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. - Washington, DC : Ecological Society of America. - 1540-9295 .- 1540-9309. ; 10:4, s. 178-179
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 5. |
- Klatt, Christian
(författare)
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The unseen world: environmental microbial sequencing and identification methods for ecologists
- 2014
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. - : Wiley. - 1540-9295 .- 1540-9309. ; 12, s. 224-231
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Microorganisms inhabit almost every environment, comprise the majority of diversity on Earth, are important in biogeochemical cycling, and may be vital to ecosystem responses to large-scale climatic change. In recent years, ecologists have begun to use rapidly advancing molecular techniques to address questions about microbial diversity, biogeography, and responses to environmental change. Studies of microbes in the environment generally focus on three broad objectives: determining which organisms are present, what their functional capabilities are, and which are active at any given time. However, comprehending the range of methodologies currently in use can be daunting. To provide an overview of environmental microbial sequence data collection and analysis approaches, we include case studies of microbiomes ranging from the human mouth to geothermal springs. We also suggest contexts in which each technique can be applied and highlight insights that result from their use.
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| 6. |
- Lehner, Bernhard, et al.
(författare)
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High-resolution mapping of the world’sreservoirs and dams for sustainableriver-flow management
- 2011
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. - Washington : Ecological Society of America. - 1540-9295 .- 1540-9309. ; 9:9, s. 494-502
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite the recognized importance of reservoirs and dams, global datasets describing their characteristics and geographical distribution are largely incomplete. To enable advanced assessments of the role and effects of dams within the global river network and to support strategies for mitigating ecohydrological and socioeconomic costs, we introduce here the spatially explicit and hydrologically linked Global Reservoir and Dam database (GRanD). As of early 2011, GRanD contains information regarding 6862 dams and their associated reservoirs, with a total storage capacity of 6197 km3. On the basis of these records, we estimate that about 16.7 million reservoirs larger than 0.01 ha – with a combined storage capacity of approximately 8070 km3 – may exist worldwide, increasing Earth's terrestrial surface water area by more than 305 000 km2. We find that 575 900 river kilometers, or 7.6% of the world's rivers with average flows above 1 cubic meter per second (m3 s−1), are affected by a cumulative upstream reservoir capacity that exceeds 2% of their annual flow; the impact is highest for large rivers with average flows above 1000 m3 s−1, of which 46.7% are affected. Finally, a sensitivity analysis suggests that smaller reservoirs have substantial impacts on the spatial extent of flow alterations despite their minor role in total reservoir capacity.Read More: http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/100125
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| 7. |
- Liss, Kate N., et al.
(författare)
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Variability in ecosystem service measurement : a pollination service case study
- 2013
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. - : Wiley. - 1540-9295 .- 1540-9309. ; 11:8, s. 414-422
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research quantifying ecosystem services (ES) - collectively, the benefits that society obtains from ecosystems -is rapidly increasing. Despite the seemingly straightforward definition, a wide variety of methods are used to measure ES. This methodological variability has largely been ignored, and standard protocols to select measures that capture ES provision have yet to be established. Furthermore, most published papers do not include explicit definitions of individual ES. We surveyed the literature on pollination ES to assess the range of measurement approaches, focusing on three essential steps: (1) definition of the ES, (2) identification of components contributing to ES delivery, and (3) selection of metrics to represent these components. We found considerable variation in how pollination as an ES - a relatively well-defined service - is measured. We discuss potential causes of this variability and provide suggestions to address this issue. Consistency in ES measurement, or a clear explanation of selected definitions and metrics, is critical to facilitate comparisons among studies and inform ecosystem management.
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| 8. |
- Mcleod, Elizabeth, et al.
(författare)
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A blueprint for blue carbon : toward an improved understanding of the role of vegetated coastal habitats in sequestering CO(2)
- 2011
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. - : Wiley. - 1540-9295 .- 1540-9309. ; 9:10, s. 552-560
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent research has highlighted the valuable role that coastal and marine ecosystems play in sequestering carbon dioxide (CO(2)). The carbon (C) sequestered in vegetated coastal ecosystems, specifically mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and salt marshes, has been termed blue carbon. Although their global area is one to two orders of magnitude smaller than that of terrestrial forests, the contribution of vegetated coastal habitats per unit area to long-term C sequestration is much greater, in part because of their efficiency in trapping suspended matter and associated organic C during tidal inundation. Despite the value of mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and salt marshes in sequestering C, and the other goods and services they provide, these systems are being lost at critical rates and action is urgently needed to prevent further degradation and loss. Recognition of the C sequestration value of vegetated coastal ecosystems provides a strong argument for their protection and restoration; however, it is necessary to improve scientific understanding of the underlying mechanisms that control C sequestration in these ecosystems. Here, we identify key areas of uncertainty and specific actions needed to address them.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Perrings, Charles, et al.
(författare)
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Ecosystem services, targets, and indicators for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity
- 2011
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. - : Wiley. - 1540-9295 .- 1540-9309. ; 9:9, s. 512-520
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- After the collective failure to achieve the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD's) 2010 target to substantially reduce biodiversity losses, the CBD adopted a plan composed of five strategic goals and 20 “SMART” (Specific, Measurable, Ambitious, Realistic, and Time-bound) targets, to be achieved by 2020. Here, an interdisciplinary group of scientists from DIVERSITAS – an international program that focuses on biodiversity science – evaluates these targets and considers the implications of an ecosystem-services-based approach for their implementation. We describe the functional differences between the targets corresponding to distinct strategic goals and identify the interdependency between targets. We then discuss the implications for supporting research and target indicators, and make several specific suggestions for target implementation.
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