Ecosystem Ecology Research Articles

Contamination and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in water and sediment from hubs of fish resource river in a developing country

River water and sediment embody environmental characteristics that give valuable information about the eco-environment. Due to rapid unplanned urbanization and industrialization, the aquatic environment of any urban river can be seriously polluted by heavy metals. Four heavy metals (As, Cr, Cd, and Pb) were analyzed in surface sediments and water from the Kirtankhola River located in the coastal area of Bangladesh. The decreasing pattern of metals was observed as Cr > Pb > As > Cd in both water and sediment. The heavy metal ranges were 1.67–7.31, 12.64–45.69, 0.01–1.59, and 8.03–35.68 μg/L in the water and 2.09–6.89, 14.76–47.08, 0.01–1.77 and 6.37–41.43 mg/kg in sediments for As, Cr, Cd, and Pb. The number of metals tested in water samples surpassed the acceptable limits of drinking water quality, indicating that water from this river is not safe for drinking and cooking and could pose a risk to the riverine ecosystem. The pollution load index (PLI) values were close to one, indicating that the sediment of the study river was low contamination. Contamination factor (CF) has reported that As, Cd, and Pb have been moderate to extremely polluted by sediment samples and metals level implied that the condition is much alarming and probably severely affecting the aquatic ecology of this riverine ecosystem.

Enhanced index for water body delineation and area calculation using Google Earth Engine: a case study of the Manchar Lake

Abstract The sustainability of the hydrological and ecological ecosystems of any region requires continuous monitoring of the water bodies. Recent advancements in satellite-based remote optical sensors, big data analysis and cloud computing have given new dimensions to the field of water body studies including their detection as well as analysis. The present study extends the existing methods to assess the contemporary surface water detection and monitoring techniques via remote sensing. The proposed technique implies an improved hybrid approach for the purpose along with the calculation of the boundary areas. The study has been carried out on the Manchar Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in Pakistan as well as in South Asia. The proposed hybrid water index along with the different existing water body detection indices and spectral bands have been worked out on the satellite images retrieved from the Google Earth Engine to detect and analyze the area/flow changes in the water body. Based on the 7 years of data, the proposed algorithm calculates the water body area more precisely. With limited availability of metadata about the study area, the results have been validated both qualitatively through national-met data and statistically. These results help to better preserve and improve the quality of the water resource.

Steps toward a digital ecology: ecological principles for the study of digital ecosystems

The notion of digital ecosystems has become a fruitful metaphor for examining the effects of digitalization across boundaries of organization, industry, lifeworld, mind, and body. In business-economic terms, the metaphor has inspired IS research into new business models, while in engineering terms, it has led to important insights into the design and governance of digital platforms. Studying digital ecosystems in these terms, however, makes it difficult to trace and explain those effects of digitalization, which do not materialize predominantly in economic and engineering patterns. Important relationships and their effects may therefore go unnoticed. In response, I draw on the ecological epistemology of Gregory Bateson and others to contribute an ecological approach to digital ecosystems. Such an understanding, I argue, expands the possibilities for tracing and explaining the wide-reaching, boundary-crossing effects of digitalization and the runaway dynamics they may lead to. I suggest to do this based on three principles: (1) part-of-ness—phenomena are to be observed as always part of a larger ecosystem; (2) systemic wisdom—ecosystems have limits, which need to be respected; and (3) information ecology—ecosystems are not mechanical but informed, cognitive systems. As my contribution, I propose six avenues for future IS research into digital ecology.

Quercetin Enhanced Cellulose Nanocrystals for the Removal of Harmful Algae Phaeocystis Globosa

The Phaeocystis globosa widely exists in the seawater, which becomes a great threat for the health of humans and animals in the ecological ecosystem. In this work, we reported a promising control strategy with quercetin(QT) enhanced cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). The quercetin enhanced cellulose nanocrystals (QT/CNC) was characterized through Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The effects of concentrations of CNC and QT on controlled Phaeocystis globosa were investigated. The results showed that the removal rate of Phaeocystis globosa exhibited an optimal value (92.1 %) at 0.05 g L-1 CNC and 0.1 g L-1 QT. Furthermore, the chlorophyll-a content in the Phaeocystis globosa exhibited a remarkable decrease from 3.72 mg L-1 to 0.21 mg L-1 when QT/CNC was interacted. On the basis of these results, we concluded that Phaeocystis globosa could be removed by QT/CNC effectively. During the removal of Phaeocystis globosa, the pH of algal solution decreased from 9.45 to 7.36, indicating that QT/CNC could maintain the normal pH of water. In addition, the testing result of the QT/CNC zeta potentials was negative, which revealed that Phaeocystis globosa was removed through inhibition and flocculation. Accordingly, a possible removal mechanism of Phaeocystis globose by QT/CNC was presumed. This study suggested that QT/CNC might be a potential treatment materials on the removal of Phaeocystis globosa.

A multidimensional stability framework enhances interpretation and comparison of carbon cycling response to disturbance

AbstractThe concept of stability is central to the study and sustainability of vital ecosystem goods and services as disturbances increase globally. While ecosystem ecologists, including carbon (C) cycling scientists, have long‐considered multiple dimensions of disturbance response, our discipline lacks an agreed‐upon analytical framework for characterizing multidimensional stability. Here, we advocate for the broader adoption of a standardized and normalized multidimensional stability framework for analyzing disturbance response. This framework includes four dimensions of stability: the degree of initial change in C fluxes (i.e., resistance); rate (i.e., resilience) and variability (i.e., temporal stability) of return to pre‐disturbance C fluxes; and the extent of return to pre‐disturbance C fluxes (i.e., recovery). Using this framework, we highlight findings not readily seen from analysis of absolute fluxes, including trade‐offs between initial and long‐term C flux responses to disturbance; different overall stability profiles among fluxes; and, using a pilot dataset, similar relative stability of net primary production following fire and insect disturbances. We conclude that ecosystem ecologists’ embrace of a unifying multidimensional stability framework as a complement to approaches focused on absolute C fluxes could advance global change research by aiding in the novel interpretation, comprehensive synthesis, and improved forecasting of ecosystems’ response to an increasing array of disturbances.

Ecological stoichiometry as a foundation for omics-enabled biogeochemical models of soil organic matter decomposition

Coupled biogeochemical cycles drive ecosystem ecology by influencing individual-to-community scale behaviors; yet the development of process-based models that accurately capture these dynamics remains elusive. Soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition in particular is influenced by resource stoichiometry that dictates microbial nutrient acquisition (‘ecological stoichiometry’). Despite its basis in biogeochemical modeling, ecological stoichiometry is only implicitly considered in high-resolution microbial investigations and the metabolic models they inform. State-of-science SOM decomposition models in both fields have advanced largely separately, but they agree on a need to move beyond seminal pool-based models. This presents an opportunity and a challenge to maximize the strengths of various models across different scales and environmental contexts. To address this challenge, we contend that ecological stoichiometry provides a framework for merging biogeochemical and microbiological models, as both explicitly consider substrate chemistries that are the basis of ecological stoichiometry as applied to SOM decomposition. We highlight two gaps that limit our understanding of SOM decomposition: (1) understanding how individual microorganisms alter metabolic strategies in response to substrate stoichiometry and (2) translating this knowledge to the scale of biogeochemical models. We suggest iterative information exchange to refine the objectives of high-resolution investigations and to specify limited dynamics for representation in large-scale models, resulting in a new class of omics-enabled biogeochemical models. Assimilating theoretical and modelling frameworks from different scientific domains is the next frontier in SOM decomposition modelling; advancing technologies in the context of stoichiometric theory provides a consistent framework for interpreting molecular data, and further distilling this information into tractable SOM decomposition models.

Village modernization may contribute more to farmland bird declines than agricultural intensification

AbstractThe central tenet of European farmland ecology is that agricultural intensification during the 20th century was largely responsible for dramatic declines in species abundances. However, during this time, human rural settlements were also undergoing radical changes through modernization, with undocumented biodiversity impacts in this important wildlife habitat. We performed the first ever large‐scale study to disentangle the impact of these simultaneous processes on farmland bird diversity in 104 Polish villages. We show that modernized villages and their surrounding agricultural fields had 50–60% fewer birds than those in and around comparable older villages. The relative contribution of modernization versus agricultural intensification to predicted bird declines was 88% versus 12% for bird communities in villages and 56% versus 44% in surrounding croplands, with considerable variation among ecological species subgroups. These results challenge our current understanding of agricultural ecosystem ecology and how best to implement conservation measures costing billions of euros annually.

Relationships between ergodic indicators of dispersal intensity, IUCN Red List values, and selected environmental variables in connection with European birds whose foraging and flying behavior is associated to roads and highways

Displaying an appropriate dispersal intensity (DI) in response to environmental fluctuations may determine if a given species goes extinct or not. Thus, developing indicators of the DI necessary to harness a given ecological niche breadth is urgent due to the changing latitudinal boundaries between the Earth’s great climate belts because of global warming. So, a better assessment of extinction risk should require DI as a complementary indicator. However, the IUCN Red List, indirectly linked to niche assessments, does not take into account DI, and its values are expressed on an ordinal scale. In contrast, there is a theoretical consensus about the link between DI and extinction risk, as well as about the continuous nature of species extinction, which therefore should be measured on a ratio scale. This paper proposes solutions to the above-mentioned issues. Assuming the trait of ergodicity, successfully applied in several publications in ecology so far, measurements of the average values of recent indicators of DI of birds at the species level as well as at the plot level were performed starting from 52 samplings of roadkill events, in eight European countries. DI values were correlated with the respective values of extinction risk reported by the IUCN Red List. Collaterally, a comparative study between DI and two key environmental variables (traffic intensity, and average temperature over land areas) was performed. Inverse and significant correlations between DI and the ordinal scale of IUCN Red List values were obtained, indicating that higher DI values seem to reduce extinction probability. Our results also show that birds seem able to display rapid adaptive behaviors to the increase of traffic intensity. It was found that DI peaks of European birds are associated with deviations of only half a degree Celsius above the general background of temperature over land areas. This set of results, based on a new theoretical framework (Organic Biophysics of Ecosystems –OBEC–; see references and explanatory notes in the main text), is in favor of the appropriateness to rescue the classical foundations of ecosystem ecology based on interdisciplinary links between ecology and physics to promote a better management of the Anthropocene challenges, all of them typified by interdisciplinary traits that require holistic approaches.

Medium‐ to large‐bodied mammal surveys across the Neotropics are heavily biased against the most faunally intact assemblages

AbstractBiodiversity inventories provide critical information on the ecology of natural ecosystems and inform conservation planning at local to regional scales.Based on a systematic review, we compiled data on over 1000 mammal inventories conducted throughout the Neotropics – from Mexico to Argentina – to document the status of assemblage‐wide field mammalogy in the world’s most biodiverse Tropical realm.We analysed data using descriptive statistics and a confusion matrix to understand the prevalence of species' pseudo‐absences, map overall patterns of survey density, and quantify any geographic sampling bias.Based on the 1028 site‐specific inventories published between 1983 and 2020, mean species richness of medium‐ to large‐bodied mammals was 11.9 (± 8.8 standard deviation). Local inventories were distributed across elevational gradients, and overall sampling effort and survey techniques employed were extremely variable. The best‐sampled regions were the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and Mesoamerica, but we identified nine large assemblage‐wide Wallacean shortfalls and a pseudo‐absence rate of 11% (± 4% standard deviation); geographic sampling bias was largely related to human population density, regardless of the assemblages’ intactness presumably found in the undersampled wilderness regions of the Neotropics.We document the 40‐year legacy of mammal field surveys throughout the Neotropics, where several glaring knowledge shortfalls still persist. This calls for an audacious research agenda for future Neotropical mammal studies, which should target sampling in more remote areas, standardise sampling methodology, and provide high‐resolution data that can be used to fill current knowledge shortfalls. To do so, Latin American countries and the wider international community will need to commit greater personnel and financial resources to understanding biodiversity patterns and processes related to the Tropical vertebrate fauna.

Functional Traits of Terrestrial Plants in the Intertidal: A Review on Mangrove Trees.

AbstractTrue mangroves are vascular plants (Tracheophyta) that evolved into inhabiting the mid and upper intertidal zone of tropical and subtropical soft-sediment coasts around the world. While several dozens of species are known from the Indo-West Pacific region, the Atlantic-East Pacific region is home to only a mere dozen of true mangrove species, most of which are rare. Mangrove trees can form dense monospecific or multispecies stands that provide numerous ecosystem services. Despite their eminent socioecological and socioeconomic relevance and the plethora of studies on mangroves, many details of the ecology of mangrove ecosystems remain unknown; and our knowledge about general ecological principles in mangrove ecosystems is scarce. For instance, the functional trait concept has hardly been applied to mangroves. Here we provide an inventory of 28 quantitative and 8 qualitative functional traits of true mangrove species and stipulate some insight into how these traits may drive ecosystem structure and processes. The differentiation between true mangroves and mangrove associates, which can dwell inside as well as outside mangrove forests, is reflected by a number of leaf traits. Thus, true mangroves exhibit lower specific leaf area, lower leaf N content, and lower K∶Na ratio, and higher leaf succulence, higher Na and Cl content, and higher osmolality than mangrove associates. True mangrove species that form pure stands produce larger leaves and exhibit higher N content per leaf area, higher leaf K and Ca content, greater maximum plant height, longer propagules, and lower root porosity than more sporadic species. The species-specific expression of most traits does not reflect the species' position along intertidal gradients, suggesting that adaptation to tidal inundation does not explain these traits. Rather, many of the traits studied herein exhibit strong phylogenetic signals in true mangroves. Thus, wood density is high in most species of the Rhizophoraceae, irrespective of their habitat or maximum height. On the other hand, species of the genus Sonneratia exhibit low wood density and do not grow taller than 20 m. Some leaf traits of true mangroves are more like those of plants from drier environments, reflecting the perception that a saline environment creates physiological drought stress. Along the same line, most true mangrove species exhibit sclerophyllous leaf traits. The few major mangrove tree species of the Atlantic-East Pacific are as distinct from each other, with regard to some traits, as are the many mangrove species of the Indo-West Pacific. We hypothesize that this phenomenon explains the similarly high biomass of mangrove forests in both the species-rich Indo-West Pacific and the species-poor Atlantic-East Pacific.

First-Year Pre-service Primary School Teachers’ Conceptual Structure of Ecosystem Ecology Concepts

Science education research has been increasingly concerned with students’ and teachers’ conceptions of central scientific concepts over the past decades. However, science teaching today should not only convey knowledge but also values and science practices in order to empower students to become responsible citizens in a world that is facing ecological as well as social problems. Thus, a profound understanding of ecology and systems thinking skills are seen as paramount. This paper explores first-year pre-service primary school teachers’ conceptual understanding of ecology through the use of a word association test. Students were given four stimulus words and asked to provide five response words to each stimulus. Furthermore, they were asked to formulate a sentence related to biology, using each stimulus word. Response words were categorised and the frequency of the words was calculated. The findings show very limited understanding of the ecological concepts and their interrelatedness. Furthermore, the students showed numerous misconceptions regarding energy flow and food chain relationships. Thus our findings support other authors’ propositions that students often struggle with understanding ecology concepts. The findings further imply that the instruction students receive at school is not successful in replacing existing misconceptions with accurate science concepts.

Otolith trace elemental analyses and parasites provide useful tools for the stock discrimination of Patagonotothen ramsayi (Regan, 1913) (Nototheniidae) on the southern Patagonian Shelf

The notothenid Patagonotothen ramsayi is one of the most abundant fin fish species on the Patagonian Shelf and it is an important prey species and central to the trophic ecology of the shelf ecosystem of the region. 353 otoliths and the parasites analysed from 80 fishes collected in January 2010, and 2004 and 2006, respectively, from the Falkland Islands Shelf and in an area north of the Falkland Islands on the high seas, were used to gain insights into the stock discrimination using elemental signatures and parasitology. Multivariate analyses (Quadratic Discriminant Function Analysis (QDFA)) of trace elements in the edges of the otolith was extremely well resolved indicating samples taken from the southern (SS), northern Falkland Islands shelf (NS) and the high seas (HS) to the north are clearly separated. Analyses of the otoliths cores were less well resolved, but showed good separation. However, there was overlap with the samples taken on the SS / NS, NS / HS, but no overlap between the samples taken on the SS / HS, indicating some intermixing during larval dispersal. Univariate and multivariate analyses of parasite communities showed a clear separation of samples taken from the SS and HS. In addition, this study has added to the biogeography and knowledge of host specificity of the parasites inhabiting the Patagonian Shelf. Our results demonstrate that the multi-pronged approach of using both otolith trace elemental analyses and parasites can be a powerful tool to resolve stock discrimination in P. ramsayi.

For flux's sake: General considerations for energy-flux calculations in ecological communities.

Global change alters ecological communities with consequences for ecosystem processes. Such processes and functions are a central aspect of ecological research and vital to understanding and mitigating the consequences of global change, but also those of other drivers of change in organism communities. In this context, the concept of energy flux through trophic networks integrates food‐web theory and biodiversity‐ecosystem functioning theory and connects biodiversity to multitrophic ecosystem functioning. As such, the energy‐flux approach is a strikingly effective tool to answer central questions in ecology and global‐change research. This might seem straight forward, given that the theoretical background and software to efficiently calculate energy flux are readily available. However, the implementation of such calculations is not always straight forward, especially for those who are new to the topic and not familiar with concepts central to this line of research, such as food‐web theory or metabolic theory. To facilitate wider use of energy flux in ecological research, we thus provide a guide to adopting energy‐flux calculations for people new to the method, struggling with its implementation, or simply looking for background reading, important resources, and standard solutions to the problems everyone faces when starting to quantify energy fluxes for their community data. First, we introduce energy flux and its use in community and ecosystem ecology. Then, we provide a comprehensive explanation of the single steps towards calculating energy flux for community data. Finally, we discuss remaining challenges and exciting research frontiers for future energy‐flux research.

Phylogenetic conservatism drives nutrient dynamics of coral reef fishes

The relative importance of evolutionary history and ecology for traits that drive ecosystem processes is poorly understood. Consumers are essential drivers of nutrient cycling on coral reefs, and thus ecosystem productivity. We use nine consumer “chemical traits” associated with nutrient cycling, collected from 1,572 individual coral reef fishes (178 species spanning 41 families) in two biogeographic regions, the Caribbean and Polynesia, to quantify the relative importance of phylogenetic history and ecological context as drivers of chemical trait variation on coral reefs. We find: (1) phylogenetic relatedness is the best predictor of all chemical traits, substantially outweighing the importance of ecological factors thought to be key drivers of these traits, (2) phylogenetic conservatism in chemical traits is greater in the Caribbean than Polynesia, where our data suggests that ecological forces have a greater influence on chemical trait variation, and (3) differences in chemical traits between regions can be explained by differences in nutrient limitation associated with the geologic context of our study locations. Our study provides multiple lines of evidence that phylogeny is a critical determinant of contemporary nutrient dynamics on coral reefs. More broadly our findings highlight the utility of evolutionary history to improve prediction in ecosystem ecology.

Distribution of heavy metals in water and sediment of an urban river in a developing country: A probabilistic risk assessment

River water and sediment embody environmental characteristics that give valuable eco-environmental information. Due to rapid industrialization, the aquatic environment of any urban river can be seriously polluted by heavy metals (HMs). The global concern is caused by heavy metal pollution because of its potential harm to aquatic ecosystems and human health. In the Bhairab River, Bangladesh, surface sediment concentrations of globally alarming toxic metals such as arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) were measured to determine the ecological and human health risks of the riverine ecosystem. The average As, Cr, Cd, and Pb concentrations in water were 3.55, 31.74, 1.44, and 23.82 μg/L, respectively, and in sediment were 4.13, 34.17, 1.66, and 25.46 mg/kg, respectively. During the winter, metals in sediment were higher than during the summer. For most sediment samples, the enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF), geoaccumulation index (Igeo), pollution load index (PLI) of As, Cr, Cd, and Pb indicated moderate contamination. The potential ecological risk (PER) in sediment followed the descending order of Cd > As > Pb > Cr. The contamination level of toxic metals implied that the condition is frightening and probably severely affecting the aquatic ecology of this riverine ecosystem.

Four Decades of Surface Temperature, Precipitation, and Wind Speed Trends over Lakes of Greece

Climate change is known to affect world’s lakes in many ways. Lake warming is perhaps the most prominent impact of climate change but there is evidence that changes of precipitation and wind speed over the surface of the lakes may also have a significant effect on key limnological processes. With this study we explored the interannual trends of surface temperature, precipitation, and wind speed over 18 lakes of Greece using ERA5-Land data spanning over a period of almost four decades. We used generalized additive models (GAMs) to conduct time-series analysis in order to identify significant trends of change. Our results showed that surface temperature has significantly increased in all lakes with an average rate of change for annual temperature of 0.43 °C decade−1. With regard to precipitation, we identified significant trends for most lakes and particularly we found that precipitation decreased during the first two decades (1981–2000), but since 2000 it increased notably. Finally, wind speed did not show any significant change over the examined period with the exception for one lake. In summary, our work highlights the major climatic changes that have occurred in several freshwater bodies of Greece. Thus, it improves our understanding on how climate change may have impacted the ecology of these important ecosystems and may aid us to identify systems that are more vulnerable to future changes.

Alpine Plant Life: Functional Plant Ecology of High Mountain Ecosystems. By Christian Körner

Alpine Plant Life: Functional Plant Ecology of High Mountain Ecosystems. By Christian Körner

Plant‐based foods and the gut microbiome: A research profile of Franck Carbonero

Plant‐based foods and the gut microbiome: A research profile of Franck Carbonero

Widespread agrochemicals differentially affect zooplankton biomass and community structure.

Anthropogenic environmental change is causing habitat deterioration at unprecedented rates in freshwater ecosystems. Despite increasing more rapidly than many other agents of global change, synthetic chemical pollution-including agrochemicals such as pesticides-has received relatively little attention in freshwater community and ecosystem ecology. Determining the combined effects of multiple agrochemicals on complex biological systems remains a major challenge, requiring a cross-field integration of ecology and ecotoxicology. Using a large-scale array of experimental ponds, we investigated the response of zooplankton community properties (biomass, composition, and diversity metrics) to the individual and joint presence of three globally widespread agrochemicals: the herbicide glyphosate, the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid, and nutrient fertilizers. We tracked temporal variation in zooplankton biomass and community structure along single and combined pesticide gradients (each spanning eight levels), under low (mesotrophic) and high (eutrophic) nutrient-enriched conditions, and quantified (1) response threshold concentrations, (2) agrochemical interactions, and (3) community resistance and recovery. We found that the biomass of major zooplankton groups differed in their sensitivity to pesticides: ≥0.3mg/L glyphosate elicited long-lasting declines in rotifer communities, both pesticides impaired copepods (≥3µg/L imidacloprid and ≥5.5mg/L glyphosate), whereas some cladocerans were highly tolerant to pesticide contamination. Strong interactive effects of pesticides were only recorded in ponds treated with the combination of the highest doses. Overall, glyphosate was the most influential driver of aggregate community properties of zooplankton, with biomass and community structure responding rapidly but recovering unequally over time. Total community biomass showed little resistance when first exposed to glyphosate, but rapidly recovered and even increased with glyphosate concentration over time; in contrast, taxon richness decreased in more contaminated ponds but failed to recover. Our results indicate that the biomass of tolerant taxa compensated for the loss of sensitive species after the first exposure, conferring greater community resistance upon a subsequent contamination event; a case of pollution-induced community tolerance in freshwater animals. These findings suggest that zooplankton biomass may be more resilient to agrochemical pollution than community structure; yetall community properties measured in this study were affected at glyphosate concentrations below common water quality guidelines in North America.

Medium-term monitoring reveals effects of El Niño Southern Oscillation climate variability on local salinity and faunal dynamics on a restored oyster reef.

Human activities and regional-scale climate variability drive changes in the ecology of coastal and marine ecosystems. Ecological restoration has emerged as a best-management practice to combat habitat degradation and restore lost ecological functions. However, relatively short project monitoring timeframes have limited our understanding of the effects of interannual climate cycles on water quality and restoration dynamics. We collected measurements on a 23-ha oyster reef constructed in the Gulf of Mexico to determine the relationship between El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-driven climate variability and local salinity patterns, and to evaluate the effects of this climate variability and salinity on oyster population dynamics and faunal community composition over a medium-term (five-year) timeframe. The role of ENSO-driven climate variability on local salinity patterns (primarily from changes in precipitation and evaporation) and faunal dynamics was investigated using the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI). Salinity was negatively correlated with ONI with an approximately 4-month lag. Higher ONI values (El Niño periods) were followed by reductions in salinity, increases in oyster recruitment and density, and reductions in resident motile fauna density and species richness. Lower ONI values (La Niña periods) had higher and less variable salinities, and higher areal coverage of restoration substrates by large oysters. ENSO-driven salinity reductions in the second year after reef construction coincided with a shift in resident motile faunal community composition that was maintained despite a second strong salinity reduction in year 5. Our results indicate that it is important to expand the typical monitoring timeframes to at least five years so that resource managers and restoration practitioners can better understand how both short-term environmental variability and longer-term climate cycles can affect the outcomes of restoration actions.