Habitat For Invertebrates Research Articles

Methods to prevent or mitigate total dissolved gas supersaturation in the waterways downstream hydropower plants

Abstract Downstream hydropower plants, a change in water chemistry can lead to the occurrence of a widely unknown problem: total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation. It takes place when air is entrained in a water body and exposed to high pressures, which leads to gas dissolution in the water. Re-exposure to atmospheric pressure downstream the power plant results in TDG supersaturation. This is a potential danger for the aquatic environment living in these waters, as the increased saturation poses the risk of experiencing gas bubble disease (GBD). Studies about TDG supersaturation are found in North America (USA and Canada), China, Brazil, and Norway (minor studies include Austria, Germany, and Sweden). Yet, knowledge about the risk of the problem is not widespread, which leads to the repetition of mistakes. Moreover, shifting precipitation patterns induced by climate change are expected to lead to an increase in TDG supersaturation occurrences, as those are associated with flooding. An overview of methods to either prevent or mitigate the problem of TDG supersaturation downstream hydropower plants is presented and recent study results are disseminated. These include civil engineering, operational, and technical methods. Where hydropower plants are in a planning phase, this can contribute to preventing the occurrence of TDG supersaturation in the first place, while existing hydropower plants can implement different measures to reduce the risk of producing TDG supersaturation in the downstream waterways. This helps maintain the aquatic environment as well as local habitat for fish and invertebrates, and therefore counts towards hydropower taxonomy and increases social acceptance of hydropower.

Urban Greening and Pollen Allergy: Balancing Health and Environmental Sustainability.

Urban living requires a careful balance between human health and environmental sustainability when selecting urban vegetation. Public gardens and green roofs offer significant environmental benefits, including air filtration, exposure to health-associated microbiota, and mitigation of the urban heat island effect. However, prioritizing allergy-friendly species is crucial to prevent the exacerbation of pollen allergies. This review highlights three primary criteria for selecting vegetation that supports these ecosystem services while minimizing allergy risks. Firstly, reducing the use of many wind-pollinated plants, such as birch trees and grasses, is crucial due to their high pollen production and cross-reactivity with other species, which can exacerbate allergies. In contrast, insect-pollinated plants are generally safer for allergy sufferers. Secondly, cultivating multispecies plant communities with minimal maintenance supports habitats for microbiota and invertebrates, further providing ecosystem services. Lastly, balancing plant gender ratios in urban spaces can help control pollen levels. Together these criteria provide a framework for urban planners to create green spaces that are both environmentally beneficial and allergy friendly. Although this review focuses on European data, the principles discussed have global relevance, reinforcing the need to integrate environmental sustainability with public health considerations in urban planning. Future studies should also investigate the health impacts of plant volatile emissions, explore heat-resistant plant varieties, and assess the ecological risks of invasive species to support sustainable, allergy-friendly urban environments.

Nutrient fluxes, oxygen consumption and fatty acid composition from deep-water demo- and hexactinellid sponges from New Zealand

Sponges are an important component of deep-water ecosystems enhancing eukaryotic biodiversity by hosting diverse endo- and epibiota and providing three dimensional habitats for benthic invertebrates and fishes. As holobionts they are important hosts of microorganisms which are involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling. While increasing exploration of deep-water habitats results in new sponge species being discovered, little is known about their physiology and role in nutrient fluxes. Around New Zealand (Southwest Pacific), the sponge biodiversity is particularly high, and we selected six deep-sea sponge genera (Saccocalyx, Suberites, Tedania, Halichondria/Dendoricella, Lissodendoryx) and a member of the Sceptrulophora order for in-situ and ex-situ experiments.We investigated the biochemical composition of the sponges, measured oxygen consumption and inorganic nutrient fluxes, as well as bacterial and phospholipid-derived fatty acid (PLFA) compositions. Our aim was to assess differences in fluxes and fatty acid composition among sponges and linking their bacterial communities to nitrogen cycling processes.All sponges excreted nitrite and ammonia. Nitrate and phosphate excretion were independent of phylum affiliation (Demospongiae, Hexactinellida). Nitrate was excreted by Halichondria/Dendoricella and Lissodendoryx, whereas Suberites, Tedania, and Sceptrulophora consumed it. Phosphate was excreted by Sceptrulophora and Halichondria/Dendoricella and consumed by all other sponges. Oxygen consumption rates ranged from 0.17 to 3.56 ± 0.60 mmol O2 g C-1 d−1.The PLFA composition was very sponge-genera dependent and consisted mostly of long-chain fatty acids. Most PLFAs were sponge-specific, followed by bacteria-specific PLFAs, and others.All sponges, except for Suberites, were low-microbial abundance (LMA) sponges whose bacterial community composition was dominated by Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Planctomycetota, and Nitrospinota. Suberites consisted of high-microbial abundance (HMA) sponges with Proteobacteria, Chloroflexota, Acidobacteriota, and Actinobacteriota as dominant bacteria.Based on the inorganic nitrogen flux measurements, we identified three types of nitrogen cycling in the sponges: In type 1, sponges (Dendoricella spp. indet., Lissodendoryx) respired aerobically and ammonificated organic matter (OM) to ammonium, fixed N2 to ammonium, and nitrified aerobically heterotrophically produced ammonium to nitrate and nitrite. In type 2, sponges (Halichondria sp., Sceptrulophora, Suberites, Tedania) respired OM aerobically and ammonificated it to ammonium. They also reduced nitrate anaerobically to ammonium via dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium. In type 3, ammonium was microbially nitrified to nitrite and afterwards to nitrate presumably by ammonium-oxidizing Bacteria and/or Archaea.

Presence-only fisheries bycatch data produce biased species distribution predictions for Alcyonacean corals on British Columbia’s continental shelf and slope

Sedentary benthic species such as Alcyonacea corals form critical habitat for fishes and invertebrates. Assessing anthropogenic risks to these organisms requires unbiased, species distribution models (SDMs) that attempt to map probabilities of coral presence in relation to bio-physical ocean characteristics; however, in deep-water settings, the accuracy of SDMs is highly variable and dependent on spatial and taxonomic resolution. Here we investigated how data and model types affect SDM predictions of Alcyonacea probability of presence. We compared predictions from generalized additive models (GAMs) fitted to presence-absence observations over a stratified-random survey design with predictions from maximum entropy models (Maxent) fitted to presence-only bycatch records from commercial fisheries. We use a simulation analysis to show that both model types (i.e., GAM or Maxent) using presence-only bycatch data produced biased estimates of species distribution. Additionally, the maxent model fit using presence-only bycatch data produced biased estimates of performance metrics (AUC, TSS) that were overly optimistic. This study demonstrates a need for presence-absence data collected using a robust survey sampling design to fit SDMs that will better inform marine protected area placement while minimizing unnecessary economic losses, such as forgone fishing yield, due to sub-optimal placement.

The role of turfgrasses in environmental protection and their benefits to humans: Thirty years later

AbstractBeard and Green compiled one of the earliest reviews on the environmental and societal (cultural) benefits that living turfgrass systems (e.g., home lawns, athletic fields, golf courses, roadsides, and grounds) provide to humans and associated contemporary issues with turfgrass. Today, the benefits of vegetation systems are called ecosystem services, and the associated negative aspects are called disservices. Since 1994, a significant amount of research has been conducted to further understand these ecosystem services and disservices and discover new ecosystem services and disservices, which we summarize and identify the knowledge gaps in this review. Turfgrass systems provide positive economic benefits to the US economy and help increase property values; however, many of these ecosystem services are environmental and societal. Some environmental services include (1) improving soil health, quality, and stability; (2) oxygen production; (3) reducing stormwater runoff; (4) filtering water to protect waterways and recharging groundwater; (5) providing evaporative cooling and reducing sunlight glare to improve human comfort levels; (6) offering vertebrate and invertebrate habitat; and (7) offering solutions for recycling wastewater and biosolids. Some societal (cultural) services include (1) outdoor spaces that improve human mental and physical health, (2) increasing community and social harmony, (3) helping deter crime, and (4) reducing human contact with noxious weeds and human‐disease insect vectors. Research, cooperative extension, and education efforts must be increased on these topics to continue to provide additional evidence of these ecosystem services to the public, policymakers, turfgrass practitioners, homeowners, students, and future generations.

Glacier mice as a temporary sink for fallout radionuclides and heavy metals on the Norwegian glacier Austerdalsbreen

Glacier mice are peculiar rolling or stationary moss balls found on the surface of some glaciers. They may harbour an ecological habitat for cold-adapted invertebrates and microorganisms, but little is known about their potential to accumulate and disseminate harmful elements and substances. In this study, we investigate the presence of fallout radionuclides (137Cs, 238Pu, 239Pu, 240Pu, 210Pb) and heavy metals (Pb, As, Hg, Cd) in glacier mice and compare the results to bryophytes from adjacent glacier ecosystems. Samples were collected at Austerdalsbreen, a Norwegian outlet glacier from Jostedalsbreen ice cap.Maximum activity concentrations for bryophytes are 552 ± 12 Bq kg−1 for 137Cs, 3485 ± 138 Bq kg−1 for 210Pb, 0.0223 ± 0.065 Bq kg−1 for 238Pu and 4.34 ± 0.43 Bq kg−1 for 239+240Pu while maximum heavy metals concentrations are 70.5 mg kg−1 for Pb, 1.0 mg kg−1 for As, 1.6 mg kg−1 for Hg and 0.13 mg kg−1 for Cd. Maximum activity concentrations in cryconite are 1973.4 ± 5.0 Bq kg−1 for 137Cs, 3632 ± 593 Bq kg−1 for 210Pb, 0.51 ± 0.11 Bq kg−1 for 238Pu and 13.1 ± 1.4 Bq kg−1 for 239+240Pu and maximum heavy metal concentrations are 50.4 mg kg−1 for Pb, 3.4 mg kg−1 for As, 1.5 mg kg−1 for Hg and 0.082 mg kg−1 for Cd. We find that glacier mice show lower activity concentrations of radionuclides compared to cryoconite. The major source of plutonium isotopes is related to global fallout, whereas detected radio-cesium may be additionally affected by post-Chernobyl fallout to an unknown extent. Comparison between glacier surface and adjacent glacial habitats shows higher concentrations of heavy metals in glacier mice on the glacier ice surface and medial moraines compared to bryophytes in the glacier forefield. Glacier mice exported from a receding glacier may affect the cycling of radioactive and metal pollutants in developing proglacial ecosystems.

Native and Non-Indigenous Biota Associated with the Cymodocea nodosa (Tracheophyta, Alismatales) Meadow in the Seas of Taranto (Southern Italy, Mediterranean Sea)

The collection of photos during the systematic monitoring activities is useful to witness the ecological role of marine phanerogams as hosts for a rich variety of organisms in coastal and transitional waters. Cymodocea nodosa is present in the Taranto seas. In Mar Piccolo, it reached high coverage in a short amount of time, up to 100%, due to the improvement in environmental conditions. The most recent observations showed that it offers a welcoming habitat for several vertebrates and invertebrates, native and non-indigenous, as well as to micro- and macroalgae. The NPPR-funded activities will make these observations more robust and structural.

Impact of Cropland Management on Invertebrate Richness and Abundance in Agroforestry Systems in Bali, Indonesia

The intensive management of cropland refers to a reduction in habitat complexity (i.e., shade tree cover, tree species richness, crop species richness) to gain more profits. This usually entails a decrease in biodiversity, but agroforestry systems have been shown to provide a solution to the need for profits while maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services. Invertebrates are important bioindicators since they are not just affected by a decrease in habitat complexity; they are also key for the maintenance of ecosystems given their ecological roles. We aimed to understand how agricultural intensification impacted invertebrate abundance and richness in an agroforestry system in Bali, Indonesia. We set up 53 × 25 m2 plots and collected data via pitfall and pan traps. We linked those data to vegetation data (canopy cover, tree species richness, crop species richness), habitat type (rustic vs. polyculture), and productivity. Overall, we found that the abundance and richness of invertebrate taxa were positively influenced by increasing canopy cover and crop and tree species richness. This supports the habitat heterogeneity hypothesis, which indicates that increased habitat complexity promotes higher invertebrate species richness and abundance. The abundance and richness of certain invertebrate taxa, including agents of biocontrol, were shown to increase in plots with higher yields, thus solidifying the important role of invertebrate communities in the provision of ecosystem services. Harvesting crops from complex agroforestry systems ensures a sustainable income for local communities as well as habitats for invertebrates.

Facilitation cascades across space: Monitoring estuarine foundation species from satellites to the microscope

AbstractEstuaries are productive ecosystems that are vulnerable to human impacts and environmental disturbances. Estuaries are often inhabited by foundation species that facilitate other organisms by creating and modifying habitats. However, spatiotemporal variability and underpinning drivers of facilitation from estuarine foundation species are poorly studied, especially in the context of monitoring and conservation. Here, we combined the analyses of satellite, drone, and camera images, close‐up field sampling of quadrats and individuals, and laboratory microscopy, to quantify co‐occurrences between the cockle Austrovenus stutchburyi and green macroalga Ulva spp., and their associated invertebrate communities, across spatial resolutions and environmental gradients in a New Zealand estuary. We found higher abundance of Ulva in winter and higher abundance of Austrovenus at a site near the ocean. Furthermore, Ulva was, across space and time, often attached to Austrovenus, either live or dead shells, suggesting a hierarchy between a primary (cockle) and secondary (macroalgae) foundation species. Finally, Ulva provided a better habitat for mobile invertebrates than Austrovenus, and thereby increased estuarine diversity through a density‐dependent facilitation cascade, which also was consistent in space and time. Overall, our study showed that facilitation cascades can be indirectly inferred and monitored through remote sensing of foundation species using supplementary imaging methods, and that integration of data across scales allows researchers to better understand the drivers and consequences of facilitation from foundation species. These insights may aid in the development of efficient monitoring strategies and ultimately improve the management of estuarine ecosystems.

Shellfish aquaculture farms as foraging habitat for nearshore fishes and crabs

AbstractObjectiveOyster reefs across North America have declined precipitously over the past 140 years. In Washington State, Olympia oyster Ostrea lurida reefs historically provided water filtration and nearshore structural habitat for fishes and invertebrates, but this species is now functionally extinct across its historical range. In place of these naturally occurring reefs, shellfish farms consisting mainly of nonnative Pacific oysters Magallana gigas now occupy patches of nearshore habitat across Washington. These farms modify intertidal substrate by adding structural habitat via suspended oyster grow bags, predator exclusion nets, loose oyster beds, and other shellfish grow‐out gear. As interest and investment in shellfish aquaculture have expanded both locally and globally, so has interest in how these farms modify intertidal habitat and whether the complex structure created by the shellfish and shellfish growing gear provides ecosystem services that are comparable to those of unfarmed areas, such as mudflats and eelgrass meadows.MethodsIn this study, we sought to quantify how shellfish farms are used as foraging habitat for several common nearshore species of fish and crabs in Puget Sound, Washington. We used direct observations of species‐specific behaviors from underwater video to model how habitat type affected observed foraging rates.ResultWe obtained a total of 393 crab observations, 431 demersal fish observations, and 1856 pelagic fish observations across all seven farm sites. Several common species of pelagic fish (e.g., surfperch [Embiotocidae]) used aquaculture‐growing gear more frequently than unfarmed areas as foraging habitat, but Metacarcinus spp. crabs displayed higher foraging frequency in unfarmed mudflats. Species groups such as sculpins (Cottidae) and small flatfish (Pleuronectidae) clearly used specific aquaculture‐growing gear and mudflats in roughly equal proportion.ConclusionOur results indicate that shellfish farms within a larger nearshore habitat mosaic of eelgrass meadows, mudflats, bivalve aquaculture gear, and edge habitat can provide foraging habitat for several species of nearshore fish.

Assessment of Seagrass Ecosystems’ Goods and Services of India

Nearly every shallow coastal region on Earth is home to seagrass, a type of marine flowering plant. They grow down to depths where just 11% of surface light reaches the bottom after colonizing soft substrates like mud, sand, and cobbles. Seagrasses often choose wave-sheltered environments where sediments are shielded from waves and currents. The seagrass environment serves as a home to large animals like dugongs and marine mammals like ducks and geese. The seagrass serves as a feeding and refuge area for the related creatures for the entirety or a portion of their life cycles. Raw materials and food, medicine, fertilizer, coastal protection, erosion control, water purification, fisheries maintenance, nursery grounds, invertebrate habitats, carbon sequestration, tourism, recreation, support for education, and research are just a few of the goods and services provided by seagrass to the coastal community. The value of a seagrass ecosystem's products and services to human well-being can be measured, and this can be used to support the need for seagrass ecosystem preservation, transfer, and regeneration. Many valuation studies are conducted to estimate the various goods and services produced by the seagrass ecosystem. The total area of seagrass distribution in the coastal States and UTs of India is 51822 ha, distributed in 4162 seagrass patches. Using meta-analysis and an average of Benefit Transfer (BT) method, the Total Economic Value (TEV) of seagrass has been estimated as Rs. 2594342/ha/yr. ($ 55,637/ha/yr.) with a maximum of Rs. 5948650 ha/yr. ($1,27,571/ha/yr.) and a minimum of 791448/ha/yr. ($ 16,973/ha/yr.). Subsequently, the total equivalent economic benefit from seagrass beds in India has been quantified at Rs.13444 crore/yr. ($ 2,88,31,22,453/yr.).

Phylogenetic Relationships of Isognomon (Lightfoot, 1786) Oysters from North Sulawesi, Indonesia

The Isognomon (Lightfoot, 1786) is a genus of oysters found in various coastal ecosystems throughout the world. Along with other bivalves, it performs significant ecological functions in marine ecosystems by providing food and habitat for fish and invertebrate habitats, filtering water, and protecting shorelines. Taxonomic classification of the Isognomon oyster can be challenging due to the varied or cryptic phenotypic characters, particularly shell characters. In this study, two specimens with different shell characters of Isognomon oyster were collected from mangrove waters in Likupang, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, and subjected to molecular analysis to determine their identity. The mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) gene was utilized as a primer for this purpose, and the genetic distance and phylogenetic position of the two specimens were determined by comparing them with the GenBank database. The Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) revealed that the two specimens were of belonged to Isognomon ephippium, with a similarity of 99.84%. The genetic distance between the two specimens was calculated using the Tamura Nei model and found to be 0.00, while the genetic distance between I. ephippium and other species in the Isognomon genus ranged from 0.00 to 0.14. The results of the Neighbor Joining (NJ) tree analyses showed that the two specimens clustered together with I. ephippium, which was divided into two distinct clades with a strong bootstrap value of 100 at the node

An Investigation into the Diversity of Leeches (Hirudinida) in the Baltic States

The Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—are situated on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea between Russia and the Scandinavian countries. This region is characterized by diverse landscapes and numerous bodies of water, including lakes, peat bogs, and marshes, which serve as natural habitats for aquatic invertebrates, including leeches. Despite the rare and uncertain taxonomic status of leech species in the area, research in the Baltic region has been inadequate. Therefore, this study aims to examine the composition of leech species in the Baltic countries, drawing on both past and current research. The study also seeks to assess the status of Hirudo medicinalis in the Baltic region and discuss the rare, questionable, and potentially present leech species in the Baltic states. A scoping review method was employed, surveying published references, books, and databases. In total, the study found records of 21 leech species in Estonia, 15 in Latvia, and 26 in Lithuania, belonging to the families Glossiphoniidae, Erpobdellidae, Hirudinidae, Haemopidae, and Piscicolidae. Hirudo medicinalis L. is distributed throughout all Baltic countries, but the most recent records on their location are only available for Estonia. The data on a few Piscicolidae species is questionable and requires verification, but further research on Piscicolid leeches can potentially lead to the discovery of rare species.

Impact of Phytophthora dieback on a key heathland species Xanthorrhoea australis (Asphodelaceae) (austral grasstree) and floristic composition in the eastern Otways, Victoria

Context The plant pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi causes severe declines in susceptible vegetation, including loss of plant species, vegetation structure and fauna abundance. Grasstrees (Xanthorrhoea spp.) are keystone species that provide optimal habitat for vertebrates and invertebrates and are highly susceptible to the pathogen. Although effects in the Otway Ranges have been assessed at specific sites, there is less knowledge across the landscape on the extent of loss of Xanthorrhoea australis (austral grasstree). Aims The aims were thus to assess impacts at three Heathy Woodland sites and to determine the magnitude of loss of X. australis and susceptible species losses. Methods Floristic composition, species cover or abundance, and basal area of X. australis were recorded in quadrats within treatments (uninfested, infested, post-infested vegetation). Analyses included floristics (PRIMER v7), significant effects (ANOSIM), species contribution to similarity/dissimilarity (SIMPER). Species richness and susceptible species cover were analysed using two-way crossed ANOVAs to detect the influence of site, treatment, and interactions. Key results Species composition of uninfested vegetation was significantly different to infested and post-infested vegetation, with susceptible species more abundant in uninfested areas. Post-infested vegetation had the lowest percentage cover of susceptible species. The mean percentage cover of X. australis in uninfested vegetation (43%) was 10-fold greater than in infested areas (4.3%) and extremely low in post-infested vegetation (0.9%). Conclusions Susceptible species were subject to density declines and extirpation, and the loss of X. australis resulted in major structural vegetation changes. Implications These results have severe implications for heathy woodland communities and reliant fauna. Limiting the spread of P. cinnamomi and protecting grasstrees is critical for their security.

Classification of River Sediment Fractions in a River Segment including Shallow Water Areas Based on Aerial Images from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with Convolution Neural Networks

Riverbed materials serve multiple environmental functions as a habitat for aquatic invertebrates and fish. At the same time, the particle size of the bed material reflects the tractive force of the flow regime in a flood and provides useful information for flood control. The traditional riverbed particle size surveys, such as sieving, require time and labor to investigate riverbed materials. The authors of this study have proposed a method to classify aerial images taken by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Our previous study showed that terrestrial riverbed materials could be classified with high accuracy. In this study, we attempted to classify riverbed materials of terrestrial and underwater samples including that which is distributed in shallow waters where the bottom can be seen using UAVs over the river segment. It was considered that the surface flow types taken overlapping the riverbed material on images disturb the accuracy of classification. By including photographs of various surface flow conditions in the training data, the classification focusing on the patterns of riverbed materials could be achieved. The total accuracy reached 90.3%. Moreover, the proposed method was applied to the river segments to determine the distribution of the particle size. In parallel, the microtopography was surveyed using a LiDAR UAV, and the relationship between the microtopography and particle size distribution was discussed. In the steep section, coarse particles were distributed and formed riffles. Fine particles were deposited on the upstream side of those riffles, where the slope had become gentler due to the dammed part. The good concordance between the microtopographical trends and the grain size distribution supports the validity of this method.

Stakeholder insights into embedding marine net gain for offshore wind farm planning and delivery

The rapid expansion of offshore wind farms plays a key role in meeting global Net Zero targets by 2050 and if delivered sustainably could address the dual challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. Many countries are embracing ambitious approaches to environmental impact reduction by implementing concepts such as Biodiversity Net Gain, Nature Positive and No Net Loss. Such policies are now recognized in European and UK legislation, although generally only applicable to terrestrial activities. For the marine realm, there is little consensus on how Marine Net Gain can provide optimal environmental and societal outcomes from marine activities such as offshore wind farm construction, operation and decommissioning. This study sought to clarify the key issues that need to be addressed for effective implementation of Marine Net Gain. Following recruitment through a stakeholder mapping exercise, in-workshop and follow-up questionnaires sought to elicit expert opinions from multi-sector UK offshore wind farm stakeholders on a range of aspects of Marine Net Gain policy formulation and delivery. Over 80 % of participants indicated that certain external inputs, including information for climate change adaptation options and habitat mapping data, were important to enable delivery of Marine Net Gain. The most important ecosystem services to include within Net Gain measures were perceived as those relating to fisheries (mean 4.50, SD 0.51), maintaining nursery habitats (mean 4.41, SD 0.59), and climate regulation (mean 4.20, SD 1.). Stakeholders felt the most important Net Gain actions for environmental restoration/enhancement for future offshore wind deployment were shellfish/mussel bed (ave rank score 4.06) and invertebrate habitat restoration (ave rank score 4.60), and actions supporting plankton communities (ave rank score 4.67). Stakeholders agreed (83 %) that Net Gain actions should be considered at the decommissioning stage, and the preferred decommissioning option was the complete removal or abandonment of all structures. Stakeholders felt that strategic Net Gain assessments should prioritize fishing pressures (dredging: mean 4.27, SD 1.03; line and net: mean 4.21, SD 0.89) and those arising from physical structures (mean 4.0, SD 0.85). Aquaculture farming was deemed most feasible to co-exist with fixed offshore wind farms (means 3.93–4.19), while floating wind farms were felt to be more co-locatable with fishing practices (means 3.94–4.06) and carbon capture storage devices (mean 3.87) compared to fixed structures. Recommendations are suggested for future policy development and scientific research in relation to the application of Marine Net Gain assessment for offshore wind farm projects.

Shallow subtidal marine benthic communities of Nachvak Fjord, Nunatsiavut, Labrador: A glimpse into species composition and drivers of their distribution.

Marine fjords along the northern Labrador coast of Arctic Canada are influenced by freshwater, nutrients, and sediment inputs from ice fields and rivers. These ecosystems, further shaped by both Atlantic and Arctic water masses, are important habitats for fishes, marine mammals, seabirds, and marine invertebrates and are vital to the Labrador Inuit who have long depended on these areas for sustenance. Despite their ecological and socio-cultural importance, these marine ecosystems remain largely understudied. Here we conducted the first quantitative underwater scuba surveys, down to 12 m, of the nearshore marine ecology of Nachvak Fjord, which is surrounded by Torngat Mountains National Park located in Nunatsiavut, the Indigenous lands claim region of northeastern Canada. Our goal was to provide the Nunatsiavut Government with a baseline of the composition and environmental influences on the subtidal community in this isolated region as they work towards the creation of an Indigenous-led National Marine Conservation Area that includes Nachvak Fjord. We identified four major benthic habitat types: (1) boulders (2) rocks with sediment, (3) sediment with rocks, and (4) unconsolidated sediments, including sand, gravel, and cobble. Biogenic cover (e.g., kelp, coralline algae, and sediment) explained much of the variability in megabenthic invertebrate community structure. The kelp species Alaria esculenta, Saccharina latissima, and Laminaria solidungula dominated the boulder habitat outside of the fjord covering 35%, 13%, and 11% of the sea floor, respectively. In contrast, the middle and inner portions of the fjord were devoid of kelp and dominated by encrusting coralline algae. More diverse megabenthic invertebrate assemblages were detected within the fjord compared to the periphery. Fish assemblages were depauperate overall with the shorthorn sculpin, Myoxocephalus scorpius, and the Greenland cod, Gadus ogac, dominating total fish biomass contributing 64% and 30%, respectively. Understanding the composition and environmental influences within this fjord ecosystem not only contributes towards the protection of this ecological and culturally important region but serves as a baseline in a rapidly changing climatic region.

Living together in dead coral rocks: macrosymbiotic communities associated with Bonellia echiuran worms (Annelida: Thalassematidae: Bonelliinae), involving new commensal bivalve and amphipod species

Abstract Dead coral rocks are prevalent hard substrates in shallow warm waters, providing habitat for various infaunal and boring invertebrates. Despite this, the nature of species interactions, especially symbiotic relationships, among them remains poorly understood. Bonellia (Annelida: Thalassematidae: Bonelliinae) is a group of greenish echiuran worms commonly inhabiting cavities inside dead coral rocks. Although echiuran burrows in marine sediments are known to harbour various host-specific macrosymbionts, it remains unclear whether such associations also occur in hard substrates. To address this, we investigated the diversity of macrosymbionts associated with the burrows of Bonellia sp. aff. minor in the warm-temperate coast of the Kii Peninsula, Japan, and the evolutionary origins of those symbionts. The host’s burrow morphology was also examined using micro-computed tomography (CT) scanning. Our field survey revealed that the burrows of Bo. sp. aff. minor hosted three commensal species including a polychaete, Oxydromus fauveli, and two new species, a bivalve (Basterotia bonelliphila sp. nov.) and an amphipod (Leucothoe bonelliae sp. nov.). Our molecular phylogenetic analyses showed that each symbiont species belongs to a clade comprising commensal species specific to echiurans or annelids. Overall, our findings contribute to a better understanding of symbiotic associations in marine hard substrates.

The positive response of small terrestrial and semi-aquatic mammals to beaver damming

Ecosystem engineers, such as the Eurasian beaver, Castor fiber, transform habitats, thereby creating favourable conditions for other species and increasing biodiversity. Multiple studies have revealed that beaver ponds are valuable habitats for invertebrates and vertebrates, including other mammals, but the impact of watercourse damming on the fauna of small terrestrial rodents and shrews has not yet been documented. We tested the hypothesis that the presence of beaver dams and consequent flooding enrich the small mammal assemblage both quantitatively and qualitatively. We live-trapped small mammals at nine beaver-modified sites on 300-metre transects alongside dammed watercourses, starting from the dam through to the pond to the sections with unmodified lotic conditions. The abundance and species richness of trapped small mammals were highest near the dams and declined with distance. Additionally, five out of 12 trapped species significantly decreased their abundance with linear distance along the shoreline from the dam and none revealed the opposite trend. Four species were more abundant on plots subjected to beaver-related inundation (especially Sorex minutus and Micromys minutus), while none were present solely on uninundated plots. Among the semi-aquatic species, two water shrews benefited from beaver activity in different ways. Neomys milleri occurred only in flooded sections, while N. fodiens preferred unmodified sections, but was the most numerous species closer to the dams, as per known patterns of competitive displacement observed in Central Europe. An important factor affecting small mammals, the herbaceous layer cover, appeared to be interdependent with damming. We provide the first unequivocal evidence that the presence of beaver dams facilitate the abundance and diversity of small mammals, presumably due to increased food abundance, availability of shelter and habitat connectivity. Beaver-created wetlands may act as potential refuges for species most susceptible to the consequences of anthropogenic climate change.

Predicting climate change impacts on critical fisheries species in Fijian marine systems and its implications for protected area spatial planning

AbstractAimSpatially explicit protections of coastal habitats determined on the current distribution of species and ecosystems risk becoming obsolete in 100 years if the movement of species ranges outpaces management action. Hence, a critical step of conservation is predicting the efficacy of management actions in future. We aimed to determine how foundational, habitat‐building species will respond to climate change in Fiji.LocationThe Republic of Fiji.MethodsWe develop species distribution models (SDMs) using MaxEnt, General Additive Models and Boosted Regression Trees and publicly available data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to predict changes in distribution of suitable habitat for mangrove forests, coral habitat, seagrass meadows and critical fisheries invertebrates under several IPCC climate change scenarios in 2070 or 2100. We then overlay predicted distribution models onto existing Fijian protected area network to assess whether today's conservation measures will afford protection to tomorrow's distributions.ResultsWe found that mangrove suitability is projected to decrease along the Coral Coast and increase northward towards the Yasawa Islands due to precipitation changes. The response of seagrass meadows was predicted to be inconsistent and dependent on the climate scenario. Meanwhile, suitability for coral reefs was not predicted to decline significantly overall. The mangrove crab Scylla serrata, an important resource for fisherwomen in Fiji, is projected to increase in habitat suitability while economically important sea cucumber species will have highly variable responses to climate change.Main conclusionsSpecies distribution models are a critical tool for conservation managers, as linking spatial distribution data with future climate change scenarios can aid in the creation and resiliency of protected area programmes. New protected area designations should consider the future distribution of species to maximize benefits to those taxa.