Island Settings Research Articles

Defaunation and species introductions alter long-term functional trait diversity in insular reptiles

Biodiversity loss poses a major threat to ecosystem function, which has already been severely impacted by global late-Quaternary defaunation. The loss of mammalian megafauna from many insular systems has rendered reptiles into key modulators of many ecosystem services, such as seed dispersal and pollination. How late-Quaternary extinction events impacted reptile functional diversity remains unclear but can provide critical guidance on traits that render reptiles vulnerable to extinction, as well as anthropogenic, environmental, and evolutionary histories that may promote stability and resilience. This study reconstructs the trajectory of functional diversity change in the Caribbean reptile fauna, a speciose biota distributed over a diverse set of islands with heterogeneous histories of human habitation and exploitation. Human-induced Quaternary extinctions have completely removed key functional entities (FEs)-groupings of species with similar traits that are expected to provide similar ecosystem services-from the region, but functional redundancy on large islands served as a buffer to major functional diversity loss. Small islands, on the other hand, lose up to 67% of their native FEs with only a few exceptions, underscoring the importance of a place's anthropogenic history in shaping present-day biodiversity. While functional redundancy has shielded ecosystems from significant functional diversity loss in the past, it is being eroded and not replenished by species introductions, leaving many native FEs and the communities that they support vulnerable to extinction and functional collapse. This research provides critical data on long-term functional diversity loss for a taxonomic group whose contributions to ecosystem function are understudied and undervalued.

Radical rest and recreation and their spatial permutations

Radical rest and recreation and their spatial permutations

Speculations and Survivals:

What role might an engagement with the past continue to play for an anthropology oriented toward the imagining and enacting of alternative (more just, livable, sustainable) futures? I approach this question via a “speculative memoir” of my own involvement in the Papay Gyro Nights Art Festival, held on the island of Papa Westray, Orkney (2011-2017). Founded by two emigré artist-curators (from Kyrgyzstan and Hong Kong), and featuring a range of contemporary artworks in a variety of media, the festival sought to engage elements from North Atlantic storytelling and performance traditions to explore alternative forms of collectivity, premised not on reactionary nostalgia or readymade criteria of inclusion and exclusion, but on an open-ended and experimental engagement between pasts and presents, humans and other-than-humans, including the singular materiality of the island setting.

The future is now: Climate displacement and human rights obligations—a note on recent developments in the UN Human Rights Committee

Although climate litigation—or the pursuit of legal resolve of matters stemming from anthropogenic climate change—has been growing around the world, climate mobility is seldom at the heart of relevant case law. It is human rights law bodies, in particular, which have nevertheless begun to progress legal developments in the sphere of climate mobility. This note looks at a 2022 determination by the UN Human Rights Committee concerning the habitability of a small island setting—Australia's Torres Strait Islands—under climate change conditions and the legal responsibilities of nation states to abide by their international human rights obligations in implementing timely adaptation measures now which could help to ensure continued habitation.

Island settings and their influence on geographical research methods

AbstractThis study presents lessons learned from the application of mixed methods during three field visits to central Mediterranean islands over an eight‐year period to learn about and from visitors who voluntarily paid to experience ecotourism. The study outlines various challenges encountered in research in small island settings. Such challenges include logistical difficulties to reach islands, including those originating from weather conditions, difficulty in practising observation in small communities, sampling dilemmas, different levels of trust and willingness to disclose views among interview participants, lack of standardised data, language barriers that may limit who conducts research on specific islands, and substantial fluctuations in population size throughout the year. Findings show that the choice and application of methods for island research need to be informed by island dynamics; this entails adapting methods and using different data collection techniques to mitigate challenges arising from island settings. The study also outlines the need of more research in the application of mixed methods when studying islands.

A collaborative semantic framework based on activities for the development of applications in Smart Home living labs

An essential element to improve the quality of life at home is to understand the behavior of its inhabitants and the activities they perform on a daily basis. The collection and analysis of this information in Smart Home environments poses several challenges, mainly data variability, and the management and synchronization of devices, which have limited the adoption of this kind of solutions. Researchers tend to work focused on providing solutions to specific issues and, in research environments that share infrastructure, such as living labs, it is common that previous developments of other teams are not reused. This process is suboptimal and does not allow understanding the Smart Home as a single space, but as a set of functional islands. To overcome these obstacles, a novel collaborative semantic framework is proposed for the extraction, characterization, and formalization of data to enable its reutilization and interpretation. The framework is based on the concept of activity, decomposed as a series of actions and events, and follows current trends in the domain of Activities of Daily Living and Smart Homes. A set of interoperability enablers based on JSON schemas and formalized descriptions of the domain have been proposed as the main facilitators of collaboration and the integration of elements coexisting in the Smart Home environment. The evaluation of the framework through the development of two research projects showed significant benefits, improving the overall quality of the solutions and enriching the extraction of insights through the correlated analysis of data.

Nuancing the commercial counterurbanisation debate: job creation and capacity building in an island setting

The general trend in Denmark is for more and more people to move to urban areas. One reason is that job opportunities and possibilities for finding a well-paid job are demonstrably higher in larger labour markets within Denmark (Harmon 2013). Nevertheless, some people choose to settle in places with few available jobs, such as islands. International literature speak about such moves as signaling a ‘counterurbanisation trend’ (Grimsrud 2011; Stockdale 2016). Furthermore, some literature point to these counterurbanites as bringing new entrepreneurial spirit and economic development to rural areas, thus ‘rejuvenating them’ (Stockdale 2006) and contributing to local economic development and capacity building (Bosworth 2010; Bosworth and Bat Finke 2020). Taking my starting point in a small Danish island with 1800 inhabitants, I address the question of who creates jobs and capacity building in the island, and use the evidence to critically engage with the counterurbanisation literature. I argue that the literature tends to fall into four traps: 1) equating ex-urbanites’ arrival with job-creation and innovation; 2) overlooking locals' endogenous job-creation and capacity building; 3) overlooking important contributions by ‘lateral movers’; and 4) overestimating the attraction of ‘rural idyll’ as stand-alone factor.

Testing for Hybridization between Centaurea stoebe and Centaurea jacea (Asteraceae) in the Isolated Island Setting of Nantucket, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) and brown knapweed (Centaurea jacea) are members of the Asteraceae and natives of Eurasia. Centaurea stoebe is a major invasive species in North America, dominating large stretches of grassland. It also is known to form hybrids in North America with closely related naturalized Centaurea spp., including C. jacea. Both species were introduced on Nantucket Island, a coastal island 44 km south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and morphologically unusual, possible hybrid populations have been reported. The aim of this study was to test for hybridization between these weeds in an isolated setting. Chloroplast marker sequences revealed that all the hybrid-like plants shared the same haplotype with C. jacea populations. The analysis of nuclear markers with microsatellite markers showed surprisingly little intra- and inter-specific gene flow between populations and no evidence of hybridization between C. stoebe and C. jacea. Two populations with hybrid-like morphology are most likely environmental plastic morphs of C. jacea.

Soils and terrestrial sediments on the seafloor: Refining archaeological paleoshoreline estimates and paleoenvironmental reconstruction off the California coast

On global, regional, and local scales, sea level histories and paleoshoreline reconstructions are critical to understanding the deep history of human adaptations in island and coastal settings. The distance of any individual site from the coast strongly influences decisions about the transport of coastal resources and has a direct impact on human settlement and resources procurement strategies. Our ability, then, to identify relic productive habitats, such as wetlands, that were subaerial during time periods relevant to human occupation, is critical to models of human settlement and resource patterning that guide our search to identify cultural resources. Accurate location of productive habitats becomes more critical when searching for terminal Pleistocene sites submerged by postglacial marine transgression. While paleoshoreline reconstructions and sea level histories can provide a baseline for identifying drowned and ancient coastal ecosystems, post-transgressive sediment deposited on the seafloor can skew accurate paleoshoreline location. To correct for this, we used sub-bottom profiling data from the southern California Coast to determine revised paleoshoreline locations and to identify sonar signatures indicative of paleogeographic contexts that may harbor wetland environments. These data were used to define core sample locations that resulted in the identification of submerged, preserved paleosols. The paleosols data, presented here for the first time, have provided information on ancient landscapes and relic habitats that were subaerial prior to postglacial sea level rise. In our study area on the continental shelf off the California Channel Islands archipelago, the paleosols correspond to a critical period of shifting habitats, evolving landscapes, species extinctions, and the arrival of humans into a rapidly changing ecosystem.

Simulation of the Nearshore Sediment Transport Pattern and Beach Morphodynamics in the Semi-Enclosed Bay of Myrtos, Cephalonia Island, Ionian Sea

Myrtos Beach (Cephalonia Island, Ionian Sea, Greece) represents a pocket beach with strong touristic, economic and natural interest. In this research, the morphodynamic behavior of the coastal area (e.g., hydrodynamic and sedimentary state, morphology, orientation, etc.), the current wave conditions (extreme and dominant waves, wave exposure), and also external factors, such as human impact and the geotechnical condition of the wider area, are examined. Short- and medium-to-long-term analysis took place, such as mapping, sediment analysis, wave/wind analysis, numerical modeling, and satellite monitoring, in order to identify the dynamic forcing parameters related to geomorphology, sedimentology, and hydrology that prevail in the area. Additionally, the intense tectonics, the karstified limestones, and the steep slopes of the cliffs in combination with the frequent seismic events on the island set up a geotechnically unstable area, which often cause landslides on the beach of Myrtos; these supply the beach with a large amount of aggregates, constituting the main sediment supply. Wave exposure forcing conditions, longshore–rip current direction, and other hydrodynamic processes are stable with high values in the area, causing notable sediment transport within the bay boundaries. As a result, at Myrtos Bay there is a dynamic balance of the natural system, which is directly affected by human interventions. Taking also into consideration that Myrtos is one of the most famous beaches in Greece and one of the main attractions of Cephalonia Island with thousands of visitors every year, beach management must be focused on preserving the natural system of the coastal area.

Managing the Mental Health of Healthcare Professionals in Times of Crisis: The Aruban COVID-19 Experience.

: PurposeHospital workers in Aruba have been facing an increased demand for healthcare in the unique setting of a Small Island Developing State (SIDS). This study assessed the impact of the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the mental health of staff at the major hospital in Aruba, examining the differences between employee groups, with the goal of providing recommendations for targeted support and coping strategies in future crises in a small island setting. Patients and methods: In a mixed-method cohort design, Dr. Horacio E. Oduber Hospital staff were asked to complete a 25-item questionnaire about their concerns and worries, organization of work, and general wellbeing; 24% of the hospital staff filled in the questionnaire (mean age 41 ± 11 years, 79% female). Alongside the needs assessment questionnaire, six focus groups were established to explore staff feelings on specific measures taken by hospital management during the COVID-19 crisis. Results: Questionnaire analysis (n = 231) revealed employees’ concerns about infecting their relatives and their financial stability. In particular, nurses were significantly more concerned than other staff groups. In the wellbeing section of the questionnaire, items regarding future security scored poorest, alongside increased levels of tiredness and nervousness. Focus groups discussions revealed frustrations of the hospital staff with the foreign staff brought in to help during the crisis and a need for better leadership and communication practices from hospital management. Conclusions: Comprehensive and holistic approaches should be implemented by the hospital management to prevent occupational burnout and demoralized work ethics and further emotional exhaustion.

Assessing the conservation priority of freshwater lake sites based on taxonomic, functional and environmental uniqueness

AbstractAimWe propose a novel approach that considers taxonomic uniqueness, functional uniqueness and environmental uniqueness and show how it can be used in guiding conservation planning. We illustrate the approach using data for lake biota and environment.LocationLake Puruvesi, Finland.MethodsWe sampled macrophytes and macroinvertebrates from the same 18 littoral sites. By adapting the original “ecological uniqueness” approach, we used distance‐based methods to calculate measures of taxonomic (LCBD–t), functional (LCBD–f) and environmental (LCEH) uniqueness for each site. We also considered the numbers and locations of the sites needed to protect up to 70% of total variation in taxonomic, functional or environmental features in the studied part of the lake.ResultsRelationships between taxonomic (LCBD–t), functional (LCBD–f) and environmental (LCEH) uniqueness were generally weak, and only the relationship between macrophyte LCBD–t and LCBD–f was statistically significant. Overall, however, if the whole biotic dataset was considered, macroinvertebrate LCBD–f values showed a consistent positive relationship with macrophyte LCBD–f. Depending on the measure of site uniqueness, between one‐third to one half of the sites could help protect up to 70% of the ecological uniqueness of the studied part of Lake Puruvesi.Main conclusionsAlthough the dataset examined originated from a large lake system, the approach we proposed here can be applied in different ecosystems and at various spatial scales. An important consideration is that a set of sites has been sampled using the same methods, resulting in species and environmental matrices that can be analysed using the methodological approach proposed here. This framework can be easily applied to grid‐based data, sets of islands or sets of forest fragments. We suggest that the approach based on taxonomic, functional and environmental uniqueness will be a useful tool in guiding nature conservation and ecosystem management, especially if associated with meta‐system ideas or network thinking.

Coastal Wetland Soil Carbon Storage at Mangrove Range Limits in Apalachicola Bay, FL: Observations and Expectations

Globally, mangrove range limits are expanding, often at the cost of adjacent coastal ecosystems including saltmarshes, potentially leading to a change in ecosystem services such as organic carbon (OC) sequestration. Studies in the southeastern US have focused almost exclusively onAvicennia germinansrange expansion, the most cold-tolerant mangroves in North America. The Apalachicola Bay region of north Florida represents the northern range limit of mangroves in the Gulf of Mexico, and uniquely also includesRhizophora mangle. The objective of this research was to quantify soil OC density beneath both mangrove species and compare results to the soils beneath two contiguous native tidal saltmarsh species:Juncus roemerianusandSpartina alterniflorain a barrier island setting. Dominant plant taxa were not a significant predictor of soil OC density, highlighting the relative importance of site-specific environmental attributes as controls on soil properties. Soil profile δ13C compositions included a range of values reflective of C3and C4plant inputs, suggesting that shifts in plant taxa, both from marsh to mangroves and between marsh species, have been occurring at all sites in this study. These findings support much of the literature on mangrove encroachment, which indicates mangrove soil OC concentrations, densities, or stocks are less than or equal to that of co-located tidal marsh habitats. Through a systematic review, the potential of several proposed explanatory variables (climate, environmental setting, plant physiology and productivity, and duration of encroachment) were identified to evaluate how soil OC density in mangrove habitats might increase over time, which is critical to forecasting how continued mangrove expansion might affect blue C storage as these habitats evolve.

Contrasting Volcanic Deformation in Arc and Ocean Island Settings Due To Exsolution of Magmatic Water

AbstractTwo of the most widely observed co‐eruptive volcanic phenomena—Ground deformation and volcanic outgassing—Are fundamentally linked via the mechanism of magma degassing and the development of compressibility, which controls how the volume of magma changes in response to a change in pressure. Here we use thermodynamic models—Constrained by petrological data—To reconstruct volatile exsolution and the consequent changes in magma properties. We use the fraction of SO2 exsolved during decompression to predict co‐eruptive SO2 flux and magma compressibility to predict co‐eruptive surface deformation (both normalized by erupted volume). We conduct sensitivity tests using properties of typical basalts to assess how varying magma volatile content, crustal properties, and chamber geometry affect co‐eruptive deformation and degassing. We find that magmatic H2O content has the most impact on both SO2 flux and volume change. Our findings have general implications for typical basaltic systems in arc and ocean island settings. The higher water content of arc magmas makes them more compressible than ocean island magmas and leads to muted or non‐existent deformation being observed during arc eruptions. Our models are consistent with observation: Deformation has been detected during 48% of basaltic eruptions in ocean island settings (16/33) during the satellite era (2005–2020), but only 11% of basaltic eruptions in arc settings (7/61).

SLOSS‐based inferences in a fragmented landscape depend on fragment area and species–area slope

AbstractAimsWhether a Single Large Or Several Small (SLOSS) habitat patches contain more species is central to the debate about how habitat fragmentation threatens species diversity. However, the geographical and biogeographical variables that affect emergent SLOSS patterns remain poorly understood. Here, we quantified SLOSS‐based diversity patterns of woody plant, bird and spider assemblages in a subtropical archipelago of land bridge islands.LocationThousand Island Lake, Zhejiang Province, China.TaxonWoody plants, birds and spiders.MethodsWe analysed species accumulation curves and species–area relationships (SARs) to quantify SLOSS‐based patterns of all, common and rare species for each taxon across different groupings of islands. Differences in the number of species between a single large island and sets of several small islands were measured in these analyses using a Saturation index (SI) and SLOSS index. Generalized additive models were used to assess the relationships between SI and SLOSS index values and the maximum area of islands included in the analysis, the slope of SARs (i.e. z‐score) and the degree of nestedness.ResultsSI values increased with the maximum area of islands for three taxa, while SLOSS index values only increased with the maximum island area for woody plants. SI values increased as z‐scores of woody plants decreased, and showed a quadratic relationship for birds and spiders. SLOSS index values decreased as z‐scores of three taxa increased. The degree of nestedness and SI values or SLOSS index values were weakly correlated with all, rare and common species in the three taxa.Main conclusionsSLOSS‐based inferences of fragmentation effects are contingent on variation in the maximum area of patches included in analyses and the slope of SARs in fragmentated landscapes. Whether conservation efforts should prioritize a single large or several small patches depends on the geographical (e.g. maximum fragment area) and biogeographical (e.g. slope of SAR) attributes of a fragmentated landscape.

Impacts of Hurricane Matthew on adjacent developed and undeveloped barrier islands in southeastern North Carolina

High-magnitude storms such as hurricanes can cause significant and potentially long-lasting morphological coastal change, particularly along low-lying barrier islands. This study investigated the impacts of Hurricane Matthew (2016) on neighboring undeveloped Masonboro Island reserve and engineered/nourished Wrightsville Beach barrier islands, located in southeast North Carolina. Using a combination of high-resolution pre- and post-storm RTK–GPS beach surveys, coupled with direct observations, storm surge and wave runup calculations and aerial imagery, a range of contrasting storm-induced coastal changes and impact regimes were identified across the two adjacent barriers. Storm impacts were especially pronounced across low-lying undeveloped central/southern Masonboro Island, which was dominated by significant overwash processes, leading to landward directed barrier crest migration. In contrast, only short-lived and minor collision with the dune base was observed at Wrightsville Beach, were storm impacts were dominated by a swash storm regime resulting in significant beach erosion. Field- and aerial based observations match well with modeled extreme water level estimates. This study offers a real-time example of how geomorphologically different neighboring islands respond to specific storm events, and how storm impact regime type and duration helps explain differences in barrier responses. Similar storm impacts are likely at other locations with comparable barrier island settings and differing coastal management approaches.

Extinction risk of the endemic vascular flora of Kauai, Hawaii, based on IUCN assessments

The International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN Red List) is the world's most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of species. Governmental agencies and conservation organizations increasingly rely on IUCN Red List assessments to develop conservation policies and priorities. Funding agencies use the assessments as evaluation criteria, and researchers use meta‐analysis of red‐list data to address fundamental and applied conservation science questions. However, the circa 143,000 IUCN assessments represent a fraction of the world's biodiversity and are biased in regional and organismal coverage. These biases may affect conservation priorities, funding, and uses of these data to understand global patterns. Isolated oceanic islands are characterized by high endemicity, but the unique biodiversity of many islands is experiencing high extinction rates. The archipelago of Hawaii has one of the highest levels of endemism of any floristic region; 90% of its 1367 native vascular plant taxa are classified as endemic. We used the IUCN's assessment of the complete single‐island endemic (SIE) vascular plant flora of Kauai, Hawaii, to assess the proportion and drivers of decline of threatened plants in an oceanic island setting. We compared the IUCN assessments with federal, state, and other local assessments of Kauai species or taxa of conservation concern. Finally, we conducted a preliminary assessment for all 1044 native vascular plants of Hawaii based on IUCN criterion B by estimating area of occupancy, extent of occurrence, and number of locations to determine whether the pattern found for the SIE vascular flora of Kauai is comparable to the native vascular flora of the Hawaiian Islands. We compared our results with patterns observed for assessments of other floras. According to IUCN, 256 SIE vascular plant taxa are threatened with extinction and 5% are already extinct. This is the highest extinction risk reported for any flora to date. The preliminary assessment of the native vascular flora of Hawaii showed that 72% (753 taxa) is threatened. The flora of Hawaii may be one of the world's most threatened; thus, increased and novel conservation measures in the state and on other remote oceanic islands are urgently needed.

Institutional, technical and financial sustainability of rural piped drinking water supply on a freshwater island: Case study of Likoma Island, Malawi

AbstractSustainable Development Goal 6 addresses the protection for both drinking water and lakes, and this is especially important for residents of a freshwater island. This study explores the institutional, technical and economic sustainability of a piped drinking water system operating on Likoma Island in Lake Malawi. Data were collected through household surveys and an analysis of historical records. Proximity and accessibility analyses were also conducted for households (n = 185) and their water sources. The results indicated that within 10 years after implementation of the system, 98% of the respondents had piped drinking water within 250 m of their households. Challenges to system sustainability unique to an island setting include the need for boat transportation, inconsistent electrical power supply and lack of island banking services. Factors contributing to broader system success include fishing households with cash income, limited dependence on communal taps, a strong mainland partner, tourism‐supported financial management, high payment rate amongst government institutions, system costs covered by pricing of water for customers and a manager with a high level of decision‐making authority. Opportunities to make the system more sustainable include reducing non‐revenue water losses, using drones or buying a dedicated boat for transport to the island and improving self‐sufficiency on the island to respond to equipment emergencies. Rural drinking water supplies in remote lake island communities must meet unique requirements for sustainable operation, and the institutional, technical and economic sustainability factors of Likoma Island illustrate a successful system likely to sustainably continue its operations into the future.

Spatial social value distributions for multiple user groups in a coastal national park

Managing public lands to maximize societal benefits requires spatially explicit understanding of societal valuation, and public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS) are increasingly used in coastal settings to accomplish this task. Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES), a PPGIS tool that systematizes the mapping and modeling of social values and cultural ecosystem services, is promising for use in coastal settings but has seen relatively limited applications relative to other PPGIS approaches; it has also, to our knowledge, not yet been applied in a barrier island setting. In this study, we surveyed two visitor groups and residents living near Cape Lookout National Seashore (North Carolina, USA) to understand their social values in the context of the park's management needs. We developed social-value models to evaluate differences between three user groups (fall visitors, summer visitors, and residents) and to evaluate how respondents' experiences, attitudes, and recreational activities influence the locations they value and their most strongly held value types, which included aesthetic, recreation, biodiversity, future, therapeutic, and historic values. We found that accessibility, user types and the seasonality of major recreational activities, and the linear configuration of the barrier island system at Cape Lookout are important influences on the social values held by visitors and residents. The modeling results provide information relevant to management at Cape Lookout and can inform the design of future PPGIS studies in coastal and marine settings.

Inference of young groundwater ages and modern groundwater proportions using chlorofluorocarbon and tritium/helium-3 tracers from West Hawai‘i Island

The geologically complex western aquifers of Hawai‘i Island serve as the primary reservoir of fresh potable water for residents, yet the area’s hydrogeologic characteristics are still not well understood. Groundwater age is a fundamental parameter used to better understand groundwater flow and storage, yet few studies have attempted to estimate apparent groundwater ages in Hawai‘i. This study implements a multi-tracer approach using chlorofluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and tritium/helium-3 to determine the apparent ages of young water masses from the West Hawai‘i aquifers. Chlorofluorocarbon and tritium/helium-3 tracer measurements suggest that the aquifers contain young groundwater with a median age of 53 years, but that a significant volume of older groundwater exists, which was recharged prior to the release of these anthropogenic tracers. Mixing models suggest that the groundwater consists of mixtures with an average 28% modern water (<70 years), with the remainder being recharged prior to 1953. Further, helium measurements demonstrate that the area’s groundwater is influenced by hydrothermal and magmatic processes from Hualālai volcano, which bias estimated groundwater ages if not properly considered. It is therefore beneficial to utilize a multi-tracer approach in an oceanic volcanic island setting, where groundwater ages are impacted by various external processes. The analysis of young apparent ages and proportions can aid in coastal aquifer characterization and subsequent groundwater quality assessment and is crucial for sustainable groundwater management.