Evolution of Protein Molecules

Estuarine and coastal transformation is as old as civilization yet has dramatically accelerated over the past 150 to 300 years. Reconstructed time lines, causes, and consequences of change in 12 once diverse and productive estuaries and coastal seas worldwide show similar patterns: Human impacts have depleted >90% of formerly important species, destroyed >65% of seagrass and wetland habitat, degraded water quality, and accelerated species invasions. Twentieth-century conservation efforts achieved partial recovery of upper trophic levels but have so far failed to restore former ecosystem structure and function. Our results provide detailed historical baselines and quantitative targets for ecosystem-based management and marine conservation.

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Depletion, Degradation, and Recovery Potential of Estuaries and Coastal Seas

Beginning with Emlen (1966) and MacArthur and Pianka (1966) and extending through the last ten years, several authors have sought to predict the foraging behavior of animals by means of mathematical models. These models are very similar,in that they all assume that the fitness of a foraging animal is a function of the efficiency of foraging measured in terms of some "currency" (Schoener, 1971) -usually energy- and that natural selection has resulted in animals that forage so as to maximize this fitness. As a result of these similarities, the models have become known as "optimal foraging models"; and the theory that embodies them, "optimal foraging theory." The situations to which optimal foraging theory has been applied, with the exception of a few recent studies, can be divided into the following four categories: (1) choice by an animal of which food types to eat (i.e., optimal diet); (2) choice of which patch type to feed in (i.e., optimal patch choice); (3) optimal allocation of time to different patches; and (4) optimal patterns and speed of movements. In this review we discuss each of these categories separately, dealing with both the theoretical developments and the data that permit tests of the predictions. The review is selective in the sense that we emphasize studies that either develop testable predictions or that attempt to test predictions in a precise quantitative manner. We also discuss what we see to be some of the future developments in the area of optimal foraging theory and how this theory can be related to other areas of biology. Our general conclusion is that the simple models so far formulated are supported are supported reasonably well by available data and that we are optimistic about the value both now and in the future of optimal foraging theory. We argue, however, that these simple models will requre much modification, espicially to deal with situations that either cannot easily be put into one or another of the above four categories or entail currencies more complicated that just energy.

Citation classic - optimal foraging - a selective review of theory and tests

Ecological and toxicological effects of inorganic nitrogen pollution in aquatic ecosystems: A global assessment.

The rise of harmful cyanobacteria blooms: The potential roles of eutrophication and climate change

Algorithms for Processing and Analysis of Ocean Color Satellite Data for Coastal Case 2 Waters. Chapter 16

Dedication to Dr. Karen A. Steidinger

SeaWiFS has the ability to enhance our understanding of many oceanographic processes. However, its utility in the coastal zone has been limited by valid bio-optical algorithms and by the determination of accurate water reflectances, particularly in the blue bands (412-490 nm), which have a significant impact on the effectiveness of all bio-optical algorithms. We have made advances in three areas: algorithm development (Table 16.1), field data collection, and data applications.

Algorithms for Processing and Analysis of Ocean Color Satellite Data for Coastal Case 2 Waters

In a grassroots effort to identify stressors influencing the health of Maui’s coral reefs, samples for the pre- and post-emergent herbicide, Diuron, were taken in July–August 2013, prior to, during, and after the passage of Tropical Storm Flossie on the south central coast of Maui, Hawaii. Diuron is routinely used on sugarcane fields adjacent to Hawaiian coastal waters and is a component of the anti-fouling paint used on small boats. It inhibits photosynthesis of terrestrial plants at concentrations as low as 0.1 parts per billion and can be lethal to endosymbiotic dinoflagellates in corals at concentrations less than 3 parts per billion, a concentration measured in runoff samples taken during this study. While Diuron was not detected in samples taken beyond the coastal outfall or in an adjacent boat basin, this effort provides evidence that a detectable influx of Diuron into Maui’s coastal waters can result from a single rain event. Further, this study will inform efforts to support a ban on the use of Diuron in the wet season and guide monitoring efforts to better understand the effects of Diuron in coastal areas.

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Patricia A. Tester

Papers

Algorithms for Processing and Analysis of Ocean Color Satellite Data for Coastal Case 2 Waters. Chapter 16

Dedication to Dr. Karen A. Steidinger

Algorithms for Processing and Analysis of Ocean Color Satellite Data for Coastal Case 2 Waters

Diuron from Maui Sugarcane Field Runoff Is Potentially Harmful to Local Coral Reefs