Long‐term declines in an intertidal foundation species parallel shifts in community composition
Cascade J. B. Sorte,Victoria E. Davidson,Marcus C. Franklin,Kylla M. Benes,Meredith M. Doellman,Ron J. Etter,Robyn Hannigan,Jane Lubchenco,Bruce A. Menge +8 more
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The results suggest that declines in a critical foundation species may have already impacted the intertidal community in the Gulf of Maine and underscore the importance of anticipating not only changes in diversity but also changes in the abundance and identity of component species, as strong interactors like foundation species have the potential to drive cascading community shifts.Abstract:
The earth is in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, and projections indicate continuing and accelerating rates of global changes. Future alterations in communities and ecosystems may be precipitated by changes in the abundance of strongly interacting species, whose disappearance can lead to profound changes in abundance of other species, including an increase in extinction rate for some. Nearshore coastal communities are often dependent on the habitat and food resources provided by foundational plant (e.g., kelp) and animal (e.g., shellfish) species. We quantified changes in the abundance of the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis), a foundation species known to influence diversity and productivity of intertidal habitats, over the past 40 years in the Gulf of Maine, USA, one of the fastest warming regions in the global ocean. Using consistent survey methods, we compared contemporary population sizes to historical data from sites spanning >400 km. The results of these comparisons showed that blue mussels have declined in the Gulf of Maine by >60% (range: 29-100%) at the site level since the earliest benchmarks in the 1970s. At the same time as mussels declined, community composition shifted: at the four sites with historical community data, the sessile community became increasingly algal dominated. Contemporary (2013-2014) surveys across 20 sites showed that sessile species richness was positively correlated to mussel abundance in mid to high intertidal zones. These results suggest that declines in a critical foundation species may have already impacted the intertidal community. To inform future conservation efforts, we provide a database of historical and contemporary baselines of mussel population abundance and dynamics in the Gulf of Maine. Our results underscore the importance of anticipating not only changes in diversity but also changes in the abundance and identity of component species, as strong interactors like foundation species have the potential to drive cascading community shifts.read more
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Sustainable harvesting of wild seaweed resources.
TL;DR: As the popularity of seaweeds increases and the use of less traditional species with novel applications comes to the fore, it is critically important to make certain that the sustainability of the resource is ensured given the increased pressures of harvesting.
Journal ArticleDOI
An ecosystem approach to kelp aquaculture in the Americas and Europe
Gretchen S. Grebe,Gretchen S. Grebe,Carrie J. Byron,Adam T. St. Gelais,Dawn Kotowicz,Tollef K. Olson +5 more
TL;DR: In this paper, a conceptual model of the human and natural systems supporting this nascent kelp aquaculture sector was developed using Maine, USA as a focal region, and potential negative impacts of kelp farming were identified to be habitat degradation, overfishing of wild seeds, predation and competition with wild fish and genes, and transmission of diseases.
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Physical effects of habitat‐forming species override latitudinal trends in temperature
Laura J. Jurgens,Brian Gaylord +1 more
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that thermal buffering by centimetre-thick mussel and seaweed beds eliminates differences in stress-inducing high temperatures and associated mortality risk that would otherwise arise over 14° of latitude and ~1 m of shore elevation.
Journal ArticleDOI
Past, Present, and Future: Performance of Two Bivalve Species Under Changing Environmental Conditions
TL;DR: In this paper, a high resolution climate model and two dynamic energy budget models were used to explore the future growth and distribution of two economically and ecologically important species, the eastern oyster (Crassotrea virginica), and the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) along the Atlantic coast of Canada.
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Climate‐driven substitution of habitat‐forming species leads to reduced biodiversity within a temperate marine community
TL;DR: The upper layers of the ocean have warmed by 0.11°C per decade since the mid 20th century (IPCC, 2013) and are now on average more acidic and less oxygenated and have altered salinity and wave regimes as mentioned in this paper.
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