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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Accelerating Tropicalization And The Transformation Of Temperate Seagrass Meadows, Glenn A. Hyndes, Kenneth L. Heck Jr., Et Al, R J. Orth
Accelerating Tropicalization And The Transformation Of Temperate Seagrass Meadows, Glenn A. Hyndes, Kenneth L. Heck Jr., Et Al, R J. Orth
VIMS Articles
Climate-driven changes are altering production and functioning of biotic assemblages in terrestrial and aquatic environments. In temperate coastal waters, rising sea temperatures, warm water anomalies and poleward shifts in the distribution of tropical herbivores have had a detrimental effect on algal forests. We develop generalized scenarios of this form of tropicalization and its potential effects on the structure and functioning of globally significant and threatened seagrass ecosystems, through poleward shifts in tropical seagrasses and herbivores. Initially, we expect tropical herbivorous fishes to establish in temperate seagrass meadows, followed later by megafauna. Tropical seagrasses are likely to establish later, delayed by …
Microbial Nitrogen Processing In Hard Clam (Mercenaria Mercenaria) Aquaculture Sediments: The Relative Importance Of Denitrification And Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction To Ammonium (Dnra), Ae Murphy, Iris C. Anderson, Ar Smyth, Bk Song, Mark Luckenbach
Microbial Nitrogen Processing In Hard Clam (Mercenaria Mercenaria) Aquaculture Sediments: The Relative Importance Of Denitrification And Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction To Ammonium (Dnra), Ae Murphy, Iris C. Anderson, Ar Smyth, Bk Song, Mark Luckenbach
VIMS Articles
As bivalve aquaculture expands worldwide, an understanding of its role in nutrient cycling is necessary to ensure ecological sustainability and determine the potential of using bivalves for nutrient mitigation. Whereas several studies, primarily of epifaunal bivalves, have assessed denitrification, few have considered nutrient regeneration processes such as dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), which competes with denitrification for nitrate and results in nitrogen retention rather than loss. This study compares sediment nitrogen cycling including mineralization, DNRA, and denitrification within U.S. clam aquaculture sediments to nearby uncultivated sediments, seasonally. Clam aquaculture significantly increased sediment ammonium and phosphate effluxes relative to uncultivated …
Piecewisesem: Piecewise Structural Equation Modelling In R For Ecology, Evolution, And Systematics, Jonathan S. Lefcheck
Piecewisesem: Piecewise Structural Equation Modelling In R For Ecology, Evolution, And Systematics, Jonathan S. Lefcheck
VIMS Articles
Ecologists and evolutionary biologists rely on an increasingly sophisticated set of statistical tools to describe complex natural systems. One such tool that has gained significant traction in the biological sciences is structural equation models (SEM), a form of path analysis that resolves complex multivariate relationships among a suite of interrelated variables.
Nitrogen Sources And Net Growth Efficiency Of Zooplankton In Three Amazon River Plume Food Webs, Natalie Loick-Wilde, Sarah C. Weber, Brandon J. Condon, Douglas G. Capone, Victoria J. Coles, Patricia M. Medeiros, Deborah K. Steinberg, Joseph P. Montoya
Nitrogen Sources And Net Growth Efficiency Of Zooplankton In Three Amazon River Plume Food Webs, Natalie Loick-Wilde, Sarah C. Weber, Brandon J. Condon, Douglas G. Capone, Victoria J. Coles, Patricia M. Medeiros, Deborah K. Steinberg, Joseph P. Montoya
VIMS Articles
The plasticity of nitrogen specific net growth efficiency (NGE) in marine mesozooplankton is currently unresolved, with discordant lines of evidence suggesting that NGE is constant, or that it varies with nitrogen source, food availability, and food quality in marine ecosystems. Specifically, the fate of nitrogen from nitrogen fixation is poorly known. We use 15N : 14N ratios in plankton in combination with hydrological data, nutrient profiles, and nitrogen fixation rate measurements to investigate the relationship between new nitrogen sources and the nitrogen specific NGE in three plankton communities along the outer Amazon River plume. The NGE of small …
Global Analysis Of Seagrass Restoration: The Importance Of Large-Scale Planting, Mm Van Katwijk, A Thorhaug, N Marba, R J. Orth, Cm Duarte, Et Al.
Global Analysis Of Seagrass Restoration: The Importance Of Large-Scale Planting, Mm Van Katwijk, A Thorhaug, N Marba, R J. Orth, Cm Duarte, Et Al.
VIMS Articles
In coastal and estuarine systems, foundation species like seagrasses, mangroves, saltmarshes or corals provide important ecosystem services. Seagrasses are globally declining and their reintroduction has been shown to restore ecosystem functions. However, seagrass restoration is often challenging, given the dynamic and stressful environment that seagrasses often grow in. From our world-wide meta-analysis of seagrass restoration trials (1786 trials), we describe general features and best practice for seagrass restoration. We confirm that removal of threats is important prior to replanting. Reduced water quality (mainly eutrophication), and construction activities led to poorer restoration success than, for instance, dredging, local direct impact and …
Effects Of Predator Richness And Habitat Heterogeneity On Prey Suppression In An Estuarine Food Chain, Leonardo K. Miyashita, J. Paul Richardson, J. Emmett Duffy
Effects Of Predator Richness And Habitat Heterogeneity On Prey Suppression In An Estuarine Food Chain, Leonardo K. Miyashita, J. Paul Richardson, J. Emmett Duffy
VIMS Articles
Predator influence on the structure of prey communities can be mediated by habitat heterogeneity, the effects of which may cascade to the base of the food webs, altering producer biomass and species composition. We carried out a mesocosm experiment manipulating the identity and richness of predators and habitat heterogeneity to test their influence on resource use effectiveness, competition among predators, and trophic cascades in a model estuarine system with 3 trophic levels (microalgae, mysids, and the predators blue crab Callinectes sapidus, sand shrimp Crangon septemspinosa, and grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio). We hypothesized that increasing predator species richness would increase mysid …
Biological Activity Exceeds Biogenic Structure In Influencing Sediment Nitrogen Cycling In Experimental Oyster Reefs, Ashley R. Smyth, Nathan R. Geraldi, Suzanne P. Thompson, Michael F. Piehler
Biological Activity Exceeds Biogenic Structure In Influencing Sediment Nitrogen Cycling In Experimental Oyster Reefs, Ashley R. Smyth, Nathan R. Geraldi, Suzanne P. Thompson, Michael F. Piehler
VIMS Articles
Oysters are estuarine ecosystem engineers, in that their physical structure and biological function affect ecosystem processes such as organic matter and nutrient cycling. Oysters deliver material to the sediments through biodeposition and sedimentation caused by modification of flow around the reef. We conducted an experiment to distinguish between biotic effects and physical structure of oyster reefs on sediment nitrogen cycling. Experimental reefs consisting of live oysters, oyster shells alone and mudflats (controls) were sampled for a period of 4 wk for sediment organic matter, C and N content and fluxes of nitrogen (NH4 +, NOX and N2) and oxygen (O2). …
Modeling Spatial Expansion Of Invasive Alien Species: Relative Contributions Of Environmental And Anthropogenic Factors To The Spreading Of The Harlequin Ladybird In France, Sophie Veran, Sylvain Piry, Vincent Ternois, Christine N. Meynard, Benoit Facon, Arnaud Estoup
Modeling Spatial Expansion Of Invasive Alien Species: Relative Contributions Of Environmental And Anthropogenic Factors To The Spreading Of The Harlequin Ladybird In France, Sophie Veran, Sylvain Piry, Vincent Ternois, Christine N. Meynard, Benoit Facon, Arnaud Estoup
VIMS Articles
Species distribution models (SDM) have often been used to predict the potential ranges of introduced species and prioritize management strategies. However, this approach assumes equilibrium between occurrences and environmental gradients, an assumption which is violated during the invasion process, where many suitable sites are empty because the species has not yet reached them. Here we considered the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis as a case study to show the benefits of using a dynamic colonization–extinction model that does not assume equilibrium. We used a multi-year occupancy model incorporating environmental, anthropogenic and neighborhood effects, to identify factors that explained spreading variation of …
Saltmarsh Plant Responses To Eutrophication, David S. Johnson, Rs Warren, La Deegan, Tj Mozdzer
Saltmarsh Plant Responses To Eutrophication, David S. Johnson, Rs Warren, La Deegan, Tj Mozdzer
VIMS Articles
In saltmarsh plant communities, bottom-up pressure from nutrient enrichment is predicted to increase productivity, alter community structure, decrease biodiversity, and alter ecosystem functioning. Previous work supporting these predictions has been based largely on short-term, plot-level (e.g., 1-300 m(2)) studies, which may miss landscape-level phenomena that drive ecosystem-level responses. We implemented an ecosystem-scale, nine-year nutrient experiment to examine how saltmarsh plants respond to simulated conditions of coastal eutrophication. Our study differed from previous saltmarsh enrichment studies in that we applied realistic concentrations of nitrate (70-100 mu M NO3-), the most common form of coastal nutrient enrichment, via tidal water at the …
Beyond The Benchtop And The Benthos: Dataset Management Planning And Design For Time Series Of Ocean Carbonate Chemistry Associated With Durafet (R)-Based Ph Sensors, Emily B. Rivest, M O'Brien, L Kapsenberg, Cc Gotschalk, Ca Blanchette, U Hoshijima, Ge Hofmann
Beyond The Benchtop And The Benthos: Dataset Management Planning And Design For Time Series Of Ocean Carbonate Chemistry Associated With Durafet (R)-Based Ph Sensors, Emily B. Rivest, M O'Brien, L Kapsenberg, Cc Gotschalk, Ca Blanchette, U Hoshijima, Ge Hofmann
VIMS Articles
To better understand the impact of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems, an important ongoing research priority for marine scientists is to characterize present-day pH variability. Following recent technological advances, autonomous pH sensor deployments in shallow coastal marine environments have revealed that pH dynamics in coastal oceans are more variable in space and time than the discrete, open-ocean measurements that are used for ocean acidification projections. Data from these types of deployments will benefit the research community by facilitating the improved design of ocean acidification studies as well as the identification or evaluation of natural and human-influenced pH variability. Importantly, the …
Marine Phytophthora Species Can Hamper Conservation And Restoration Of Vegetated Coastal Ecosystems, Ll Govers, Wam In 'T Veid, Jp Meffert, Tj Bouma, Pcj Van Rijswick, Jht Heusinkveld, R J. Orth, Mm Van Katwijk, T Van Der Heide
Marine Phytophthora Species Can Hamper Conservation And Restoration Of Vegetated Coastal Ecosystems, Ll Govers, Wam In 'T Veid, Jp Meffert, Tj Bouma, Pcj Van Rijswick, Jht Heusinkveld, R J. Orth, Mm Van Katwijk, T Van Der Heide
VIMS Articles
Phytophthora species are potent pathogens that can devastate terrestrial plants, causing billions of dollars of damage yearly to agricultural crops and harming fragile ecosystems worldwide. Yet, virtually nothing is known about the distribution and pathogenicity of their marine relatives. This is surprising, as marine plants form vital habitats in coastal zones worldwide (i.e. mangrove forests, salt marshes, seagrass beds), and disease may be an important bottleneck for the conservation and restoration of these rapidly declining ecosystems. We are the first to report on widespread infection of Phytophthora and Halophytophthora species on a common seagrass species, Zostera marina (eelgrass), across the …
Effects Of Sediment And Salinity On The Growth And Competitive Abilities Of Three Submersed Macrophytes, Erin C. Shields, Ken Moore
Effects Of Sediment And Salinity On The Growth And Competitive Abilities Of Three Submersed Macrophytes, Erin C. Shields, Ken Moore
VIMS Articles
Submersed macrophytes are generally found in multispecies beds, with the dominance of individual species varying in both space and time. In estuarine environments, these plants can grow across a range of environmental conditions which may alter species interactions. Three species common to the Chesapeake Bay region, Vallisneria americana (wild celery), Heteranthera dubia (water stargrass), and Stuckenia pectinata (sago pondweed), were planted in a microcosm designed to test their growth and interactions (relative yielding) under a range of conditions of salinity (0, 5, or 10), sediment type (mud or sand), and species combinations. H. dubia was most sensitive to elevated salinity, …
Virtualspecies, An R Package To Generate Virtual Species Distributions, B Leroy, Cn Meynard, C Bellard, F Courchamp
Virtualspecies, An R Package To Generate Virtual Species Distributions, B Leroy, Cn Meynard, C Bellard, F Courchamp
VIMS Articles
virtualspecies is a freely available package for R designed to generate virtual species distributions, a procedure increasingly used in ecology to improve species distribution models. This package combines the existing methodological approaches with the objective of generating virtual species distributions with increased ecological realism. The package includes 1) generating the probability of occurrence of a virtual species from a spatial set of environmental conditions (i.e. environmental suitability), with two different approaches; 2) converting the environmental suitability into presence-absence with a probabilistic approach; 3) introducing dispersal limitations in the realised virtual species distributions and 4) sampling occurrences with different biases in …
Biodiversity Enhances Reef Fish Biomass And Resistance To Climate Change, Je Duffy, Js Lefcheck, Rochelle Stuart-Smith, Sa Navarrete, Gj Edgar
Biodiversity Enhances Reef Fish Biomass And Resistance To Climate Change, Je Duffy, Js Lefcheck, Rochelle Stuart-Smith, Sa Navarrete, Gj Edgar
VIMS Articles
Fishes are the most diverse group of vertebrates, play key functional roles in aquatic ecosystems, and provide protein for a billion people, especially in the developing world. Those functions are compromised by mounting pressures on marine biodiversity and ecosystems. Because of its economic and food value, fish biomass production provides an unusually direct link from biodiversity to critical ecosystem services. We used the Reef Life Survey's global database of 4,556 standardized fish surveys to test the importance of biodiversity to fish production relative to 25 environmental drivers. Temperature, biodiversity, and human influence together explained 47% of the global variation in …
Copepod Summer Grazing And Fecal Pellet Production Along Thewestern Antarctic Peninsula, Mr Gleiber, Deborah K. Steinberg, Ome Schofield
Copepod Summer Grazing And Fecal Pellet Production Along Thewestern Antarctic Peninsula, Mr Gleiber, Deborah K. Steinberg, Ome Schofield
VIMS Articles
Copepods are important grazers on phytoplankton and contributors to carbon export, but their role is poorly understood in theWestern Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), a region of high productivity and rapid climate warming. We conducted grazing and egestion experiments with large, dominant copepods each January from 2012 to 2014. We found higher gut evacuation rates (k), initial gut pigment and ingestion rates (I) for Calanus propinquus and Rhincalanus gigas compared with Calanoides acutus. Since k and I linearly increased with chlorophyll a for most species, ingestion rates were 4-70 times greater in more productive coastal regions than offshore, slope waters. Copepods have …
Spatial And Temporal Dynamics Of Atlantic Menhaden (Brevoortia Tyrannus) Recruitment In The Northwest Atlantic Ocean, A Buchheister, Tj Miller, Ed Houde, Dh Secor, Rj Latour
Spatial And Temporal Dynamics Of Atlantic Menhaden (Brevoortia Tyrannus) Recruitment In The Northwest Atlantic Ocean, A Buchheister, Tj Miller, Ed Houde, Dh Secor, Rj Latour
VIMS Articles
Atlantic menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus, is an abundant, schooling pelagic fish that is widely distributed in the coastal Northwest Atlantic. It supports the largest single-species fishery by volume on the east coast of the United States. However, relatively little is known about factors that control recruitment, and its stock- recruitment relationship is poorly defined. Atlantic menhaden is managed as a single unit stock, but fisheries and environmental variables likely act regionally on recruitments. To better understand spatial and temporal variability in recruitment, fishery-independent time-series (1959-2013) of young-of-year (YOY) abundance indices from the Mid-Atlantic to Southern New England (SNE) were analysed using …
Progress And Challenges In Coupled Hydrodynamic-Ecological Estuarine Modeling, Nk Ganju, Mark Brush, B Rashleigh, Al Aretxabaleta, P Del Barrio, Js Grear, La Harris, Sj Lake, Et Al.
Progress And Challenges In Coupled Hydrodynamic-Ecological Estuarine Modeling, Nk Ganju, Mark Brush, B Rashleigh, Al Aretxabaleta, P Del Barrio, Js Grear, La Harris, Sj Lake, Et Al.
VIMS Articles
Numerical modeling has emerged over the last several decades as a widely accepted tool for investigations in environmental sciences. In estuarine research, hydrodynamic and ecological models have moved along parallel tracks with regard to complexity, refinement, computational power, and incorporation of uncertainty. Coupled hydrodynamic-ecological models have been used to assess ecosystem processes and interactions, simulate future scenarios, and evaluate remedial actions in response to eutrophication, habitat loss, and freshwater diversion. The need to couple hydrodynamic and ecological models to address research and management questions is clear because dynamic feedbacks between biotic and physical processes are critical interactions within ecosystems. In …
Fungal Denitrification: Bipolaris Sorokiniana Exclusively Denitrifies Inorganic Nitrogen In The Presence And Absence Of Oxygen, R Phillips, G Grelet, A Mcmillan, Bk Song, B Weir, Et Al.
Fungal Denitrification: Bipolaris Sorokiniana Exclusively Denitrifies Inorganic Nitrogen In The Presence And Absence Of Oxygen, R Phillips, G Grelet, A Mcmillan, Bk Song, B Weir, Et Al.
VIMS Articles
Fungi may play an important role in the production of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Bipolaris sorokiniana is a ubiquitous saprobe found in soils worldwide, yet denitrification by this fungal strain has not previously been reported. We aimed to test if B. sorokiniana would produce N2O and CO2 in the presence of organic and inorganic forms of nitrogen (N) under microaerobic and anaerobic conditions. Nitrogen source (organic-N, inorganic-N, no-N control) significantly affected N2O and CO2 production both in the presence and absence of oxygen, which contrasts with bacterial denitrification. Inorganic N addition increased denitrification of N2O (from 0 to …
Upgrading Marine Ecosystem Restoration Using Ecological-Social Concepts, A Abelson, Bs Halpern, Dc Reed, R J. Orth, Ga Kendrick, Et Al
Upgrading Marine Ecosystem Restoration Using Ecological-Social Concepts, A Abelson, Bs Halpern, Dc Reed, R J. Orth, Ga Kendrick, Et Al
VIMS Articles
Conservation and environmental management are principal countermeasures to the degradation of marine ecosystems and their services. However, in many cases, current practices are insufficient to reverse ecosystem declines. We suggest that restoration ecology, the science underlying the concepts and tools needed to restore ecosystems, must be recognized as an integral element for marine conservation and environmental management. Marine restoration ecology is a young scientific discipline, often with gaps between its application and the supporting science. Bridging these gaps is essential to using restoration as an effective management tool and reversing the decline of marine ecosystems and their services. Ecological restoration …
Microbes As Engines Of Ecosystem Function: When Does Community Structure Enhance Predictions Of Ecosystem Processes?, Emily B. Graham, Joeseph E. Knelman, Et Al, Bk Song
Microbes As Engines Of Ecosystem Function: When Does Community Structure Enhance Predictions Of Ecosystem Processes?, Emily B. Graham, Joeseph E. Knelman, Et Al, Bk Song
VIMS Articles
Microorganisms are vital in mediating the earth’s biogeochemical cycles; yet, despite our rapidly increasing ability to explore complex environmental microbial communities, the relationship between microbial community structure and ecosystem processes remains poorly understood. Here, we address a fundamental and unanswered question in microbial ecology: ‘When do we need to understand microbial community structure to accurately predict function?’ We present a statistical analysis investigating the value of environmental data and microbial community structure independently and in combination for explaining rates of carbon and nitrogen cycling processes within 82 global datasets. Environmental variables were the strongest predictors of process rates but left …
Millennial-Scale Sustainability Of The Chesapeake Bay Native American Oyster Fishery, Tc Rick, La Reeder-Myers, Ca Hofman, D Breitburg, R Lockwood, G Henkes, M. L. Kellogg, D Lowery, M. Luckenbach, R. Mann, Mb Ogburn, M. Southworth, J Wah, J Wesson, Ah Hines
Millennial-Scale Sustainability Of The Chesapeake Bay Native American Oyster Fishery, Tc Rick, La Reeder-Myers, Ca Hofman, D Breitburg, R Lockwood, G Henkes, M. L. Kellogg, D Lowery, M. Luckenbach, R. Mann, Mb Ogburn, M. Southworth, J Wah, J Wesson, Ah Hines
VIMS Articles
Estuaries around the world are in a state of decline following decades or more of overfishing, pollution, and climate change. Oysters (Ostreidae), ecosystem engineers in many estuaries, influence water quality, construct habitat, and provide food for humans and wildlife. In North America's Chesapeake Bay, once-thriving eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) populations have declined dramatically, making their restoration and conservation extremely challenging. Here we present data on oyster size and human harvest from Chesapeake Bay archaeological sites spanning similar to 3,500 y of Native American, colonial, and historical occupation. We compare oysters from archaeological sites with Pleistocene oyster reefs that existed before …
Moving Forward 21st Century Pathways To Strengthen The Ocean Science Workforce Through Graduate Education And Professional Development, Linda C. Schaffner, T. W. Hartley, J. G. Saunders
Moving Forward 21st Century Pathways To Strengthen The Ocean Science Workforce Through Graduate Education And Professional Development, Linda C. Schaffner, T. W. Hartley, J. G. Saunders
VIMS Articles
The scope of emerging national and international ocean-related issues facing society demands that we develop broad perspectives on graduate education and training in the ocean sciences. A multifaceted ocean workforce and new kinds of intellectual partnerships are needed to address ocean science research priorities, strengthen our understanding of coupled human-natural ocean systems, engage and inform public policy and management decision making, and increase ocean literacy. Alumni from graduate programs in ocean sciences are following diverse career paths in academia, government, nongovernmental organizations, and industry, and thus can inform us about the diverse skills needed to succeed. The ocean science academic …
Chemical Formation Of Hybrid Di-Nitrogen Calls Fungal Codenitrification Into Question, Rebecca L. Phillips, Bk Song, Andrew M. S. Mcmillan, Gwen Grelet, Bevan S. Weir, Thilak Palmada, Craig Tobias
Chemical Formation Of Hybrid Di-Nitrogen Calls Fungal Codenitrification Into Question, Rebecca L. Phillips, Bk Song, Andrew M. S. Mcmillan, Gwen Grelet, Bevan S. Weir, Thilak Palmada, Craig Tobias
VIMS Articles
Removal of excess nitrogen (N) can best be achieved through denitrification processes that transform N in water and terrestrial ecosystems to di-nitrogen (N-2) gas. The greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) is considered an intermediate or end-product in denitrification pathways. Both abiotic and biotic denitrification processes use a single N source to form N2O. However, N-2 can be formed from two distinct N sources (known as hybrid N-2) through biologically mediated processes of anammox and codenitrification. We questioned if hybrid N-2 produced during fungal incubation at neutral pH could be attributed to abiotic nitrosation and if N2O was consumed during N-2 …
Responses Of Antarctic Marine And Freshwater Ecosystems To Changing Ice Conditions, Mk Obryk, Pt Doran, Et Al, Deborah K. Steinberg, Hw Ducklow
Responses Of Antarctic Marine And Freshwater Ecosystems To Changing Ice Conditions, Mk Obryk, Pt Doran, Et Al, Deborah K. Steinberg, Hw Ducklow
VIMS Articles
Polar regions are warming more rapidly than lower latitudes, and climate models predict that this trend will continue into the coming decades. Despite these observations and predictions, relatively little is known about how polar ecosystems have responded and will continue to respond to this change. Two Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites, located in contrasting environments in Antarctica, have been studying marine and aquatic terrestrial ecosystems for more than two decades. We use data from these research areas to show that the extent and thickness of ice covers are highly sensitive to short- and long-term climate variation and that this variation …
Why Biodiversity Is Important To The Functioning Of Real-World Ecosystems, Da Siegel, Ko Buessler, Et Al, Deborah K. Steinberg
Why Biodiversity Is Important To The Functioning Of Real-World Ecosystems, Da Siegel, Ko Buessler, Et Al, Deborah K. Steinberg
VIMS Articles
Ocean ecosystems play a critical role in the Earth's carbon cycle and the quantification of their impacts for both present conditions and for predictions into the future remains one of the greatest challenges in oceanography. The goal of the EXport Processes in the Ocean from Remote Sensing (EXPORTS) Science Plan is to develop a predictive understanding of the export and fate of global ocean net primary production (NPP) and its implications for present and future climates. The achievement of this goal requires a quantification of the mechanisms that control the export of carbon from the euphotic zone as well as …
Foundation Species Identity And Trophic Complexity Affect Experimental Seagrass Communities, Althea F. P. Moore, J. Emmett Duffy
Foundation Species Identity And Trophic Complexity Affect Experimental Seagrass Communities, Althea F. P. Moore, J. Emmett Duffy
VIMS Articles
The abundance and species composition of marine foundation species is changing due to range expansion or contraction, with potentially important ecosystem-level consequences. In Chesapeake Bay, USA, warming is likely to favor the more heat and stress-tolerant Ruppia maritima (widgeongrass) over Zostera marina (eelgrass). Because of the key role of seagrasses in providing habitat and trophic support, it is important to determine whether the more stress-tolerant seagrass provides similar ecological functions to the species it may replace. We addressed how trophic control differs between communities associated with the 2 seagrass species in a mesocosm experiment. Grazing of epiphytic algae can benefit …
Out Of The Tower And Into The Classroom Or How Classroom Partnerships Give Marine Science Grad Students An Edge, Carol Hopper Brill
Out Of The Tower And Into The Classroom Or How Classroom Partnerships Give Marine Science Grad Students An Edge, Carol Hopper Brill
VIMS Articles
Ocean science graduate students face a challenge. They must prepare for two careers: research scientist and communication specialist. Successful researchers have to be creative, innovative, and competitive within their disciplines in order to promote their work and build collaborations among their peers. But, the higher stakes surrounding current environmental concerns, shifting public perceptions of science, and growing emphasis on broader impacts mean that scientists also have to be effective communicators, able to explain the value of their research to a wide audience. How do we effectively give graduate students an edge in preparing for this dual role?
Prediction Of The Export And Fate Of Global Ocean Net Primary Production: The Exports Science Plan, Da Siegel, Ko Buesseler, Et Al, Deborah K. Steinberg
Prediction Of The Export And Fate Of Global Ocean Net Primary Production: The Exports Science Plan, Da Siegel, Ko Buesseler, Et Al, Deborah K. Steinberg
VIMS Articles
Ocean ecosystems play a critical role in the Earth's carbon cycle and the quantification of their impacts for both present conditions and for predictions into the future remains one of the greatest challenges in oceanography. The goal of the EXport Processes in the Ocean from Remote Sensing (EXPORTS) Science Plan is to develop a predictive understanding of the export and fate of global ocean net primary production (NPP) and its implications for present and future climates. The achievement of this goal requires a quantification of the mechanisms that control the export of carbon from the euphotic zone as well as …
Faunal Communities Are Invariant To Fragmentation In Experimental Seagrass Landscapes, Jonathan S. Lefcheck, Scott R. Marion, Alfonso V. Lombana, R J. Orth
Faunal Communities Are Invariant To Fragmentation In Experimental Seagrass Landscapes, Jonathan S. Lefcheck, Scott R. Marion, Alfonso V. Lombana, R J. Orth
VIMS Articles
Human-driven habitat fragmentation is cited as one of the most pressing threats facing many coastal ecosystems today. Many experiments have explored the consequences of fragmentation on fauna in one foundational habitat, seagrass beds, but have either surveyed along a gradient of existing patchiness, used artificial materials to mimic a natural bed, or sampled over short timescales. Here, we describe faunal responses to constructed fragmented landscapes varying from 4-400 m(2) in two transplant garden experiments incorporating live eelgrass (Zostera marina L.). In experiments replicated within two subestuaries of the Chesapeake Bay, USA across multiple seasons and non-consecutive years, we comprehensively censused …
Contribution And Pathways Of Diazotroph-Derived Nitrogen To Zooplankton During The Vahine Mesocosm Experiment In The Oligotrophic New Caledonia Lagoon, Brian P. V. Hunt, Sophie Bonnet, Hugo Berthelot, Brandon J. Conroy, Rachel A. Foster, Marc Pagano
Contribution And Pathways Of Diazotroph-Derived Nitrogen To Zooplankton During The Vahine Mesocosm Experiment In The Oligotrophic New Caledonia Lagoon, Brian P. V. Hunt, Sophie Bonnet, Hugo Berthelot, Brandon J. Conroy, Rachel A. Foster, Marc Pagano
VIMS Articles
In oligotrophic tropical and subtropical oceans, where strong stratification can limit the replenishment of surface nitrate, dinitrogen (N-2) fixation by diazotrophs can represent a significant source of nitrogen (N) for primary production. The VAHINE (VAriability of vertical and tropHIc transfer of fixed N-2 in the south-wEst Pacific) experiment was designed to examine the fate of diazotroph-derived nitrogen (DDN) in such ecosystems. In austral summer 2013, three large ( similar to aEuro parts per thousand aEuro-50aEuro-m(3)) in situ mesocosms were deployed for 23 days in the New Caledonia lagoon, an ecosystem that typifies the low-nutrient, low-chlorophyll environment, to stimulate diazotroph production. …