Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Deconstructing The Mangrove Carbon Cycle: Gains, Transformation, And Losses, M. F. Adame, N. Cormier, P. Taillardat, N. Iram, A. Rovai, T. M. Sloey, E. S. Yando, J. F. Blanco-Libreros, M. Arnaud, T. Jennerjahn, C. E. Lovelock, D. Friess, G. M. S. Reithmaier, C. A. Buelow, S. M. Muhammad-Nor, R. R. Twilley, R. A. Ribeiro

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Mangroves are one of the most carbon-dense forests on the Earth and have been highlighted as key ecosystems for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Hundreds of studies have investigated how mangroves fix, transform, store, and export carbon. Here, we review and synthesize the previously known and emerging carbon pathways in mangroves, including gains (woody biomass accumulation, deadwood accumulation, soil carbon sequestration, root and litterfall production), transformations (food web transfer through herbivory, decomposition), and losses (respiration as CO₂ and CH₄, litterfall export, particulate and dissolved carbon export). We then review the technologies available to measure carbon fluxes in …

Levels Of Autotrophy And Heterotrophy In Mesophotic Corals Near The End Photic Zone, Amy Carmignani, Veronica Z. Radice, Kathryn M. Mcmahon, Alex I. Holman, Karen Miller, Kliti Grice, Zoe Richards

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Mesophotic corals live at ~30-150 m depth and can sustain metabolic processes under light-limited conditions by enhancing autotrophy through specialized photoadaptations or increasing heterotrophic nutrient acquisition. These acclimatory processes are often species-specific, however mesophotic ecosystems are largely unexplored and acclimation limits for most species are unknown. This study examined mesophotic coral ecosystems using a remotely operated vehicle (Ashmore Reef, Western Australia at 40–75m depth) to investigate the trophic ecology of five species of scleractinian coral (from genera Leptoseris, Pachyseris, and Craterastrea) using stable isotope analyses (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) of host and symbiont tissues …

Rapidly Changing Range Limits In A Warming World: Critical Data Limitations And Knowledge Gaps For Advancing Understanding Of Mangrove Range Dynamics In The Southeastern Usa, Rémi Bardou, Michael J. Osland, Steven Scyphers, Christine Shepard, Karen E. Aerni, Jahson B. Alemu I, Robert Crimian, Richard H. Day, Nicholas M. Enwright, Laura C. Feher, Sarah L. Gibbs, Kiera O'Donnell, Savannah H. Swinea, Kalaina Thorne, Sarit Truskey, Anna R. Armitage, Ronald Baker, Josh L. Breithaupt, Kyle C. Cavanaugh, Erik S. Yando, A. Randall Hughes, Et Al.

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Climate change is altering species’ range limits and transforming ecosystems. For example, warming temperatures are leading to the range expansion of tropical, cold-sensitive species at the expense of their cold-tolerant counterparts. In some temperate and subtropical coastal wetlands, warming winters are enabling mangrove forest encroachment into salt marsh, which is a major regime shift that has significant ecological and societal ramifications. Here, we synthesized existing data and expert knowledge to assess the distribution of mangroves near rapidly changing range limits in the southeastern USA. We used expert elicitation to identify data limitations and highlight knowledge gaps for advancing understanding of …

An Integrative Salt Marsh Conceptual Framework For Global Comparisons, Erik S. Yando, Scott F. Jones, W. Ryan James, Denise D. Colombano, Diana I. Montemayor, Stefanie Nolte, Jacqueline L. Raw, Shelby L. Ziegler, Luzhen Chen, Daniele Daffonchio, Marco Fusi, Kerrylee Rogers, Liudmila Sergienko

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Salt marshes occur globally across climatic and coastal settings, providing key linkages between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. However, salt marsh science lacks a unifying conceptual framework; consequently, historically well-studied locations have been used as normative benchmarks. To allow for more effective comparisons across the diversity of salt marshes, we developed an integrative salt marsh conceptual framework. We review ecosystem-relevant drivers from global to local spatial scales, integrate these multi-scale settings into a framework, and provide guidance on applying the framework using specific variables on 11 global examples. Overall, this framework allows for appropriate comparison of study sites by accounting for …

Assessing Trade-Offs In Large Marine Protected Areas, Tammy E. Davies, Graham Epstein, Stacy E. Aguilera, Cassandra M. Brooks, Michael Cox, Louisa S. Evans, Sara M. Maxwell, Mateja Nenadovic, Natalie C. Ban

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Large marine protected areas (LMPAs) are increasingly being established and have a high profile in marine conservation. LMPAs are expected to achieve multiple objectives, and because of their size are postulated to avoid trade-offs that are common in smaller MPAs. However, evaluations across multiple outcomes are lacking. We used a systematic approach to code several social and ecological outcomes of 12 LMPAs. We found evidence of three types of trade-offs: trade-offs between different ecological resources (supply trade-offs); trade-offs between ecological resource conditions and the well-being of resource users (supply-demand trade-offs); and trade-offs between the well-being outcomes of different resource users …

Sea Surface Temperature Rises Shift Migration Patterns Due To Ecosystem Changes, Alexia Skrbic, Hesham El-Askary

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The continuing climate change is negatively impacting ecosystems, specifically oceans which are declining and food webs are being altered by the increase of greenhouse gases. The increase of the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is increasing sea surface temperature of the world’s oceans. Certain organisms lower on the food chain like phytoplankton and zooplankton are directly affected by the warming which alters how they process nutrients and their productivity. The limited amount of these primary producers in the oceans and specifically the location they inhabit directly affects all the organisms above them on the food chain. Several marine animals …

Understanding The Structure And Functioning Of Polar Pelagic Ecosystems To Predict The Impacts Of Change, E. E. Murphy, R. D. Cavanagh, K. F. Drinkwater, S. M. Grant, J. J. Heymans, E. E. Hofmann, G. L. Hunt Jr., N. M. Johnston

CCPO Publications

The determinants of the structure, functioning and resilience of pelagic ecosystems across most of the polar regions are not well known. Improved understanding is essential for assessing the value of biodiversity and predicting the effects of change (including in biodiversity) on these ecosystems and the services they maintain. Here we focus on the trophic interactions that underpin ecosystem structure, developing comparative analyses of how polar pelagic food webs vary in relation to the environment. We highlight that there is not a singular, generic Arctic or Antarctic pelagic food web, and, although there are characteristic pathways of energy flow dominated by …

Urban Stream Burial Increases Watershed-Scale Nitrate Export, Jake J. Beaulieu, Heather E. Golden, Christopher D. Knightes, Paul M. Mayer, Sujay S. Kaushal, Michael J. Pennino, Clay P. Arango, David A. Balz, Colleen M. Elonen, Ken M. Fritz, Brian H. Hill

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Nitrogen (N) uptake in streams is an important ecosystem service that reduces nutrient loading to downstream ecosystems. Here we synthesize studies that investigated the effects of urban stream burial on N-uptake in two metropolitan areas and use simulation modeling to scale our measurements to the broader watershed scale. We report that nitrate travels on average 18 times farther downstream in buried than in open streams before being removed from the water column, indicating that burial substantially reduces N uptake in streams. Simulation modeling suggests that as burial expands throughout a river network, N uptake rates increase in the remaining open …

Effects Of Precipitation Increase On Soil Respiration: A Three-Year Field Experiment In Subtropical Forests In China, Qi Deng, Dafeng Hui, Deqiang Zhang, Guoyi Zhou, Juxiu Liu, Shizhong Liu, Guowei Chu, Jiong Li

Biology Faculty Research

Background

The aim of this study was to determine response patterns and mechanisms of soil respiration to precipitation increases in subtropical regions.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Field plots in three typical forests [i.e. pine forest (PF), broadleaf forest (BF), and pine and broadleaf mixed forest (MF)] in subtropical China were exposed under either Double Precipitation (DP) treatment or Ambient Precipitation (AP). Soil respiration, soil temperature, soil moisture, soil microbial biomass and fine root biomass were measured over three years. We tested whether precipitation treatments influenced the relationship of soil respiration rate (R) with soil temperature (T) and soil …

Impacts Of Shoreline Development On The Littoral Zone Of Great Pond, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Great Pond (2012, 2010, 1998)

The Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) investigated the littoral zone of Great Pond in the Belgrade Lakes region of central Maine. Data collection occurred in September and October and analysis followed in October and November of 2010. Physical, biological, and chemical parameters were assessed to examine the impacts of shoreline development on the health of the littoral community. The littoral zone and adjacent riparian areas were sampled to allow comparison of aquatic and terrestrial parameters among different levels of shoreline development.

Fisheries Envrionmental Management Plan For The Gascoyne Region. Draft Report., Dept. Of Fisheries

Fisheries management papers

This draft document for the Gascoyne Region is the first in the series of Environmental Management Plans. . It complements the recently released Fisheries Environmental Management Review of the Gascoyne Region (2000).

Land Use Patterns In Relation To Lake Water Quality In The Lake George And Oaks Pond Watersheds, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Other Area Studies

There has always been an inexplicable wonder associated with the beauty of Maine lakes. In addition to their aesthetic value, lakes and ponds provide important habitats for aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. The attraction of the lake's natural beauty, however, can increase recreational pressures that may lead to human induced eutrophication. Lake George and Oaks Pond were chosen as the Colby Environmental Assessment Team's (CEAT) study sites due to the concern about potential human induced eutrophication of both water bodies. Lake George and Oaks Pond are situated in southern Somerset County, Maine, and experience heavy recreational and developmental uses. Neither water …

Land Use Patterns In Relation To Lake Water Quality In The Lake Wesserunsett Watershed, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Other Area Studies

The Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) engaged in an extensive data collection and analysis effort from September to December of 2000 to produce a comprehensive evaluation of the ecological health of the Lake Wesserunsett ecosystem. CEAT examined several factors related to lake water quality, including land use within the watershed, the impacts of residential and commercial development, and physical and chemical measurements of the lake itself. Lake water quality was the primary focus of the study due to its predictive value regarding overall watershed function and viability. The accumulation of nutrients in a lake due to surface runoff and erosion …

Land Use Patterns In Relation To Lake Water Quality In The Messalonskee Lake Watershed, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Other Area Studies

The main purpose of this study is to assess the current land use patterns and their influences on the water quality of Messalonskee Lake, including the biotic and abiotic parameters which are involved. More specifically, four main objectives were proposed. First, was to calculate the water budget and flushing rate for Messalonskee Lake. Second, was to determine the influence of current and historical land use patterns on lake water quality. Third, was to utilize gathered information to construct a phosphorus model, which will enable future water quality predictions to be made. Our fourth and final objective was to make recommendations …

Bringing The Aquatic Sciences Into Nfma Framework: Will They Fit?, James Sedell, Kelly Burnett

The National Forest Management Act in a Changing Society, 1976-1996: How Well Has It Worked in the Past 20 Years?: Will It Work in the 21st Century? (September 16-18)

21 pages.

Contains 3 pages of references.

A Comparison: Lessons From The Columbia Basin And The Upper Colorado Basin Fish Recovery Efforts, Mary Christina Wood

Biodiversity Protection: Implementation and Reform of the Endangered Species Act (Summer Conference, June 9-12)

47 pages.

Contains 5 pages of references.

A Resource Inventory And Impact Analysis Of Great Bog And The Horse Point Delta/Esker System, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Biologists Organized For Ecosystem Assessment, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Other Area Studies

In May of 1990, Tilcon-Maine, Inc. submitted an application to mine gravel on the east side of Horse Point Road on Horse Point in the Town of Belgrade. The project site covers 46 acres and the proposed excavation covers 16 acres. An estimated 740,000 cubic yards of material will be removed over a period of six or seven years (Pfister, pers. comm.). According to Tilcon (Timson et al., 1990) the maximum depth of the pit will be 78 feet and the bottom of the pit will be a minimum of 6 feet above the water table. At the present time …

Studies On The Role Of Solar Ultraviolet Radiation In "Natural" Water Purification By Aquatic Ecosystems, John Calkins, Jeanne A. Barcelo, Perry Grigsby, Stephen Martin

KWRRI Research Reports

The possibility that pollution might deplete the stratospheric ozone layer and intensify solar UV at the earth's surface focuses attention on the role of solar UV in the various ecosystems at the earth's surface. Previous studies suggested that solar UV might contribute to bacterial die off in wastewater and the studies reported here were directed toward elucidating the action of solar UV in "natural" waters.

It has been assumed that solar UV action on aquatic ecosystems can be evaluated (using proper models) on the basis of the following four independently measurable quantities: I) the intensity of solar UV at the …