Major declines in NE Atlantic plankton contrast with more stable populations in the rapidly warming North Sea

The Science of The Total Environment, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 898, P. 165505 - 165505

Published: July 12, 2023

Plankton form the base of marine food webs, making them important indicators ecosystem status. Changes in abundance plankton functional groups, or lifeforms, can affect higher trophic levels and indicate shifts functioning. Here, we extend this knowledge by combining data from Continuous Recorder fixed-point stations to provide most comprehensive analysis time-series for North-East Atlantic North-West European shelf date. We analysed 24 phytoplankton zooplankton datasets 15 research institutions map 60-year trends 8 planktonic lifeforms. Most lifeforms decreased (e.g. dinoflagellates: -5 %, holoplankton: -7 % decade-1), except meroplankton, which increased 12 decade-1, reflecting widespread changes large-scale localised processes. K-means clustering assessment units according revealed largely opposing trend direction between oceanic regions with North Sea areas characterised increasing coastal abundance, while areas. Individual taxa comprising each lifeform exhibited similar trends, whereas grouped within were more variable. These regional contrasts are counterintuitive, since has undergone major warming, nutrients, past fisheries perturbation changed far less, fish larvae, as compared slowly warming lower nutrient supply fishing pressure. This remote region shown a worrying decline traditional web. Although causal mechanisms remain unclear, declining key Atlantic, including diatoms copepods, cause concern future webs should red flag politicians policymakers about prioritisation management adaptation measures required ensure sustainable use ecosystem.

Language: Английский

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The silent majority: Pico- and nanoplankton as ecosystem health indicators for marine policy

Ecological Indicators, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 159, P. 111650 - 111650

Published: Feb. 1, 2024

A healthy marine ecosystem is a fully functioning system, able to supply services whilst still maintaining resilience human-induced environmental change. Monitoring and managing the health of resilient ecosystems requires indicators that can assess their biodiversity state food web functioning. Plankton are crucial components pelagic habitats, occupying base web. Larger plankton have long been used monitor productivity due identification via traditional light microscopy. In contrast, regular monitoring pico- nanoplankton (<20 µm; hereafter called “tiny plankton”) only started with development flow cytometry techniques, which has limited inclusion as indicators. Four UK surveys sampled identified these tiny for up 14 years, providing an opportunity test suitability state. We investigated six groups plankton, including heterotrophic nanoeukaryotes, photosynthetic picoeukaryotes, Synechococcus cyanobacteria, two bacteria. Flow microscopy data from inshore Western English Channel station revealed 99.98 % abundance 71 biomass was derived cells too small be quantified accurately under microscope thus not adequately considered in assessments habitats. Different coastal regions showed consistency peak abundances plankton. novel wavelet coherence method identify time-based relationships between variables linked human pressures. Relationships were found nitrogenous nutrients all groups, most commonly at sub-annual annual time scales. Photosynthetic HNA-bacteria associated high sea surface temperatures. Given here established relationship variables, importance full assemblage, we recommend that, alongside existing microplankton lifeforms, either individually or combination, inform meet policy obligations EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), (Oslo-Paris Convention) OSPAR strategies, Strategy.

Language: Английский

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Dynamic marine spatial planning for conservation and fisheries benefits

Fish and Fisheries, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 25(4), P. 630 - 646

Published: April 13, 2024

Abstract The increasing global demand for marine resources raises concerns about sustainable resource management and biodiversity conservation. Spatial closures, such as protected areas, can be valuable tools maintaining restoring exploited populations. When these spatial closures adopt a dynamic nature being adapted to the changing environment, they effectively account factors shifting species distributions, which enhances their potential achieve ecological socio‐economic objectives. Here, we decision‐support tool (the software Marxan), typically used selecting static permanent produce recommendations that integrate temporal fisheries. Our aim was compare outputs of network no‐take reserves with four other scenarios, including seasonal variations in populations species. All scenarios prioritized sites conservation one most European fishing stocks, Norway lobster ( Nephrops norvegicus ). Additionally, considered 12 commercially captured by fishery. assessed included retained biomass, area extent, closure type (permanent seasonal) opportunity costs within each scenario. We observed all required fewer areas permanently closed than This resulted lower cost fisheries but also higher capacity Therefore, complementing could enhance management. novel planning method presented here applicable species, ecosystems contexts.

Language: Английский

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Mind the gap - The need to integrate novel plankton methods alongside ongoing long-term monitoring

Ocean & Coastal Management, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 107542 - 107542

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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Phytoplankton communities in a coastal and offshore stations of the northern Adriatic Sea approached by network analysis and different statistical descriptors

Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 282, P. 108224 - 108224

Published: Jan. 20, 2023

Language: Английский

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Trends in private sector engagement with biodiversity: EU listed companies' disclosure and indicators

Ecological Economics, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 210, P. 107864 - 107864

Published: April 27, 2023

The EU biodiversity strategy highlights the relevance of private sector and its prominent role as potential degrader protector biodiversity. However, topic seems to be downplayed disregarded by most companies, proxies leading them report on matter are not yet clear. This exploratory paper aims at assessing companies' actual engagement with strategy, factors influencing quality their disclosure indicators. To that purpose, 170 listed companies from 5 biggest economies in have been studied after reporting indicators 2018 2021, focusing country, impact intensity drivers, well changes between those years. Our findings highlight an increased but heterogeneous among limited given standard quantitative performance indicators, a strong influence such country origin, sector/activity. All which suggests different approaches within insufficient corporate action meet goals.

Language: Английский

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Metabarcoding vs Microscopy: Comparison of Methods To Monitor Phytoplankton Communities

ACS ES&T Water, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 3(8), P. 2671 - 2680

Published: July 21, 2023

Phytoplankton are used worldwide to monitor the environmental status of aquatic systems. Long-time series microscopy-analyzed phytoplankton available from many monitoring stations. The microscopy method is, however, time-consuming and has shortcomings. DNA metabarcoding been suggested as an alternative method, but consistency between different methods needs further investigation. We performed a comparative study analyzing micro- nanophytoplankton. For metabarcoding, 25–1000 mL seawater was filtered, extracted, 18S 16S rRNA gene amplicons sequenced. microscopy, based on Utermöhl we evaluated use three metrics: abundance, biovolume, carbon biomass. At genus, species, unidentified taxa levels, generally showed higher taxonomic diversity than already captured at lowest filtration volume tested, 25 mL. Metabarcoding displayed relatively similar distribution patterns group level. results that relative abundances amplicon level best fitted biomass metric. promising for implementing complement in monitoring, especially if databases were improved group-level indices could be applied classify state water bodies.

Language: Английский

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Projecting contributions of marine protected areas to rebuild fish stocks under climate change

npj Ocean Sustainability, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 3(1)

Published: March 2, 2024

Abstract No-take marine protected areas (No-take MPAs) are considered as a major tool for conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services. MPAs can also contribute to climate adaptation exploited fish stocks. Meanwhile, many stocks in the world overfished management institutions developing plans rebuild them. Understanding potential effects of no-take on under change help develop strategies climate-resilient stock rebuilding. Here, using linked climate-fish-fishing model, we undertake simulation experiments examine biomass catches 231 invertebrate species eight ecoregions Northeast Atlantic change. The simulations include different levels fishing, coverage, atmospheric global warming levels, account expected displacement fishing area around MPAs. Average individual is projected decrease by 5–15% per degree Celsius warming. Having 30% distribution over-exploited together with conservation-focused fisheries these offset negative impacts their 2.6–2.9 °C increase when portion from higher spills-over surrounding areas. Our findings highlight that MPAs, combined reducing intensity, benefit dependent 21st century.

Language: Английский

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Mesoscale Eddy Detection and Classification From Sea Surface Temperature Maps With Deep Neural Networks

IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 17, P. 10279 - 10290

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

Oceanic eddies are a widespread and important occurrence that have vital role in the movement of chemicals energy within marine ecosystem. Hence, astute precise recognition these swirling currents may greatly contribute to progress our comprehension oceanography. Due continuous breakthroughs state-of-the-art deep learning technology, population is witnessing progressive improvement methods used identify understand aquatic characteristics. This study employs Sea Surface Temperature (SST) data acquired from Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS) Atlantic Ocean. The objective present EddyNet, cutting-edge deep-learning framework specifically developed for automatic identification categorization ocean eddies. EddyNet incorporates pixel-wise classification layer into its neural encoder-decoder architecture. resulting output map maintains same dimensions as input, but each individual pixel assigned label indicating either "0" non-eddy regions, "1" anticyclonic eddies, or "2" cyclonic We propose new image segmentation method based on U-Net architecture with different convolutional network backbones such VGG16, VGG19, DenseNet121, MobileNetV2. Our models built trained using Python Keras library Adam optimizer improved convergence. approach uses sparse categorical cross-entropy loss function, simplifying encoding process multi-class labels. Initial results show this achieves good balance between computational efficiency accuracy, making it suitable real-time applications.

Language: Английский

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Are plankton nets a thing of the past? An assessment of in situ imaging of zooplankton for large-scale ecosystem assessment and policy decision-making

Frontiers in Marine Science, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 9

Published: Nov. 16, 2022

Zooplankton are fundamental to aquatic ecosystem services such as carbon and nutrient cycling. Therefore, a robust evidence base of how zooplankton respond changes in anthropogenic pressures, climate change loading, is key implementing effective policy-making management measures. Currently, the data on which this evidence, long time-series large-scale datasets distribution community composition, too sparse owing practical limitations traditional collection analysis methods. The advance situ imaging technologies that can be deployed at large scales autonomous platforms, coupled with artificial intelligence machine learning (AI/ML) for image analysis, promises solution. However, whether could reasonably replace physical samples, AI/ML achieve taxonomic resolution scientists trust, currently unclear. We here develop roadmap future monitoring research based consensus. To do so, we determined current perceptions focus their experience trust new technologies. Our survey revealed clear consensus net sampling taxonomy must retained, yet will play an important part research. A period overlapping use systems needed before widespread monitoring. In addition, comprehensive improvements close collaboration between researchers AI developers AI-based trusted fully adopted. Encouragingly, adoption cutting-edge may provide solution maintaining critical ecological knowledge evidence-based policy decision-making.

Language: Английский

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