Addressing grand ecological challenges in aquatic ecosystems: how can mesocosms be used to advance solutions?

Oikos, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 11, 2025

Rapid and drastic anthropogenic impacts are affecting global biogeochemical processes driving biodiversity loss across Earth's ecosystems. In aquatic ecosystems, species distributions shifting, abundances of many have declined dramatically, threatened with extinction. addition to diversity, the ecosystem functions, services on which humans depend also being heavily impacted. Addressing these challenges not only requires direct action mitigate environmental but innovative approaches identify, quantify treat their effects in environment. Mesocosms valuable tools for achieving goals as they provide controlled environments evaluating stressors testing novel mitigation measures at multiple levels biological organisation. Here, we summarise discussions from a survey marine freshwater researchers who use mesocosm systems synthesise opportunities limitations advancing solutions grand ecological While most research utilising ecology has focused quantifying threats, there is largely unexplored potential using them test solutions. To overcome spatio‐temporal constraints, scale up size time‐scales studies, or alternatively, outcomes habitat‐scale restoration smaller scale. Enhancing connectivity future studies can help limitation isolation an important aspect recovery. Conducting ‘metacosm' studies: coordinated, distributed experiments spanning wide climatic gradients more regression‐based experimental designs tackle challenge context dependent results. Finally, collaboration theoretical, applied ecologists biogeochemists engineers technological developers will be necessary develop required advance human activities vulnerable

Language: Английский

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Differential Flight Responses of Sympatric Raptor Species to Weather Conditions and Extreme Temperature Events

Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 15(2)

Published: Feb. 1, 2025

ABSTRACT Climate change has increased the frequency, severity, and duration of extreme weather events, for example, heatwaves, underscoring need to comprehend their impact on animal behavior. Flying organisms, particularly birds, are greatly affected by changes in atmospheric conditions may modify speed or direction, adjust flight strategy, even make decisions whether fly based weather. In this study, we assessed flight‐related parameters three GPS‐tagged raptor species: golden eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos ), Bonelli's fasciata Spanish adalberti relation heatwaves. The results showed that species varied patterns despite similar environmental conditions, including temperature, precipitation, wind speed, pressure. Each exhibited unique strategies responsiveness reflecting diverse adaptive capacities behavioral flexibilities. Specifically, displayed comparatively minor adjustments its strategy during periods contrasting with pronounced variations observed eagle. These findings suggest unpredictable differently. An understanding how events individual fitness, through modifications energy expenditure foraging practices, is essential predicting potential long‐term population dynamics.

Language: Английский

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Mountainous Water Resources

Published: March 24, 2025

The mountain regions' water resources play an integral role in supporting ecosystems, microbial community dynamics, global hydrology, and the well-being of downstream human populations. It explores climate change based on these natural assets' vulnerability intricate nature. immense freshwater is restored mountains through snowpacks, glaciers, high-altitude precipitation. Profound impacts aquatic ecosystems biodiversity have been seen due to extreme weather events, ranging from intense precipitation heat waves. Here, we investigate convoluted relationship between climatic variables dynamics. Unraveling significant responses dynamics shifts will facilitate asseverating ecological drift. accelerated glacial melt altered patterns pose a considerable risk threat availability, potentially leading scarcity disruption ecosystem health. Comprehending evolved ecosystems' response changes. Conservation resilience, nourishing balance, sustainable management are crucial encounter escalating demand. Moreover, mitigating mountainous regions requires targeted conservation strategies practices. novel endeavors, policies, multilateral coalitions effectively address challenges resources.

Language: Английский

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Heatwave duration, intensity and timing as drivers of performance in larvae of a marine invertebrate

Scientific Reports, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 15(1)

Published: May 7, 2025

Language: Английский

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Proximity to freshwater and seagrass availability mediate the impacts of climate change on the distribution of the West Indian manatee

Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 22, 2024

How climate change alters persistence and distribution of endangered species is an urgent question in current ecological research. However, many models do not consider consumers the context their resources. The survival West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), listed as a Vulnerable on IUCN Red List, critically depend seagrass resources freshwater sources for drinking. We parameterized Maxent with Bio-ORACLE environmental layers, proximity data, modelled distance to determine distributions under future scenarios. used two plausible IPCC Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP45 RCP26, respectively) year 2050. model fits had high accuracies predicted marked decline coverage (RCP26: -1.9%, RCP45: -6%), coinciding declines ranges -9%, -11.8%). also found that over 94% projected all scenarios fell within distribution. analysis showed significantly impact distributions, since layer contributed along sources. Our findings suggest manatees will lose substantial range due change, but extent direction this be mediated by degree warming its on.

Language: Английский

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Ecological debts induced by heat extremes

Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 39(11), P. 1024 - 1034

Published: July 29, 2024

Heat extremes have become the new norm in Anthropocene. Their potential to trigger major ecological responses is widely acknowledged, but their unprecedented severity hinders our ability predict magnitude of such responses, both during and after extreme heat events. To address this challenge we propose a conceptual framework inspired by core concepts stability thermal biology depict how populations communities accumulate at three response stages (exposure, resistance, recovery). Biological mechanisms mitigating given stage incur associated costs that only apparent other stages; these are known as 'ecological debts'. We outline several scenarios for associate with debts better understand biodiversity changes caused extremes.

Language: Английский

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Seasonal effects and trophic pressure shape the responses of species interactions in a tropical seagrass meadow to marine heatwaves

Oikos, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 2024(7)

Published: April 30, 2024

Species interactions are influenced by changes to the environment, such as seasonal variations in temperature, and human‐driven warming including marine heatwaves (MHWs). Alteration of species interactions, particularly those involving foundation species, can shape ecosystem structure, stability dynamics. Marine habitats, notably seagrass meadows, threatened environmental MHWs which have potential alter trophic through effects on various community members seagrasses, epiphytic algae, algae grazers. Here we examined a simulated heatwave (control versus + 4°C) different seasons grazer occurrence traits, growth, biomass grazing rate. We found season MHW occurred affected response influence. In winter, had positive growth nitrogen content caused significant decreases growth. However, summer, presence increased biomass, but was reduced interaction with MHW. The magnitude change leaf tissue isotopic values C:N ratio, greater occurring summer. Epiphytic algal markedly between all three factors, leading near lack epiphyte summer grazers present under Summer also associated increase snail (most conditions), From these results, show that winter drive seagrasses minimal impacts grazers, while activity interact elevated temperatures from their consumption. By examining responses across multiple levels distinct seasons, achieve more representative realistic depiction human‐induced ecosystems.

Language: Английский

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Heatwave‐induced functional shifts in zooplankton communities result in weaker top‐down control on phytoplankton

Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 14(8)

Published: Aug. 1, 2024

Abstract Freshwater ecosystems are increasingly affected by rising annual mean temperatures and heatwaves. While heatwaves expected to have more immediate effects than temperature increases on local communities, comparative experimental studies largely lacking. We conducted a 1‐month mesocosm experiment test the effect of different warming treatments, constantly raised (+3°C) recurring (+6°C), plankton communities. specifically tested how shifts in zooplankton trait composition functional groups reflected ecosystem function (top‐down control primary producers). found that had stronger (specifically body length mass) groups. Heatwaves led decrease small‐bodied grazers (i.e., Rotifera) dominance larger omnivorous Copepoda, these resulted weaker top‐down control, leading elevated phytoplankton biomass. Altogether, our results highlight importance indirect via inducing composition, which may lead algal blooms.

Language: Английский

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Interaction Between Climate Change Scenarios and Biological Invasion Reveals Complex Cascading Effects in Freshwater Ecosystems

Global Change Biology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 30(10)

Published: Oct. 1, 2024

ABSTRACT Climate change often facilitates biological invasions, leading to potential interactive impacts of these global drivers on freshwater ecosystems. Although climatic mitigation efforts may reduce the magnitude impacts, we are still missing experimental evidence for such effects under multiple climate scenarios within a multi‐trophic framework. To address this knowledge gap, experimentally compared independent and two (mitigation business‐as‐usual) invasion biomass major trophic groups (phytoplankton, zooplankton, periphyton, macroinvertebrates, native macrophyte) decomposition rate allochthonous material. Among effects, found that business‐as‐usual treatment resulted in lower macrophyte higher periphyton baseline treatments. This indicates alter relative dominance different producers demonstrates can counteract effects. Biological alone increased chironomids, dominant macroinvertebrate group tropical ecosystems, demonstrating compensatory effect change. interactively reduced detritus, likely mediated by feeding preference abundant chironomids periphytic algae associated with presence non‐native macrophytes. We concluded (i) maintain conditions (ii) between future related complex cascading interactions among ecosystem processes.

Language: Английский

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Ensemble learning model identifies adaptation classification and turning points of river microbial communities in response to heatwaves

Global Change Biology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 29(24), P. 6988 - 7000

Published: Oct. 17, 2023

Heatwaves are a global issue that threaten microbial populations and deteriorate ecosystems. However, how river communities respond to heatwaves whether high temperatures exceed adaptation remain unclear. In this study, we proposed four types of pulse temperature-induced responses predicted the possibility temperature in rivers using ensemble machine learning models. Our findings suggest parts South American (e.g., Brazil Chile) Southeast Asian Vietnam) countries likely change due heatwave disturbance from 25 37°C for consecutive days. Furthermore, approximately 48.4% gauge stations prone fast stress inadaptation, with 76.9% these expected after disturbances. If emissions particulate matter sizes not more than 2.5 μm (PM2.5, an indicator human activities) increase by twofold, number associated type will decrease ~13.7% Understanding is crucially important effective ecosystem management, especially fragile sensitive facing events.

Language: Английский

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