Bioerosion in a changing world: a conceptual framework

Abstract

Bioerosion, the breakdown of hard substrata by organisms, is a fundamental and widespread ecological process that can alter habitat structure, biodiversity and biogeochemical cycling. Bioerosion occurs in all biomes of the world from the ocean floor to arid deserts, and involves a wide diversity of taxa and mechanisms with varying ecological effects. Many abiotic and biotic factors affect bioerosion by acting on the bioeroder, substratum, or both. Bioerosion also has socio-economic impacts when objects of economic or cultural value such as coastal defences or monuments are damaged. We present a unifying definition and advance a conceptual framework for (a) examining the effects of bioerosion on natural systems and human infrastructure and (b) identifying and predicting the impacts of anthropogenic factors (e.g. climate change, eutrophication) on bioerosion. Bioerosion is responding to anthropogenic changes in multiple, complex ways with significant and wide-ranging effects across systems. Emerging data further underscore the importance of bioerosion, and need for mitigating its impacts, especially at the dynamic land-sea boundary. Generalised predictions remain challenging, due to context-dependent effects and nonlinear relationships that are poorly resolved. An integrative and interdisciplinary approach is needed to understand how future changes will alter bioerosion dynamics across biomes and taxa.

Can marine reserves restore lost ecosystem functioning? A global synthesis

“…Depleted prey populations may also experience relief from consumption pressure depending on the shape of predator functional responses and the diversity of prey species. Although consumptive processes mediate energy flows and biomass production, other ecosystem functions, such as calcification and bioerosion, that can govern the construction of habitat structure, may be altered within MPAs (Bellwood et al 2003, 2012, Davidson et al 2018). Yet, our understanding of MPA effects on these ecological processes and overall ecosystem FIG.…”

Burrowing Invasive Species: An Unquantified Erosion Risk at the Aquatic‐Terrestrial Interface

“…A subset of ecosystem engineers, referred to as "geomorphic agents" (Butler, 1995), "geomorphic engineers," or "biogeomorphic agents" (Fei et al, 2014) alter earth surface processes and landforms at scales ranging from individual sediment grains to entire landscapes (Bertoldi et al, 2011;Reinhardt et al, 2010;Rice et al, 2012). Biogeomorphic agents may construct new landforms (bioconstruction); break down and fractionate soils and sediments, for example, burrowing or reduce protection from erosion, for example, herbivory (bioerosion); disturb and rework soils and sediments (bioturbation); and offer protection from erosion of weathering (bioprotection; see Davidson et al, 2018;Fei et al, 2014;Naylor et al, 2002). As a result, these organisms can increase habitat complexity, and potentially biodiversity (Crooks, 2002), and can be used to promote the recovery of degraded environments (Bailey et al, 2018;Byers et al, 2006;Polvi & Sarneel, 2017).…”

“…Invasive species acting as ecosystem engineers and biogeomorphic agents have been identified as a special case (Crooks, 2002;Davidson et al, 2018;Fei et al, 2014;Harvey et al, 2011). While biological invasion is a natural process, species introductions (whether deliberate or accidental) have generated unprecedented increases in the rate of species invasions globally (Seebens et al, 2017) as well as changes in the nature and pathways of invasions (Crooks, 2002).…”

Understanding decay in marine calcifiers: Micro‐CT analysis of skeletal structures provides insight into the impacts of a changing climate in marine ecosystems

“…The biomechanical strength of carbonate structures built by marine calcifiers underpins the stability of the physical habitats these organisms build (Byrne & Fitzer, 2019), and directly affects population scale dynamics such as survivorship and productivity (Davidson et al, 2018;Orr et al, 2005). It is therefore vital that we are able to precisely quantify how environmental change in the Anthropocene is affecting the strength and decay rate of calcified structures.…”

“…Calcifying organisms are also some of the most economically important marine organisms; scleractinian corals are the primary reef builders of an ecosystem valued globally at 10 trillion USD (Costanza et al, 2014). However, these organisms are under threat from ocean warming and acidification that accelerate bioerosion (Reyes-Nivia, Diaz-Pulido, Kline, Guldberg, & Dove, 2013;Silbiger, Guadayol, Thomas, & Donahue, 2014;Tribollet, Godinot, Atkinson, & Langdon, 2009), disrupting calcification in the marine environment and degrading existing carbonate structures, with far-reaching economic and ecological impacts (Costanza et al, 2014;Davidson, Altieri, Ruiz, & Torchin, 2018;Orr et al, 2005).…”