Mediation of macronutrients and carbon by post-disturbance shelf sea sediment communities

Hale, Rachel; Godbold, Jasmin A.; Sciberras, Marija; Dwight, Jessica; Wood, Christina L.; Hiddink, Jan Geert; Solan, Martin

doi:10.1007/s10533-017-0350-9

Cited by 46 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…The complex interactions and feedbacks between organisms and the sedimentary environment have recently been documented through manipulative experiments in both the laboratory (Hale et al, ; Harris et al, ) in the field (Douglas et al, ; Hale et al, ; Kenworthy, Paterson, & Bishop, ; Thrush et al, ) and in modelling studies (Watson, Beaumont, Widdicombe, & Paterson, ). These studies help to disentangle the underlying processes and functions that lead to ES delivery, but the examination of feedback processes or a breakdown of interactions are particularly important (O'Meara et al, ; Yletyinen et al, ).…”

Section: The Importance Of Interactions and Feedbacksmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of microphytobenthos in soft‐sediment ecological networks and their contribution to the delivery of multiple ecosystem services

2019

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1. Sediment dwelling, microscopic primary producers, that occupy sediments in the photic zone, are commonly referred to as microphytobenthos (MPB). The MPB are essential components of soft-sediment systems, but are often overlooked when assessing coastal ecosystem functionality and service delivery. 2. The MPB are involved in several complex interactions and feedback that underpin the delivery of vital ecosystem services. MPB profoundly influence the flow and cycling of carbon and nutrients, such as nitrogen, directly and indirectly underpinning highly productive shallow water marine food webs. The MPB can also stabilize sediments through the formation of biofilms, and significantly improve water quality by mediating the benthic-pelagic coupling of nutrients, sediment and pollutants. 3. The functional role of the MPB is compromised by increasing anthropogenic pressures such as nutrient enrichment, sedimentation, herbicides and emerging contaminants such as microplastic pollution. However, MPB are extremely good at buffering the effects of these land-sourced stressors at the interface between land and sea. 4. Synthesis. Society often appreciates the final provisioning of goods and services from our coastal marine environments. However, provisioning services are only possible due to the multitude of supporting and regulating services that underpin them. Microphytobenthos (MPB) are central to benthic ecological networks, and contribute to ecosystem service delivery through various pathways. Understanding the critical role of MPB in complex networks is therefore essential to appreciate their importance in ecosystem function and service delivery into the future. K E Y W O R D S benthic microalgae, ecosystem services, estuarine systems, microphytobenthos, service delivery, soft-sediment ecology 816 | Journal of Ecology HOPE Et al.

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Section: The Importance Of Interactions and Feedbacksmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of microphytobenthos in soft‐sediment ecological networks and their contribution to the delivery of multiple ecosystem services

2019

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“…In spite of much recent progress in understanding shelf carbon cycling on the NWES (e.g., Stahl et al, 2004;Thomas et al, 2005;Johnson et al, 2013;Hale et al, 2017;Hicks et al, 2017;Carr et al, 2018;Humphreys et al, 2018;Chaichana et al, 2019;Davis et al, 2019;García-Martín et al, 2019), there is still a great deal of uncertainty in both the mechanisms governing carbon dynamics and the magnitudes of contemporary carbon stocks and flows, as well as their responses to future change.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon on the Northwest European Shelf: Contemporary Budget and Future Influences

et al. 2020

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A carbon budget for the northwest European continental shelf seas (NWES) was synthesized using available estimates for coastal, pelagic and benthic carbon stocks and flows. Key uncertainties were identified and the effect of future impacts on the carbon budget were assessed. The water of the shelf seas contains between 210 and 230 Tmol of carbon and absorbs between 1.3 and 3.3 Tmol from the atmosphere annually. Offshelf transport and burial in the sediments account for 60-100 and 0-40% of carbon outputs from the NWES, respectively. Both of these fluxes remain poorly constrained by observations and resolving their magnitudes and relative importance is a key research priority. Pelagic and benthic carbon stocks are dominated by inorganic carbon. Shelf sediments contain the largest stock of carbon, with between 520 and 1600 Tmol stored in the top 0.1 m of the sea bed. Coastal habitats such as salt marshes and mud flats contain large amounts of carbon per unit area but their total carbon stocks are small compared to pelagic and benthic stocks due to their smaller spatial extent. The large pelagic stock of carbon will continue to increase due to the rising concentration of atmospheric CO 2 , with associated pH decrease. Pelagic carbon stocks and flows are also likely to be significantly affected by increasing acidity and temperature, and circulation changes but the net impact is uncertain. Benthic carbon stocks will be affected by increasing temperature and acidity, and decreasing oxygen concentrations, although the net impact of these interrelated changes on carbon stocks is uncertain and a major knowledge gap. The impact of bottom trawling on benthic carbon stocks Frontiers in Marine Science | www.frontiersin.org 1 March 2020 | Volume 7 | Article 143Legge et al.Carbon on the Northwest European Shelf is unique amongst the impacts we consider in that it is widespread and also directly manageable, although its net effect on the carbon budget is uncertain. Coastal habitats are vulnerable to sea level rise and are strongly impacted by management decisions. Local, national and regional actions have the potential to protect or enhance carbon storage, but ultimately global governance, via controls on emissions, has the greatest potential to influence the long-term fate of carbon stocks in the northwestern European continental shelf.

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“…Dang et al 2010). Measured sediment particle reworking rates using fluorescent sediment profile imaging techniques at the same study sites confirm more intense particle reworking activity in communities that have previously experienced a higher frequency of bottom fishing, substantially extending the maximum depth of sediment reworking (low frequency fishing, 1.99 ± 0.19 cm; high frequency fishing, 4.64 ± 0.5 cm) and increasing the volume of sediment available for nitrification (Hale et al 2017). It is interesting to note that, although some bioturbation groups-such as biodiffusors and upwards/downwards conveyors-were, on average, twice as abundant at sites with a history of low frequency of fishing, the biomass of biodiffusors and surficial modifiers was substantively higher (24 times and 60 times higher, respectively) at sites with a history of high frequency of fishing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Mediation of nitrogen by post-disturbance shelf communities experiencing organic matter enrichment

et al. 2017

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Microbes and benthic macro-invertebrates interact in sediments to play a major role in the biogeochemical cycling of organic matter, but the extent to which their contributions are modified following natural and anthropogenic changes has received little attention. Here, we investigate how nitrogen transformations, ascertained from changes in archaeal and bacterial N-cycling microbes and water macronutrient concentrations ([NH 4 -N], [NO 2 -N], [NO 3 -N]), in sand and sandy mud sediments differ when macrofaunal communities that have previously experienced contrasting levels of chronic fishing disturbance are exposed to organic matter enrichment.We find that differences in macrofaunal community structure related to differences in fishing activity affect the capacity of the macrofauna to mediate microbial nitrogen cycling in sand, but not in sandy mud environments. Whilst we found no evidence for a change in ammonia oxidiser community structure, we did find an increase in archaeal and bacterial denitrifier (AnirKa, nirS) and anammox (hzo) transcripts in macrofaunal communities characterized by higher ratios of suspension to deposit feeders, and a lower density but higher biomass of sediment-reworking fauna. Our findings suggest that nitrogen transformation in shelf sandy sediments is dependent on the stimulation of specific nitrogen cycling pathways that are associated with differences in the composition and context-dependent expression of the functional traits that belong to the resident bioturbating macrofauna community.

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Mediation of macronutrients and carbon by post-disturbance shelf sea sediment communities

Cited by 46 publications

References 77 publications

The role of microphytobenthos in soft‐sediment ecological networks and their contribution to the delivery of multiple ecosystem services

The role of microphytobenthos in soft‐sediment ecological networks and their contribution to the delivery of multiple ecosystem services

Carbon on the Northwest European Shelf: Contemporary Budget and Future Influences

Mediation of nitrogen by post-disturbance shelf communities experiencing organic matter enrichment

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