Multiple stressors and multifunctionality: limited effects on an illuminated benthic system

Alsterberg, Christian; Sundbäck, Kristina; Gamfeldt, Lars

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2014.0640

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Thus, metrics of multifunctionality often qualitatively reflected the positive or negative responses of some single functions, while other single functions showed an opposite response or no response (Alsterberg et al, ; Antiqueira et al, ; Bradford et al, ; Ramus et al, ). The inverse was also observed, whereby global change drivers affected some single functions but not others, producing no discernible overall effects on EMF (Alsterberg, Sundback, & Gamfeldt, ; Manning et al, ). In contrast, others found that nearly all single functions responded in the same manner, which was inevitably reproduced in the multifunctionality metric (Chandregowda, Murthy, & Bagchi, ; Luo et al, ; Quero et al, ).…”

Section: Insights From Single and Multiple Functions: Seeing The Forementioning

confidence: 99%

A niche for ecosystem multifunctionality in global change research

Giling

Beaumelle

Phillips

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

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Concern about human modification of Earth's ecosystems has recently motivated ecologists to address how global change drivers will impact the simultaneous provisioning of multiple functions, termed ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF). However, metrics of EMF have often been applied in global change studies with little consideration of the information they provide beyond single functions, or how and why EMF may respond to global change drivers. Here, we critically review the current state of this rapidly expanding field and provide a conceptual framework to guide the effective incorporation of EMF in global change research. In particular, we emphasize the need for a priori identification and explicit testing of the biotic and abiotic mechanisms through which global change drivers impact EMF, as well as assessing correlations among multiple single functions because these patterns underlie shifts in EMF. While the role of biodiversity in mediating global change effects on EMF has justifiably received much attention, empirical support for effects via other biotic and physicochemical mechanisms are also needed. Studies also frequently stated the importance of measuring EMF responses to global change drivers to understand the potential consequences for multiple ecosystem services, but explicit links between measured functions and ecosystem services were missing from many such studies. While there is clear potential for EMF to provide novel insights to global change research, predictive understanding will be greatly improved by insuring future research is strongly hypothesis‐driven, is designed to explicitly test multiple abiotic and biotic mechanisms, and assesses how single functions and their covariation drive emergent EMF responses to global change drivers.

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Section: Insights From Single and Multiple Functions: Seeing The Forementioning

confidence: 99%

A niche for ecosystem multifunctionality in global change research

Giling

Beaumelle

Phillips

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

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“…The effects of the 2 SOPCs (potential toxicants and nutrients) in this scenario could be largely offsetting (toxicity effects on the aquatic ecosystem versus enhancement from added nutrients [Prosnier et al ]), could be dominated by either toxicity or enhancement, or could be more complex and less direct. For example, in a shallow‐water sediment system, Alsterberg et al () found that toxicity to grazers decreased predation (a top–down process), resulting in an increase in algal biomass that mimicked the effects of nutrient enrichment (a bottom–up process). Lozano and Pratt () demonstrated that community nutrient status affected both the magnitude of effect and the rate of recovery following stress, with increased nutrient status increasing resistance to the effects of the herbicide diquat to the periphyton community.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating causation in investigative ecological weight of evidence assessments

Stevenson¹,

Chapman²

2016

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Weight of evidence (WOE) frameworks integrate environmental assessment data to reach conclusions regarding relative certainty of adverse environmental effects due to stressors, possible causation, and key uncertainties. Such studies can be investigative (i.e., determining whether adverse impact is occurring to identify a need for management) or retrospective (i.e., determining the cause of a detected impact such that management efforts focus on the correct stressor). Such WOE assessments do not themselves definitively establish causation; they provide the basis for subsequent follow-up studies to further investigate causation. We propose a modified investigative WOE framework that includes an additional weighting step, which we term "direction weighting." This additional step allows for the examination of alternative hypotheses and provides improved certainty regarding possible causation. To our knowledge, this approach has not been previously applied in investigative ecological WOE assessments. We provide a generic example of 2 conflicting hypotheses related to a mine discharging treated effluent to a freshwater lake: chemical toxicity versus nutrient enrichment. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:702-713. © 2016 SETAC.

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“…For instance, some species or functional traits may be tolerant to some contaminants, but not to others. Furthermore, different stressors or toxic contaminants can have positive, negative or interactive effects on individual functions (Alsterberg, Sundbäck, & Gamfeldt, 2014). Finally, the magnitude of impacts is posited to be directly and positively linked to the concentration of the contaminant and period of exposure, but experimental results within and among studies are mixed (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sublethal effects of contaminants on marine habitat‐forming species: a review and meta‐analysis

et al. 2020

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Contaminants may affect ecosystem functioning by reducing the fitness of organisms and these impacts may cascade through ecosystems, particularly if the sensitive organisms are also habitat‐forming species. Understanding how sub‐lethal effects of toxicants can affect the quality and functions of biogenic habitats is critical if we are to establish effective guidelines for protecting ecosystems. We carried out a global systematic review and meta‐analysis critically evaluating contaminant effects on properties of habitat‐formers linked to ecosystem functioning. We reviewed a total of 95 publications. However, 40% of publications initially captured by the literature search were identified as having flaws in experimental design and ~11% did not present results in an appropriate way and thus were excluded from the quantitative meta‐analysis. We quantitatively reviewed 410 studies from 46 publications, of which 313 (~76%) were on plants and seaweeds, that is macro‐algae, saltmarsh plants and seagrasses, 58 (~14%) studied corals and 39 (~10%) looked at toxicant impacts on bivalves, with 70% of those on mussels and the remaining studies on oysters. Response variables analysed were photosynthetic efficiency, amount of chlorophyll a (as a proxy for primary production) and growth of plants, seaweeds and corals as well as leaf area of plants. We also analysed filtration, growth and respiration rates of bivalves. Our meta‐analysis found that chemical contaminants have a significant negative impact on most of the analysed functional variables, with the exception of the amount of chlorophyll a. Metals were the most widely harmful type of contaminant, significantly decreasing photosynthetic efficiency of kelps, leaf area of saltmarsh plants, growth of fucoids, corals and saltmarsh plants and the filtration rates of bivalves. Organic contaminants decreased the photosynthetic efficiency of seagrass, but had no significant effects on bivalve filtration. We did not find significant effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on any of the analysed functional variables or habitat‐forming taxa, but this could be due to the low number of studies available. A meta‐regression revealed that relationships between concentrations of metal contaminants and the magnitude of functional responses varied with the type of metal and habitat‐former. Increasing concentrations of contaminants significantly increased the negative effects on the photosynthetic efficiency of habitat‐formers. There was, however, no apparent relationship between ecologically relevant concentrations of metals and effect sizes of photosynthetic efficiency of corals and seaweeds. A qualitative analysis of all relevant studies found slightly different patterns when compared to our quantitative analysis, emphasising the need for studies to meet critical inclusion criteria for meta‐analyses. Our study highlights links between effects of contaminants at lower levels of organisation (i.e. at the biochemical and/or physiological level of individuals) and ecological, large‐...

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Multiple stressors and multifunctionality: limited effects on an illuminated benthic system

Cited by 13 publications

References 23 publications

A niche for ecosystem multifunctionality in global change research

A niche for ecosystem multifunctionality in global change research

Integrating causation in investigative ecological weight of evidence assessments

Sublethal effects of contaminants on marine habitat‐forming species: a review and meta‐analysis

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