Relationship between Hypoxia and Macrobenthic Production in Chesapeake Bay

Sturdivant, S. Kersey; Díaz, Robert J.; Llansó, Roberto J.; Dauer, Daniel M.

doi:10.1007/s12237-013-9763-4

Cited by 27 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…While the sample sizes were low in two of the data sets, it is important to understand how biomass and secondary production (a critical ecosystem function) respond. Results of this study generally agreed with other biomass studies (Ritter and Montagna, 1999;Seitz et al, 2009;Sturdivant et al, 2014). A mean biomass in the hypoxic areas of Narragansett Bay that is one-fifth to one-third that of the normoxic areas represents a dramatic reduction in potential food available for higher trophic levels such as fish.…”

Section: Biomass and Secondary Productionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Despite the frequent summer hypoxia, the Schult (2010) station in the hypoxic area near Conimicut Point had high quahog densities because this species can tolerate some hypoxia (Altieri and Witman, 2006). Like Sturdivant et al (2014), we removed quahogs from both the Schult and McKinney data prior to the t-test.…”

Section: Biomass and Secondary Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We modified this following the methods of Sturdivant et al (2014) who, rather than calculating the production of size classes from a series of different mesh sizes, calculated the production of each taxon at a station. We ran a t-test with the Schult (2010) data but were not able to with the NCA-NCCA because of inadequate sample size.…”

Section: Biomass and Secondary Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Intense or prolonged hypoxia can drastically reduce abundance of most benthic groups (e.g., Ritter and Montagna, 1999;Seitz et al, 2009;Sturdivant et al, 2014). Species abundance is important for many functional properties including bioturbation and trophic transfer to predators.…”

Section: Species Abundance and Community Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the Baltic Sea, the ocean quahog Arctica islandica does the same (Gogina et al, 2014). In Chesapeake Bay, seasonal hypoxia leads to loss of large, multi-year age structure macrofauna and the associated biomass (Sturdivant et al, 2014). Low biomass at DO levels below about 4.5 mg/L provides poor foraging for blue crabs and demersal fish; above 4.5 mg/L, biomass is up to four times greater (Seitz et al, 2009).…”

Section: Biomass and Secondary Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Eutrophication and Hypoxia Diminish Ecosystem Functions of Benthic Communities in a New England Estuary

2016

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Excessive input of nitrogen to estuaries and coastal waters leads to eutrophication; the resulting organic matter over-enrichment of sediments and seasonal hypoxia of bottom water have significant deleterious effects on benthic community biodiversity, abundance, and biomass. Our goal was to better understand how these losses carry through to impairment of key ecosystem functions of benthic communities. Recent management efforts to address eutrophication have reduced nitrogen loading to several estuaries of the Virginian Biogeographic Province (northeast United States). How the ecosystems will respond remains to be seen. Using Narragansett Bay as an example estuary within this Province, we compared measures of community structure and function from stations in seasonally hypoxic areas with stations in normoxic areas. We analyzed a benthic data set spanning 20 years and 155 stations, along with ancillary data from other sources. Hypoxic areas had half the species richness, many fewer rare species, lower biomass, and lower secondary production. Benthic communities in the hypoxic areas had a significantly different abundance structure, were at an earlier successional stage, and bioturbated the sediments to a depth about one-fifth that of the normoxic areas. On average, sediments in the hypoxic areas took up more oxygen-used for aerobic metabolism and oxidation of reduced compounds from anaerobic metabolism. Sediments in hypoxic areas released into the overlying water two to three times more ammonium and phosphate. Mean flux of dissolved oxygen into the sediments of hypoxic areas and mean net flux of nitrogen gas (from sediment denitrification) out were slightly higher. Eutrophication-driven over-enrichment of organic matter, along with seasonal hypoxia in the northern part of the Bay have led to degradation of benthic community structure and function, which have serious implications for sustainable provision of ecosystem services. We quantified fifteen stressor-response relationships that can help understand how, following a reduction in nitrogen inputs, a recovery of benthic ecosystem functions in hypoxic areas could proceed.

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Section: Biomass and Secondary Productionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Biomass and Secondary Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Biomass and Secondary Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Species Abundance and Community Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Biomass and Secondary Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Eutrophication and Hypoxia Diminish Ecosystem Functions of Benthic Communities in a New England Estuary

2016

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Advancing estuarine ecological forecasts: seasonal hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay

Scavia

Bertani

Testa

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

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Ecological forecasts are quantitative tools that can guide ecosystem management. The co-emergence of extensive environmental monitoring and quantitative frameworks allows for widespread development and continued improvement of ecological forecasting systems. We use a relatively simple estuarine hypoxia model to demonstrate advances in addressing some of the most critical challenges and opportunities of contemporary ecological forecasting, including predictive accuracy, uncertainty characterization, and management relevance. We explore the impacts of different combinations of forecast metrics, drivers, and driver time windows on predictive performance. We also incorporate multiple sets of state-variable observations from different sources and separately quantify model prediction error and measurement uncertainty through a flexible Bayesian hierarchical framework. Results illustrate the benefits of 1) adopting forecast metrics and drivers that strike an optimal balance between predictability and relevance to management, 2) incorporating multiple data sources in the calibration dataset to separate and propagate different sources of uncertainty, and 3) using the model in scenario mode to probabilistically evaluate the effects of alternative management decisions on future ecosystem state. In the Chesapeake Bay, the subject of this case study, we find that average summer or total annual hypoxia metrics are more predictable than monthly metrics and that measurement error represents an important source of uncertainty. Application of the model in scenario mode suggests that absent watershed management actions over the past decades, long-term average hypoxia would have increased by 7% compared to 1985. Conversely, the model projects that if management goals currently in place to restore the Bay are met, long-term average hypoxia would eventually decrease by 32% with respect to the mid-1980s.

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Reversing the Eutrophication of the Chesapeake Bay and Its People

Cuker

2020

Diet for a Sustainable Ecosystem

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Relationship between Hypoxia and Macrobenthic Production in Chesapeake Bay

Cited by 27 publications

References 80 publications

Eutrophication and Hypoxia Diminish Ecosystem Functions of Benthic Communities in a New England Estuary

Eutrophication and Hypoxia Diminish Ecosystem Functions of Benthic Communities in a New England Estuary

Advancing estuarine ecological forecasts: seasonal hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay

Reversing the Eutrophication of the Chesapeake Bay and Its People

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