Seafloor Ecosystem Function Relationships: In Situ Patterns of Change Across Gradients of Increasing Hypoxic Stress

Norkko, Joanna; Gammal, Johanna; Hewitt, Judi E.; Josefson, Alf B.; Carstensen, Jacob; Norkko, Alf

doi:10.1007/s10021-015-9909-2

Cited by 49 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…During the low season the effect of the worms may be low and non-significant, but the effect of even a moderate density of worms can be substantial when there is organic matter to be ingested and processed. The finding that Marenzelleria may have the strongest effect after the spring bloom is corroborated by the findings by Josefson et al (2012) and Norkko et al (2015). The high predictive value of macrofauna after the spring bloom and the significance of Marenzelleria spp.…”

Section: Marenzelleria Spp Has An Important Role In Nutrient Cyclingsupporting

confidence: 59%

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Seasonal variability in ecosystem functions: quantifying the contribution of invasive species to nutrient cycling in coastal ecosystems

Kauppi¹,

Norkko²,

Ikonen

et al. 2017

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Benthic ecosystems at temperate and high latitudes experience marked seasonal variation in the environmental factors affecting nutrient remineralization processes both directly and indirectly through their effects on the benthic communities. The invasive polychaete genus Marenzelleria spp. represents new functionality in Baltic Sea sediments through its deep burrowing and extensive gallery formation, thus possibly greatly affecting the benthic oxygen and nutrient fluxes. We assessed the seasonal contribution of Marenzelleria spp. to fluxes of solutes in monthly field measurements at two sites, 10 and 33 m deep, in the northern Baltic Proper over a year. In general the fluxes of inorganic nutrients and oxygen were higher during summer than during winter and the seasonal variation was more pronounced at the deeper, more biologically active site. By using variation partitioning we were able to demonstrate that Marenzelleria and other macrofauna could account for up to 92 % of the variation in the fluxes depending on the site and season. Fauna was the most important in predicting the fluxes in spring when the sediment organic content and the abundance of juvenile Marenzelleria spp. were highest, while during e.g. winter the influence of Marenzelleria spp., even though abundant, on solute fluxes was negligible. The results from this study have implications for management, and, importantly, for the modelling of nutrient budgets often based on values from studies conducted during the summer period only, thus possibly greatly miscalculating the annual nutrient fluxes.

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Section: Marenzelleria Spp Has An Important Role In Nutrient Cyclingsupporting

confidence: 59%

“…Recent studies in the Baltic Sea have addressed the contribution of macrofauna, including Marenzelleria spp., to nutrient dynamics in a spatial context and along hypoxic disturbance gradients (e.g. Norkko et al 2015, Gammal et al 2016), but the seasonal aspect remains poorly understood even in a well-studied system like the Baltic Sea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal variability in ecosystem functions: quantifying the contribution of invasive species to nutrient cycling in coastal ecosystems

Kauppi¹,

Norkko²,

Ikonen

et al. 2017

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…The loss of benthic fauna due to global deoxygenation of the seafloor is a widely recognized problem (Breitburg et al, 2018;Diaz & Rosenberg, 1995;Norkko et al, 2015). For the Baltic Sea, Karlson, Rosenberg, and Bonsdorff (2002) estimated that up to 3 million tonnes of macrofauna is missing due to hypoxia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The meagre future of benthic fauna in a coastal sea—Benthic responses to recovery from eutrophication in a changing climate

Ehrnsten

Norkko

Müller‐Karulis

et al. 2020

Global Change Biology

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Nutrient loading and climate change affect coastal ecosystems worldwide. Unravelling the combined effects of these pressures on benthic macrofauna is essential for understanding the future functioning of coastal ecosystems, as it is an important component linking the benthic and pelagic realms. In this study, we extended an existing model of benthic macrofauna coupled with a physical–biogeochemical model of the Baltic Sea to study the combined effects of changing nutrient loads and climate on biomass and metabolism of benthic macrofauna historically and in scenarios for the future. Based on a statistical comparison with a large validation dataset of measured biomasses, the model showed good or reasonable performance across the different basins and depth strata in the model area. In scenarios with decreasing nutrient loads according to the Baltic Sea Action Plan but also with continued recent loads (mean loads 2012–2014), overall macrofaunal biomass and carbon processing were projected to decrease significantly by the end of the century despite improved oxygen conditions at the seafloor. Climate change led to intensified pelagic recycling of primary production and reduced export of particulate organic carbon to the seafloor with negative effects on macrofaunal biomass. In the high nutrient load scenario, representing the highest recorded historical loads, climate change counteracted the effects of increased productivity leading to a hyperbolic response: biomass and carbon processing increased up to mid‐21st century but then decreased, giving almost no net change by the end of the 21st century compared to present. The study shows that benthic responses to environmental change are nonlinear and partly decoupled from pelagic responses and indicates that benthic–pelagic coupling might be weaker in a warmer and less eutrophic sea.

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“…, Norkko et al. ), spatial variation in benthic ecosystem functions has rarely been considered in ecosystem based management or marine spatial planning in the Baltic Sea. The aim of this study is to offer a template for how to estimate large‐scale spatial variation in benthic ecosystem properties by using groupings of biological traits.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Still, even in open waters, the functions provided by the benthic communities have proven to be important from an ecosystem perspective (e.g., Norkko et al. , Belley and Snelgrove ). Consequently, we argue that these properties are essential for sustaining ecosystem functions and services in disturbance‐prone coastal areas, as exemplified in this study by focusing on the Baltic Sea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Template for using biological trait groupings when exploring large‐scale variation in seafloor multifunctionality

Villnäs

Hewitt

Snickars

et al. 2017

Ecological Applications

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Abstract. Understanding large-scale spatial variation in ecosystem properties and associated functionality is key for successful conservation of ecosystems. This study provides a template for how to estimate differences in ecosystem functionality over large spatial scales by using groupings of biological traits. We focus on trait groupings that describe three important benthic ecosystem properties, namely bioturbation, community stability, and juvenile dispersal. Recognizing that groups of traits interact and are constrained within an organism, we statistically define important functional trait subgroups that describe each ecosystem property. The sub-groups are scored according to their weighted ecological impact to gain an overall estimation of the cumulative expression of each ecosystem property at individual sites. Furthermore, by assigning each property a value relative to its observed maximum, and by summing up the individual property values, we offer an estimate of benthic ecosystem multifunctionality. Based on a spatially extensive benthic data set, we were able to identify coastal areas with high and low potential for the considered benthic ecosystem properties and the measure of ecosystem multifunctionality. Importantly, we show that a large part of the spatial variation in functional trait sub-groups and in benthic ecosystem multifunctionality was explained by environmental change. Our results indicate that through this simplification it is possible to estimate the functionality of the seafloor. Such information is vital in marine spatial planning efforts striving to balance the utilization with the preservation of natural resources.

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Seafloor Ecosystem Function Relationships: In Situ Patterns of Change Across Gradients of Increasing Hypoxic Stress

Cited by 49 publications

References 57 publications

Seasonal variability in ecosystem functions: quantifying the contribution of invasive species to nutrient cycling in coastal ecosystems

Seasonal variability in ecosystem functions: quantifying the contribution of invasive species to nutrient cycling in coastal ecosystems

The meagre future of benthic fauna in a coastal sea—Benthic responses to recovery from eutrophication in a changing climate

Template for using biological trait groupings when exploring large‐scale variation in seafloor multifunctionality

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