River forcing at work: ecological modeling of prograding and regressive deltas

Two explicit landscape simulation models were used to investigate habitat shifts in coastal Louisiana due to varying river forcing and sea level rise scenarios. Wetland conversion to open water and yearly shifts of marsh habitats in two contrasting estuarine regions were examined; the Atchafalaya delta which is a prograding delta area with strong riverine input, and the Barataria Basin is a regressive delta with high wetland loss which is isolated from riverine input. The models linked several modules dynamically across spatial and temporal scales. Both models consisted of a vertically integrated hydrodynamic model coupled with process-based biological modules of above and below ground primary productivity and soil dynamics. The models explored future effects of possible sea level rise and river diversion plans for 30 and 70-year projections starting in 1988. Results showed that increased river forcing had large land preservation impacts, and indicated that healthy functioning of the Mississippi Delta depends largely on inputs of freshwater, nutrients, and sediments in river water. These types of models are useful for research and as management tools for predicting the effects of regional impacts on structural landscape level changes.     

A meta‐analysis of soil salinization effects on nitrogen pools,cycles and fluxes in coastal ecosystems

Salinity intrusion caused by land subsidence resulting from increasing groundwater abstraction, decreasing river sediment loads and increasing sea level because of climate change has caused widespread soil salinization in coastal ecosystems. Soil salinization may greatly alter nitrogen (N) cycling in coastal ecosystems. However, a comprehensive understanding of the effects of soil salinization on ecosystem N pools, cycling processes and fluxes is not available for coastal ecosystems. Therefore, we compiled data from 551 observations from 21 peer‐reviewed papers and conducted a meta‐analysis of experimental soil salinization effects on 19 variables related to N pools, cycling processes and fluxes in coastal ecosystems. Our results showed that the effects of soil salinization varied across different ecosystem types and salinity levels. Soil salinization increased plant N content (18%), soil NH₄⁺ (12%) and soil total N (210%), although it decreased soil NO₃^? (2%) and soil microbial biomass N (74%). Increasing soil salinity stimulated soil N₂O fluxes as well as hydrological NH₄⁺ and NO₂^? fluxes more than threefold, although it decreased the hydrological dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) flux (59%). Soil salinization also increased the net N mineralization by 70%, although salinization effects were not observed on the net nitrification, denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium in this meta‐analysis. Overall, this meta‐analysis improves our understanding of the responses of ecosystem N cycling to soil salinization, identifies knowledge gaps and highlights the urgent need for studies on the effects of soil salinization on coastal agro‐ecosystem and microbial N immobilization. Additional increases in knowledge are critical for designing sustainable adaptation measures to the predicted intrusion of salinity intrusion so that the productivity of coastal agro‐ecosystems can be maintained or improved and the N losses and pollution of the natural environment can be minimized.     

Upslope development of a tidal marsh as a function of upland land use

To thrive in a time of rapid sea‐level rise, tidal marshes will need to migrate upslope into adjacent uplands. Yet little is known about the mechanics of this process, especially in urbanized estuaries, where the adjacent upland is likely to be a mowed lawn rather than a wooded natural area. We studied marsh migration in a Long Island Sound salt marsh using detailed hydrologic, edaphic, and biotic sampling along marsh‐to‐upland transects in both wooded and lawn environments. We found that the overall pace of marsh development was largely unaffected by whether the upland being invaded was lawn or wooded, but the marsh‐edge plant communities that developed in these two environments were quite different, and some indicators (soil salinity, foraminifera) appeared to migrate more easily into lawns. In addition, we found that different aspects of marsh structure and function migrated at different rates: Wetland vegetation appeared to be a leading indicator of marsh migration, while soil characteristics such as redox potential and surface salinity developed later in the process. We defined a ‘hydrologic migration zone’, consisting of elevations that experience tidal inundation with frequencies ranging from 20% to 0.5% of high tides. This hydrologically defined zone – which extended to an elevation higher than the highest astronomical tide datum – captured the biotic and edaphic marsh‐upland ecotone. Tidal inundation at the upper border of this migration zone is highly variable over time and may be rising more rapidly than mean sea level. Our results indicate that land management practices at the upland periphery of tidal marshes can facilitate or impede ecosystem migration in response to rising sea level. These findings are applicable to large areas of tidal marsh along the U.S. Atlantic coast and in other urbanized coastal settings.     

Lessons from the Tōhoku tsunami: A model for island avifauna conservation prioritization

Earthquake‐generated tsunamis threaten coastal areas and low‐lying islands with sudden flooding. Although human hazards and infrastructure damage have been well documented for tsunamis in recent decades, the effects on wildlife communities rarely have been quantified. We describe a tsunami that hit the world's largest remaining tropical seabird rookery and estimate the effects of sudden flooding on 23 bird species nesting on Pacific islands more than 3,800 km from the epicenter. We used global positioning systems, tide gauge data, and satellite imagery to quantify characteristics of the Tōhoku earthquake‐generated tsunami (11 March 2011) and its inundation extent across four Hawaiian Islands. We estimated short‐term effects of sudden flooding to bird communities using spatially explicit data from Midway Atoll and Laysan Island, Hawai'i. We describe variation in species vulnerability based on breeding phenology, nesting habitat, and life history traits. The tsunami inundated 21%–100% of each island's area at Midway Atoll and Laysan Island. Procellariformes (albatrosses and petrels) chick and egg losses exceeded 258,500 at Midway Atoll while albatross chick losses at Laysan Island exceeded 21,400. The tsunami struck at night and during the peak of nesting for 14 colonial seabird species. Strongly philopatric Procellariformes were vulnerable to the tsunami. Nonmigratory, endemic, endangered Laysan Teal (Anas laysanensis) were sensitive to ecosystem effects such as habitat changes and carcass‐initiated epizootics of avian botulism, and its populations declined approximately 40% on both atolls post‐tsunami. Catastrophic flooding of Pacific islands occurs periodically not only from tsunamis, but also from storm surge and rainfall; with sea‐level rise, the frequency of sudden flooding events will likely increase. As invasive predators occupy habitat on higher elevation Hawaiian Islands and globally important avian populations are concentrated on low‐lying islands, additional conservation strategies may be warranted to increase resilience of island biodiversity encountering tsunamis and rising sea levels.     

Tolerance of Pinus taeda and Pinus serotina to low salinity and flooding: Implications for equilibrium vegetation dynamics

Questions: 1. Do pine seedlings in estuarine environments display discrete or continuous ranges of physiological tolerance to flooding and salinity? 2. What is the tolerance of Pinus taeda and P. serotina to low salinity and varying hydrologic conditions? 3. Are the assumptions for ecological equilibrium met for modeling plant community migration in response to sea‐level rise? Location: Albemarle Peninsula, North Carolina, USA. Methods: In situ observations were made to quantify natural pine regeneration and grass cover along a salinity stress gradient (from marsh, dying or dead forest, to healthy forest). A full‐factorial greenhouse experiment was set up to investigate mortality and carbon allocation of Pinus taeda and P. serotina to low‐salinity conditions and two hydrology treatments over 6 months. Treatments consisted of freshwater and two salinity levels (4 ppt and 8 ppt) under either permanently flooded or periodically flushed hydrologic conditions. Results: Natural pine regeneration was common (5–12 seedlings per m²) in moderate to well‐drained soils where salinity concentrations were below ca. 3.5 ppt. Pine regeneration was generally absent in flooded soils, and cumulative mortality was 100% for 4 and 8 ppt salinity levels under flooded conditions in the greenhouse study. Under weekly flushing conditions, mortality was not significantly different between 0 and 4 ppt, confirming field observations. Biomass accumulation was higher for P. taeda, but for both pine species, the root to shoot ratio was suppressed under the 8 ppt drained treatment, reflecting increased below‐ground stress. Conclusions: While Pinus taeda and P. serotina are commonly found in estuarine ecosystems, these species display a range of physiological tolerance to low‐salinity conditions. Our results suggest that the rate of forest migration may lag relative to gradual sea‐level rise and concomitant alterations in hydrology and salinity. Current bioclimate or landscape simulation models assume discrete thresholds in the range of plant tolerance to stress, especially in coastal environments, and consequently, they may overestimate the rate, extent, and timing of plant community response to sea‐level rise.     

MIS3阶段以来黄骅北部地区潮坪地层中的微体生物群

依据渤海湾湾顶南侧、古黄河三角洲河北省黄骅市北部地区13个钻孔岩芯材料微体古生物学研究,以及地球化学背景、沉积构造分析,本文确定了自相当海洋氧同位素MIS3阶段以来中潮坪、高潮坪、淡水注入的潮坪、潮汐通道、分支河道及边滩、牛轭湖、贫营养湖、滨海湿地与富营养湖、泛滥平原一泛滥盆地等不同沉积地层中的微体生物(有孔虫、海相与非海相介形类)分布特征.在MIS3阶段高潮坪一低地沉积之后,河口与相邻低地依然持续或断续出现海相微体生物,个别钻孔中其分布甚至延续到末次盛冰期低海面地层中,但是基本都是广盐种和低盐种.这一现象与沿海构造沉降背景下河口位置长期向陆迁移,微体生物随短暂的强潮及突发的风暴潮搬运、甚至与风、水和鸟的搬运作用有关;远离古河道地点则无此现象.这些海侵事件与全球海面变化和古海面高度无关.与渤海湾顶北侧天津沿海相比,黄骅北部未见天津沿海确定的全新世早期潮下带砂质沉积单元,以及相应的微体生物群,应与当时天津沿海构造沉降速率较高有关.在三角洲与潮坪研究中,微体古生物学发挥了重要作用,而不仅是记述内容之一.     

Can community structure track sea‐level rise? Stress and competitive controls in tidal wetlands

Climate change impacts, such as accelerated sea‐level rise, will affect stress gradients, yet impacts on competition/stress tolerance trade‐offs and shifts in distributions are unclear. Ecosystems with strong stress gradients, such as estuaries, allow for space‐for‐time substitutions of stress factors and can give insight into future climate‐related shifts in both resource and nonresource stresses. We tested the stress gradient hypothesis and examined the effect of increased inundation stress and biotic interactions on growth and survival of two congeneric wetland sedges, Schoenoplectus acutus and Schoenoplectus americanus. We simulated sea‐level rise across existing marsh elevations and those not currently found to reflect potential future sea‐level rise conditions in two tidal wetlands differing in salinity. Plants were grown individually and together at five tidal elevations, the lowest simulating an 80‐cm increase in sea level, and harvested to assess differences in biomass after one growing season. Inundation time, salinity, sulfides, and redox potential were measured concurrently. As predicted, increasing inundation reduced biomass of the species commonly found at higher marsh elevations, with little effect on the species found along channel margins. The presence of neighbors reduced total biomass of both species, particularly at the highest elevation; facilitation did not occur at any elevation. Contrary to predictions, we documented the competitive superiority of the stress tolerator under increased inundation, which was not predicted by the stress gradient hypothesis. Multifactor manipulation experiments addressing plant response to accelerated climate change are integral to creating a more realistic, valuable, and needed assessment of potential ecosystem response. Our results point to the important and unpredicted synergies between physical stressors, which are predicted to increase in intensity with climate change, and competitive forces on biomass as stresses increase.     

Effects of changes in the shape of the intracellular action potential on the peak-to-peak ratio of single muscle fibre potentials

In situ recording of the intracellular action potential (IAP) of human muscle fibres is not yet feasible, and consequently, knowledge about certain IAP characteristics of these IAPs is still limited. The ratio between the amplitudes of the second and first phases (the so-called peak-to-peak ratio, PPR) of a single fibre action potential (SFAP) is known to be closely related to the IAP profile. The PPR of experimentally recorded SFAPs has been found to be largely independent of changes in the fibre-to-electrode (radial) distance. The main goal of this paper is to analyze the effect of changes in different aspects of the IAP spike on the relationship between PPR and radial distance. Based on this analysis, we hypothesize about the characteristics of IAPs obtained experimentally. It was found that the sensitivity of the SFAP PPR to changes in radial distance is essentially governed by the duration of the IAP spike. Assuming that, for mammals, the duration of the IAP rising phase lies within the range 0.2-0.4 ms, we tentatively suggest that the duration of the IAP spike should be over approximately 0.75 ms, with the shape of the spike strongly asymmetric. These IAP characteristics broadly coincide with those observed in mammal IAPs.