Regional sustainability assessment framework for integrated coastal zone management: Satoumi,ecosystem services approach,and inclusive wealth

This study proposes a novel regional sustainability assessment framework for integrated coastal zone management (ICZM). Various ICZM indicators have been developed, but their management insights are not always clear. Our framework integrates three separately developed approaches with an explicit reflection of stakeholders’ values: Satoumi (a Japanese concept of socio-ecological production landscapes, SEPLs), ecosystem services approach (ESA), and inclusive wealth (IW). We suggest that the integration of Satoumi, a uniquely Japanese concept, with the ESA and IW complements each other and increases the effectiveness of all three approaches when applied to ICZM and decision making. Satoumi describes the desired state of a coastal zone. The ESA translates Satoumi into IW and helps explain which changes to ecosystems contribute to the asset quality (i.e., shadow prices). As a sustainability indicator, IW differs from other ecological indicators because it comprises human, natural, and manufactured capital assets and incorporates shadow prices to weigh the contribution of each asset to the present value of social welfare. Shadow prices may capture the quality of capital assets in terms of how much people value them, and can therefore be a direct management target for realizing a desired coastal zone. We propose adding two sustainability criteria, desired state and strong sustainability, to the original IW to make it operational. The framework was tested in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea, and the results were analyzed in depth. Based on the outcomes, we discuss the insights for ICZM and future research. While Satoumi is a Japanese concept, the framework could be applied to other countries where similar SEPLs exist.     

From instantaneous to continuous: Using imaging spectroscopy and in situ data to map two productivity-related ecosystem services

Spatially well-informed decisions are essential to sustain and regulate processes and ecosystem services (ES), and to maintain the capacity of ecosystems to supply services. However, spatially explicit ES information is often lacking in decision-making, or exists only as ES maps based on categorical land cover data. Remote sensing (RS) opens new pathways to map ES, in particular biophysical ES supply. We developed an observation-based concept for spatially explicit and continuous ES mapping at landscape scale following the biophysical part of the ES cascade. We used Earth observations in combination with in situ data to map ecosystem properties, functions, and biophysical ES supply. We applied this concept in a case study to map two ES: carbon dioxide regulation and food supply. Based on Earth observations and in situ data, we determined the ecosystem property Sun-Induced chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF) to indicate ecosystem state and applied scaling models to estimate gross primary production (GPP) as indicator for ecosystem functioning and consequently carbon dioxide regulation and food supply as ES.Resulting ES maps showed heterogeneous patterns in ES supply within and among ecosystems, which were particularly evident within forests and grasslands. All investigated land cover classes were sources of CO₂, with averages ranging from ‐66 to ‐748 g C m^‐2 yr^‐1, after considering the harvest of total above ground biomass of crops and the storage organ, except for forest being a sink of CO₂ with an average of 105 g C m^‐2 yr^‐1. Estimated annual GPP was related to food supply with a maize grain yield average of 9.5 t ha^‐1 yr^‐1 and a sugar beet root yield of 110 t ha^‐1 yr^‐1. Validation with in situ measurements from flux towers and literature values revealed a good performance of our approach for food supply (relative RMSE of less than 23%), but also some over- and underestimations for carbon dioxide regulation. Our approach demonstrated how RS can contribute to spatially explicit and continuous ES cascade mapping and suggest that this information could be useful for environmental assessments and decision-making in spatial planning and conservation.     

Valuing mangrove ecosystem services: linking nutrient retention function of mangrove forests to enhanced agroecosystem production

Mangroves are highly productive wetland ecosystems strategically located at the interface between land and sea. They play an important role in the biogeochemical cycles of the coastal environment, acting as sources of nutrients to adjacent marine and terrestrial ecosystems through active and passive transport. We examined the nutrient contents in mangrove and nonmangrove soils in and around the Bhitarkanika National Park, India and assessed whether the local agricultural producers were aware of and placed a value on this contribution of mangrove forests in enhancing agroecosystem productivity. Soil samples from both mangrove and nonmangrove areas were analysed and quantity of organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium were derived. The replacement cost method was used to derive the value of nutrients in mangrove soils. We estimated that each hectare of mangrove contains additional nutrients worth US$232.49 in comparison to nonmangrove areas. The difference in nutrient content in mangrove versus nonmangrove areas gave the value of US$3.37 million for the nutrients in 145 km² of mangrove forests. The agricultural producers were aware that mangrove forests act as a source of nutrients and were willing to pay a higher price for the land adjoining mangrove forests. Around 92% of the producers ranked nutrient retention as a secondary function of mangrove forests. Despite crop depredation from wild ungulates and conflict with salt water crocodiles the agriculturist finds the benefit to cost ratio of mangrove forests high and more than 76% were in favour of mangrove restoration. This study provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of mangrove ecosystems to the livelihoods of the local people and the urgent need to sustain these through proper policy and market interventions.     

A hierarchical approach to ecosystem assessment of restoration planning at regional,catchment and local scales in Japan

A hierarchical approach to restoration planning at the regional, catchment and local scales is proposed and examined. Restoration projects limited to a local scale and focused on habitat improvement for individual species ended in failure, which has led to the recognition that there is a need for ecosystem-based management at the landscape level. The first landscape-level restoration in Japan is under way in the Kushiro and Shibetsu River Basins, in northern Japan. However, public consensus on these large-scale restoration projects has not yet matured and there are very few projects that have progressed even as far as mapping to classify intact and disturbed ecosystems. Classification of habitat quality using physical and biological indicators appears to be the core element of analysis of ecological degradation at the regional scale (100–1,000 km²). This mass-screening process is critical to identify areas in potential need of restoration. The causes and mechanisms of ecosystem degradation are then examined at the catchment scale (10–100 km²) by linking material flows and habitat conditions. Direct environmental gradient analysis is useful to determine cause and effect relationships between species and habitat quality. Finally, we recommend implementation of field experiments with a clear hypothesis at the local scale (0.01–1 km²). At this stage, key variables causing degradation of the target ecosystem are manipulated to verify the hypothesis. Based on the results of local-scale analyses, the possibility of restoration success can be evaluated, which directs us to practical schemes for future restoration projects at larger scales.     

Methodological and empirical considerations when assessing freshwater ecosystem service provision in a developing city context: Making the best of what we have

This study contributes to both the methodological and empirical literature by developing an integrative approach to assessing temporal and spatial change in riparian ecosystem service delivery by drawing on available and diverse data sets. These data sets act as multiple lines of evidence in supporting comparisons between data sets to test the validity of developed methods and the application of such methods. In order to synthesise these data as well as to determine the fluctuations in riparian ecosystem service provision a scoring system was developed. Methodologically, the scoring system proved informative across the majority of ecosystem services categories, showing close to 80% similarity in outcomes when comparing the scoring method to trends in long-term water quality measurements. Other benefits of the scoring system included its design simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and applicability and replicability across various urban settings. Empirically, the data sets used support the findings of the ecosystem services scoring exercise and suggests that fluctuations in ecosystem service delivery through time and across the river reaches are linked to land-use change and other human activities. Findings suggest that as water leaves an urban protected area and travels across transformed and impacted landscapes, the results are poor water quality and diminished ability of rivers to yield ecosystem services the further the river flows into the urban setting. Urbanisation and changes in land-uses in developing city contexts is therefore shown to affect potential ecosystem services benefits, necessitating increasing management interventions.     

Using functional traits to predict grassland ecosystem change: a mathematical test of the response-and-effect trait approach

The role of plant community structure and plant functional traits for above- and belowground carbon (C) fluxes was studied for 2 years in a mesocosm experiment with grassland monoliths, using continuous gas exchange measurements and soil analyses. Here we test the response-and-effect trait hypothesis, by applying a mathematical framework used to predict changes in C fluxes after a change in disturbance through the community response ( R ) and effect ( E ) traits. Monoliths were extracted from two contrasted long-term field treatments (high vs. low grazing disturbance) and exposed to both low and high (simulated grazing) disturbance during a 2 years experiment. Carbon dioxide exchanges were measured continuously in an open flow system. Net ecosystem productivity and ecosystem C balance were positively correlated at low disturbance with plant species richness. Aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and soil C sequestration were, however, unrelated to these variables. Community aggregated leaf (specific leaf area, leaf dry-matter content) and root and rhizome (specific length, tissue density, diameter) traits responded ( R ) significantly to changes in disturbance, indicating an increased dominance of conservative plant growth strategies at low compared with high disturbance. Applying the mathematical framework, ANPP was predicted by distribution of leaf traits within the community (functional divergence), while mean root and rhizome traits had significant effects ( E ) on soil C sequestration, irrespective of the experimental disturbance and of the year. According to highly significant linear regression models, between 6% and 61% of the transient changes in soil C sequestration resulted from community root and rhizome (response-and-effect) traits after a change in disturbance.     

人工鱼礁构建对海洋生态系统服务价值的影响——以深圳杨梅坑人工鱼礁区为例

基于深圳杨梅坑人工鱼礁区2008年的研究和统计数据,采用生态系统服务价值方法,系统分析了杨梅坑人工鱼礁建设对海洋生态系统的影响.结果表明:与深圳附近海域相比,杨梅坑人工鱼礁构建后旅游娱乐服务价值所占比例由87%降至42%,食品供给服务价值所占比例由7%升至27%,原材料供给、气候调节、空气质量调节、水质净化调节、有害生物和疾病的生物调节与控制、知识扩展服务价值所占比例少许提高;2008年,深圳杨梅坑人工鱼礁区单位面积服务价值为1714.7万元.km-2,远高于深圳市近海海洋生态系统的平均值和全球近海生态系统的平均值.人工鱼礁生态系统影响并改变了区域海洋生态系统服务价值结构,提高了区域生态系统服务价值,对于合理开发与利用海洋资源、修复受损的海洋生态环境和渔业资源有着重要意义.利用生态系统服务价值方法对人工鱼礁构建区进行评价,可以更好地反映人工鱼礁构建效益,能有效促进我国人工鱼礁建设的发展、提高海洋生态系统管理水平.     

Invasive alien plants and South African rivers: a proposed approach to the prioritization of control operations

1. A number of parallel initiatives in South Africa have been addressing the prioritization and management of invasive alien plant species, the prioritization of rivers for the conservation of biodiversity, and broad‐scale planning for water resource management. This paper has combined aspects of these approaches to develop a composite index of prioritization of quaternary catchments for alien plant control purposes. 2. We calculated, for each quaternary catchment, a simple composite index that combined estimates of (i) the number of invasive alien plant species present; (ii) the potential number of invasive alien plant species that would be present if they occupied the full range as determined by climatic envelope models; (iii) the degree of habitat loss in rivers; and (iv) the degree of water stress. Each of the four components contributed between one and four to the combined index, which had a range of values between four and 16. 3. We used a geographic information system to map the distribution of priority catchments for invasive alien plant control. Of the 1911 quaternary catchments in South Africa and Lesotho, just over one‐third (650) were in the highest priority category with an index of 13 or more. A relatively small proportion (273, or 14%) of the catchments had the maximum scores of 15 or 16. 4. The approach identified priority areas that have not currently been identified as such, and should provide decision makers with an objective and transparent method with which to prioritize areas for the control of invasive alien plants. We anticipate debate about the way in which components of the index are calculated, and the weight given to the different components, and that this will lead to the transparent evolution of the index. Improvements would also come about through the addition of a more comprehensive list of species, and through the addition of further components.     

A computational approach to ecological and economic sustainable harvest management strategies in a multi-species context, with implications for cod recovery plans

Multi-species models consider interactions, particularly predation, between and within species. Traditional harvest management strategies, such as maximum sustainable yield do not account for these interactions. The exploitation of a single species can be maximised, but this does not mean that the entire ecosystem is being harvested sustainably or at its economic maximum. I present a computational technique (evolutionary algorithms) that can simultaneously optimise harvest management strategies of many species and can easily be modified to allow for factors such as stock recovery, sustainable yields or maximum levels of economic sustainable exploitation. I demonstrate that in an ecologically sustainably managed system where a stock is recovering, maximum economic yield is identical to the maximisation of yield by mass. These findings may have important implications for long term conservation aims and long term profits by fishers.     

Fishery-induced changes in a marine ecosystem: insight from models of the Gulf of Thailand

Two mass-balance trophic models are constructed to describe the Gulf of Thailand ecosystem (10–50 m depth): one model pertains to the initial phase of fisheries development, and the other to when the resources were severely depleted. The two phases are compared, and changes brought about by fishing discussed. A dynamic simulation model, Ecosim, is then used successfully to reproduce the 1980 state of the fishery based on the 1963 model and the development in catches. In addition the 1980 model is used to predict how the ecosystem groups may bounce back following marked reduction in fishing pressure. Finally, the 1963 model is used to study alternative scenarios for how the fisheries development could take place, notably the effect of exploiting only the resources of larger species. The study validates that the Ecosim model can be used to predict ecosystem level changes following changes in fishing pressure, therefore fishing induced changes can to a large extent explain the changes in ecosystem pools and fluxes observed over time.     

Chaoborus predation and delayed reproduction in Daphnia: a demographic modeling approach

I develop a demographic model that examines the impact of Chaoborus predation on the population dynamics and life history of Daphnia. Predation effects are determined through analysis of the various components of the predator-prey interaction (encounter, attack, strike efficiency), and are integrated into a stage-classified matrix population model. The model is parameterized with data from interactions between D. pulex and fourth-instar C. americanus. I test this model with two laboratory experiments that examine population growth of D. pulex under the influence of five different levels of Chaoborus predation. With the exception of a single predation treatment in each experiment, the model accurately predicted the observed reduction in Daphnia numbers with increasing Chaoborus predation. I then use this model to investigate the evolution of delayed reproduction in D. pulex that are exposed to Chaoborus. I ask whether delayed reproduction may evolve in Daphnia that are subjected to Chaoborus predation as a trade-off for the benefits of larger body size. The model predicts that the effectiveness of such a life history trade-off depends on the relative sizes of predator and prey. In some interactions between Chaoborus and Daphnia, increasing Daphnia body length by as little as 5% from base growth trajectories sufficiently increases fitness (by reducing vulnerability to Chaoborus predation) to compensate for the cost of delayed reproduction. In other interactions, however, increased body length provides no benefit to Daphnia (and may even reduce fitness), and selection would act against the evolution of delayed reproduction. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Impact of wind and freshwater inputs on phytoplankton biomass in the coral reef lagoon of New Caledonia during the summer cyclonic period: a coupled three-dimensional biogeochemical modeling approach

A coupled three-dimensional physical-biological model was developed in order to simulate the ecological functioning and potential impacts of land-derived inputs in the southwest lagoon of New Caledonia. This model considered pelagic biogeochemical cycling of organic matter, taking into account advection and diffusion processes driven mainly by local wind fields and freshwater discharges. Modeled phytoplankton dynamics were strongly correlated with both freshwater nutrient inputs and wind-driven hydrodynamic processes, the latter resulting in a large input of oceanic water from the southeast part of the lagoon under trade wind conditions. In situ data obtained during the summer (January 1998) under trade wind conditions supported predicted concentration gradients along several coast to reef transects and provided a validation of the coupled physical-biogeochemical model. An additional sensitivity analysis showed that the alteration of the biogeochemical parameters did not strongly affect the results of the model. Freshwater inputs of nutrients were simulated using a realistic scenario corresponding to the summer rainy season of 1997–1998 in New Caledonia. Despite occasional flooding events from the main rivers considered in these simulations, no significant meso-scale phytoplankton bloom was identified. Hydrodynamically driven dispersion and rapid uptake of nutrients by phytoplankton were sufficient to spatially constrain the impact of river inputs and maintain oligotrophic conditions. The fine spatial grid of our three-dimensional model demonstrated that eutrophication in the southwest lagoon of New Caledonia is confined to the most restricted coastal embayments, while most of the lagoon experiences sustained oligotrophic conditions.     

Response of net ecosystem gas exchange to a simulated precipitation pulse in a semi-arid grassland: the role of native versus non-native grasses and soil texture

Physiological activity and structural dynamics in arid and semi-arid ecosystems are driven by discrete inputs or pulses of growing season precipitation. Here we describe the short-term dynamics of ecosystem physiology in experimental stands of native (Heteropogon contortus) and invasive (Eragrostis lehmanniana) grasses to an irrigation pulse across two geomorphic surfaces with distinctly different soils: a Pleistocene-aged surface with high clay content in a strongly horizonated soil, and a Holocene-aged surface with low clay content in homogenously structured soils. We evaluated whole-ecosystem and leaf-level CO₂ and H₂O exchange, soil CO₂ efflux, along with plant and soil water status to understand potential constraints on whole-ecosystem carbon exchange during the initiation of the summer monsoon season. Prior to the irrigation pulse, both invasive and native grasses had less negative pre-dawn water potentials ( _pd), greater leaf photosynthetic rates (A _net) and stomatal conductance (g _s), and greater rates of net ecosystem carbon exchange (NEE) on the Pleistocene surface than on the Holocene. Twenty-four hours following the experimental application of a 39 mm irrigation pulse, soil CO₂ efflux increased leading to all plots losing CO₂ to the atmosphere over the course of a day. Invasive species stands had greater evapotranspiration rates (ET) immediately following the precipitation pulse than did native stands, while maximum instantaneous NEE increased for both species and surfaces at roughly the same rate. The differential ET patterns through time were correlated with an earlier decline in NEE in the invasive species as compared to the native species plots. Plots with invasive species accumulated between 5% and 33% of the carbon that plots with the native species accumulated over the 15-day pulse period. Taken together, these results indicate that system CO₂ efflux (both the physical displacement of soil CO₂ by water along with plant and microbial respiration) strongly controls whole-ecosystem carbon exchange during precipitation pulses. Since CO₂ and H₂O loss to the atmosphere was partially driven by species effects on soil microclimate, understanding the mechanistic relationships between the soil characteristics, plant ecophysiological responses, and canopy structural dynamics will be important for understanding the effects of shifting precipitation and vegetation patterns in semi-arid environments.     

Distribution patterns of benthic diatoms in a Pampean river exposed to seasonal floods: the Cuarto River (Argentina)

The diatom community growing on cobbles and sand substrata along the Cuarto River (Córdoba, Argentina) was studied during 2000 and 2001. Multivariate analyses of the data (PCA and CCA) showed distinct differences in water chemistry and substrata types between the upstream sites (sites 1–10) and downstream sites (sites 11–19). Sites 1–10 supported an epilithic diatom community associated with low water conductivity and gravel substrata. This consisted of adnate Achnanthes (A. biasolettiana, A. minutissima), as well as stalked (Gomphonema aff. angustum, Reimeria uniseriata, Fragilaria capucina var. rumpens) or prostrate (Nitzschia lacuum) taxa. Downstream sites were associated with high conductivity, fast flowing waters and finer substrata (sand, silt), and were colonised by prostrate diatoms, including several species of Navicula (N. pupula, N. mutica, N. veneta, N. insociabilis) and Nitzschia (N. umbonata, N. palea). Variations in water flow caused significant changes in the diatom communities of the river. During periods of low flow (winter and autumn), chain forming (Diatoma vulgaris, D. moniliformis) or stalked (Synedra ulna) taxa partially replaced the former community of Navicula and Nitzschia in the downstream sites. High flow (in summer) led to diatoms of large size being replaced by smaller size diatoms, such as Achnanthes lanceolata, Navicula mutica, Hantzschia amphioxys and Amphora montana. The severe effect of floods in the lower part of the Cuarto led to these taxa having a much higher proportion in the lower stretch of the river, taking advantage of the subaerial conditions created by the floods. Local episodes of water pollution were associated with a transient shift towards the dominance of Navicula pupula, Synedra ulna, Nitzschia lacuum and Reimeria uniseriata during winter, when inputs were least diluted because of the low flow.     

Imaging multiple phases of neurodegeneration: a novel approach to assessing cell death in vivo

Nerve cell death is the key event in all neurodegenerative disorders, with apoptosis and necrosis being central to both acute and chronic degenerative processes. However, until now, it has not been possible to study these dynamically and in real time. In this study, we use spectrally distinct, well-recognised fluorescent cell death markers to enable the temporal resolution and quantification of the early and late phases of apoptosis and necrosis of single nerve cells in different disease models. The tracking of single-cell death profiles in the same living eye over hours, days, weeks and months is a significant advancement on currently available techniques. We identified a numerical preponderance of late-phase versus early-phase apoptotic cells in chronic models, reinforcing the commonalities between cellular mechanisms in different disease models. We showed that MK801 effectively inhibited both apoptosis and necrosis, but our findings support the use of our technique to investigate more specific anti-apoptotic and anti-necrotic strategies with well-defined targets, with potentially greater clinical application. The optical properties of the eye provide compelling opportunities for the quantitative monitoring of disease mechanisms and dynamics in experimental neurodegeneration. Our findings also help to directly observe retinal nerve cell death in patients as an adjunct to refining diagnosis, tracking disease status and assessing therapeutic intervention.     

View-based navigation in Hymenoptera: multiple strategies of landmark guidance in the approach to a feeder

In order to analyse how landmarks guide the last stages of an insect's approach to a goal, we recorded many flights of individual wasps and honeybees as they flew to an inconspicuous feeder on the ground that was marked by one or by two nearby landmarks. An individual tends to approach the feeder from a constant direction, flying close to the ground. Its body is oriented in roughly the same horizontal direction during the approach so that the feeder and landmarks are viewed over a narrow range of directions. Consequently, when the insect arrives at the feeder, the landmarks take up a standard position on the retina. Three navigational strategies govern the final approach. The insect first aims at a landmark, treating it as a beacon. Secondly, bees learn the appearance of a landmark with frontal retina and they associate with this stored view a motor trajectory which brings them from the landmark sufficiently close to the goal that it can be reached by image matching. Insects then move so as to put the landmark in its standard retinal position. Image matching is shown to be accomplished by a control system which has as set points the standard retinal position of the landmark and some parameter related to its retinal size. Accepted: 1 March 1997     

Using the output from global circulation models to predict changes in the distribution and abundance of cereal aphids in Canada: a mechanistic modeling approach

Climate change will alter the abundance and distribution of species. Predicting these shifts is a challenge for ecologists and essential information for the formation of public policy. Here, I use a mechanistic mathematical model of the interaction between grass growth physiology and aphid population dynamics, coupled with the climate change projections from the UK's Hadley Centre HadCM3 global circulation model (GCM) and Canada's Center for Climate Modeling and Analysis CGCM2 GCM to predict the changes in the abundance and distribution of summer cereal aphid populations in wheat-growing regions of Canada. When used with the HadCM3 projections, the model predicts a latitudinal shift northward in abundances but there is longitudinal variation as well. However, when used with the CGCM2 projections the model predicts that continental regions will see a decline while coastal regions will see an increase in summer cereal aphid populations. These effects are stronger under the higher emissions scenarios.     

Comparison of dietary mercury exposure in two sympatric top predator fishes, largemouth bass and northern pike: a bioenergetics modeling approach

Physical and ecologicalfactors, including lake temperature, fishphysiology, and diet, influence methylmercury(MeHg) exposure in fish. We employedbioenergetics modeling to compare dietary MeHgexposure in sympatric top predators, largemouthbass (Micropterus salmoides) and northernpike (Esox lucius). We comparedsimulations using field data to hypotheticalsimulations with (1) ± 25% change in meandaily lake temperature for juvenile and adultbass and pike; (2) ± 25% change inlong-term growth rate of pike; (3) adult bassdiet shift from generalist predator to strictpiscivore. Bass and pike MeHg exposures weresimilar in baseline simulations and reflectedpatterns in field tissue concentrations. Thisoccurred despite the fact that bass consumedhighly contaminated benthic invertebrates,while pike exclusively consumed lesscontaminated fish prey. Higher temperaturesincreased adult bass and pike MeHg exposures by35% and 27%, respectively. Shifting adultbass diets to 100% fish resulted in a 54%decrease in exposure, while increasing pikegrowth rates resulted in a 24% decrease. Bioenergetics modeling proved useful inunderstanding the influence of temperature,prey-base, and predator growth on differencesin Hg exposure across fish species.