Warming alters food web-driven changes in the CO2 flux of experimental pond ecosystems

Evidence shows the important role biota play in the carbon cycle, and strategic management of plant and animal populations could enhance CO₂ uptake in aquatic ecosystems. However, it is currently unknown how management-driven changes to community structure may interact with climate warming and other anthropogenic perturbations to alter CO₂ fluxes. Here we showed that under ambient water temperatures, predators (three-spined stickleback) and nutrient enrichment synergistically increased primary producer biomass, resulting in increased CO₂ uptake by mesocosms in early dawn. However, a 3°C increase in water temperatures counteracted positive effects of predators and nutrients, leading to reduced primary producer biomass and a switch from CO₂ influx to efflux. This confounding effect of temperature demonstrates that climate scenarios must be accounted for when undertaking ecosystem management actions to increase biosequestration.     

Exploitation and habitat degradation as agents of change within coral reef fish communities

Over‐exploitation and habitat degradation are the two major drivers of global environmental change and are responsible for local extinctions and declining ecosystem services. Here we compare the top‐down effect of exploitation by fishing with the bottom‐up influence of habitat loss on fish communities in the most diverse of ecological systems, coral reefs. Using a combination of multivariate techniques and path analyses, we illustrate that the relative importance of coral cover and fishing in controlling fish abundance on remote Fijian reefs varies between species and functional groups. A decline in branching Acropora coral is strongly associated with a decline in abundance of coral‐feeding species, and a decrease in coral‐associated habitat complexity, which has indirectly contributed to reduced abundance of small‐bodied damselfish. In contrast, reduced fishing pressure, brought about by declining human populations and a shift to alternate livelihoods, is associated with increased abundance of some piscivores and fisheries target species. However, availability of prey is controlled by coral‐associated habitat complexity and appears to be a more important driver of total piscivore abundance compared with fishing pressure. Effects of both fishing and coral loss are stronger on individual species than functional groups, as variation in the relative importance of fishing or coral loss among species within the same functional group attenuated the impact of either of these potential drivers at the functional level. Overall, fishing continues to have an influence on Fijian fish communities; however, habitat loss is currently the overriding agent of change. The importance of coral loss mediated by climate change is expected to have an increasing contribution to fish community dynamics, particularly in remote locations or where the influence of fishing is waning.     

Comparative analysis of European wide marine ecosystem shifts: a large-scale approach for developing the basis for ecosystem-based management

Abrupt and rapid ecosystem shifts (where major reorganizations of food-web and community structures occur), commonly termed regime shifts, are changes between contrasting and persisting states of ecosystem structure and function. These shifts have been increasingly reported for exploited marine ecosystems around the world from the North Pacific to the North Atlantic. Understanding the drivers and mechanisms leading to marine ecosystem shifts is crucial in developing adaptive management strategies to achieve sustainable exploitation of marine ecosystems. An international workshop on a comparative approach to analysing these marine ecosystem shifts was held at Hamburg University, Institute for Hydrobiology and Fisheries Science, Germany on 1-3 November 2010. Twenty-seven scientists from 14 countries attended the meeting, representing specialists from seven marine regions, including the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Barents Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Bay of Biscay and the Scotian Shelf off the Canadian East coast. The goal of the workshop was to conduct the first large-scale comparison of marine ecosystem regime shifts across multiple regional areas, in order to support the development of ecosystem-based management strategies.     

Revisiting “what do tadpoles really eat?” A 10‐year perspective

1. Tadpoles are diverse and abundant consumers, and knowledge of their feeding ecology and trophic status is essential in understanding their functional roles within aquatic habitats. Here we revisit Altig, Whiles, and Taylor (2007)'s paper, which highlighted the knowledge gaps in tadpole feeding ecology and the application of modern techniques, such as stable isotope and fatty acid analyses to better quantify dominant food resources, food assimilation, and the trophic status of tadpoles.
2. We reviewed the ecological studies that have been published since 2007 that used stable isotopes and fatty acid analyses, also metagenomics and ecological stoichiometry analyses. We describe the ecological roles of tadpoles in freshwater ecosystems and identify knowledge gaps regarding tadpole feeding ecology across biogeographic regions.
3. Worldwide declines in amphibian abundance and diversity create an urgent need to document their feeding ecology and trophic status. As consumers, tadpoles play important functional roles in nutrient cycling, energy flow, and bioturbation. They also exhibit context‐dependent trophic plasticity in response to abiotic and biotic gradients, which complicates understanding of their trophic roles.
4. Most studies of tadpole trophic ecology have been conducted primarily on species from the families Ranidae, Bufonidae, and Hylidae from Neotropic and Nearctic regions, while species in tropical regions such as Africa and Asia lack ecological information for tadpoles. There continues to be a need for studies of tadpole diets and/or trophic ecology in Africa and Southeast Asia regions where species endemism is threated by the growth of anthropogenic activities.
5. The majority of studies have focused on trophic ecology of tadpoles from the perspective of single species or at relatively small spatial and temporal scales. Studies that address questions from an ecosystem perspective were scarce, but are critical for conservation and management. Future research should aim to address the role of tadpoles as consumers across broader spatiotemporal scales.

     

陆地生态系统水分利用效率对气候变化的响应研究进展

气候变化显著影响陆地生态系统生产力以及水分利用格局,而水分利用效率(Water Use Efficiency,WUE)是衡量生态系统碳水耦合关系的重要指标之一。研究陆地生态系统水分利用效率对气候变化的响应,有助于深入理解生态系统的变化规律,模拟和预测生态系统碳水过程的发展状况,从而为应对全球气候变化提供新的依据。为了更好地掌握生态系统水分利用效率研究现状以及其对温度、CO2等关键气候因子的响应情况,本文总结了陆地生态系统水分利用效率对气候变化响应的最新研究进展。首先介绍了相关的定义并归纳了两种不同计算方式的差异和特点;接着重点总结了陆地生态系统水分利用效率对大气温度、CO2、水分、干旱以及太阳辐射等影响因素的响应;最后文章总结了目前3个相关的研究态势,主要包括:(1)长时间序列水分利用效率与气候要素的关系研究;(2)土地利用/覆被变化对水分利用效率的影响及其对气候的反馈研究;(3)多尺度水分利用效率综合研究。本研究可为深入研究生态系统过程对气候变化的响应提供参考。     

Nitrogen limitation on land: how can it occur in Earth system models?

The representation of the nitrogen (N) cycle in Earth system models (ESMs) is strongly motivated by the constraint N poses on the sequestration of anthropogenic carbon (C). Models typically implement a stoichiometric relationship between C and N in which external supply and assimilation by organisms are adjusted to maintain their internal stoichiometry. N limitation of primary productivity thus occurs if the N supply from uptake and fixation cannot keep up with the construction of tissues allowed by C assimilation. This basic approach, however, presents considerable challenges in how to faithfully represent N limitation. Here, we review how N limitation is currently implemented and evaluated in ESMs and highlight challenges and opportunities in their future development. At or near steady state, N limitation is governed by the magnitude of losses from the plant‐unavailable pool vs. N fixation and there are considerable differences in how models treat both processes. In nonsteady‐state systems, the accumulation of N in pools with slow turnover rates reduces N available for plant uptake and can be challenging to represent when initializing ESM simulations. Transactional N limitation occurs when N is incorporated into various vegetation and soil pools and becomes available to plants only after it is mineralized, the dynamics of which depends on how ESMs represent decomposition processes in soils. Other challenges for ESMs emerge when considering seasonal to interannual climatic oscillations as they create asynchronies between C and N demand, leading to transient alternations between N surplus and deficit. Proper evaluation of N dynamics in ESMs requires conceptual understanding of the main levers that trigger N limitation, and we highlight key measurements and observations that can help constrain these levers. Two of the biggest challenges are the mechanistic representation of plant controls on N availability and turnover, including N fixation and organic matter decomposition processes.