Search results for " marine"

On the tolerance of charophytes to high-nitrate concentrations

2017

Currently a debate exists about whether the reduced growth of macrophytes with increased nitrogen loading in shallow ecosystems is determined by ecological or physiological factors. To discover whe...

2019

Local support is important for the longevity of conservation initiatives. The literature suggests that perceptions of ecological effectiveness, social impacts, and good governance will influence levels of local support for conservation. This paper examines these relationships using data from a survey of small‐scale fishermen in 11 marine protected areas from six countries in the Mediterranean Sea. The survey queried small‐scale fishermen regarding perceptions and support for conservation. We constructed composite scores for three categories of perceptions—ecological effectiveness, social impacts, and good governance—and tested the relationship with levels of support using ordinal regression…

Exposing ecological and economic costs of the research-implementation gap and compromises in decision making

2018

The frequently discussed gap between conservation science and practice is manifest in the gap between spatial conservation prioritization plans and their implementation. We analyzed the research-implementation gap of one zoning case by comparing results of a spatial prioritization analysis aimed at avoiding ecological impact of peat mining in a regional zoning process with the final zoning plan. We examined the relatively complex planning process to determine the gaps among research, zoning, and decision making. We quantified the ecological costs of the differing trade-offs between ecological and socioeconomic factors included in the different zoning suggestions by comparing the landscape-l…

Differential recovery of habitat use by birds after wind farm installation: A multi-year comparison

2017

Abstract Onshore wind farms remain one of the most widely used technologies for the production of renewable energy. These are known to affect birds through disturbance or collision. Most research focus on the impact of wind farms on raptors or other large bird species, especially those of conservation concern. However, limited information exists on the effect of wind farms on small birds. Recovery of large versus small bird populations impacted by wind farms is also largely unstudied. A reason for this is the lack of long-term datasets based on standardized, systematic assessments. We monitored birds in the vicinity of a wind farm in an upland habitat in southern Spain (Malaga province), im…

Oxygen microoptodes: a new tool for oxygen measurements in aquatic animal ecology

2002

We describe two applications of a recently introduced system for very precise, continuous measurement of water oxygen saturation. Oxygen microoptodes (based on the dynamic fluorescence quenching principle) with a tip diameter of similar to50 mum, an eight-channel optode array, an intermittent flow system, and online data registration were used to perform two types of experiments. The metabolic activity of Antarctic invertebrates (sponges and scallops) was estimated in respiration experiments, and, secondly, oxygen saturation inside living sponge tissue was determined in different flow regimes. Even in long-term experiments (several days) no drift was detectable in between calibrations. Data…

Eight decades of adaptive changes in herring reproductive investment: the joint effect of environment and exploitation

2021

Abstract Reproductive investment is a central trait for population dynamics and productivity. Fishing and environmental variations are major drivers affecting population structure, dynamics, and adaptation of life-history and behavioural traits. However, those factors are often considered independently, and few studies take into account their joint effect. In this study, we investigate the contribution of environment, fishing pressure, and intra-specific competition to variation in the reproductive investment of the Norwegian spring-spawning herring (Clupea harengus), a stock that has been fished for centuries, and monitored for decades. Reproductive investment and post-spawning weight were…

Perennial polypores as indicators of annual and red-listed polypores

2009

Abstract Many polypores are specialized in their requirements for substrate and environment, and they have been suggested to indicate the continuity of coarse woody debris or naturalness of a forest stand. However, the use of polypores as indicators of conservation value is restricted by the temporally limited appearance of annual fruit bodies. We studied whether the species richness of perennial polypores (perennials) can be used to predict the species richness of annual or annual red-listed polypores (annuals). Our data included 1471 separate datasets (sample plots or larger inventoried areas) in different parts of Finland and Russian Karelia, ranging from the southern to northern boreal …

Small-scale life history variability suggests potential for spatial mismatches in Atlantic cod management units

2015

Mediterranean identities - environment, society, culture

2017

The Mediterranean Sea, one of the most complex marine ecosystems, is inhabited by a rich and diverse biota which is disproportionate to its dimensions. It is cur‐ rently affected by different pressures, mainly driven by human activities such as cli‐ mate change and bioinvasions. This Sea, also due to its geographic position (wedged between the temperate climate of central Europe and the arid climate of northern Africa), seems to be one of the regions most susceptible to global climate change. The increased rates of introduction and spread of marine alien species may represent a supplementary stress factor to Mediterranean marine native biota already challenged by climatic abnormalities. The…

Replicated marine protected areas (MPAs) support movement of larger, but not more, European lobsters to neighbouring fished areas

2018

The European lobster Homarus gammarus is heavily exploited in the Norwegian fishery, and several management actions have been implemented to protect the species. Three marine protected areas (MPAs) excluding all but hook and line type fishing gear were established along the Skagerrak coast in 2006, effectively banning the trap-based fishery for European lobster. Lobster populations within MPAs and adjacent control areas were studied by capture-mark-recapture and recovery methods every year from prior to MPA establishment to the present. During 2006-2014, a total of 4682 and 3317 lobsters were captured (including recaptures) in the MPAs and control areas, respectively. In all MPAs, protectio…