Corinne van Starrenburg , Lennart van Ijzerloo , Johan van de Koppel , Daphne van der Wal , Tjeerd J. Bouma
{"title":"Are willows suitable for flood defense? Quantifying mechanical properties of willow species","authors":"Corinne van Starrenburg , Lennart van Ijzerloo , Johan van de Koppel , Daphne van der Wal , Tjeerd J. Bouma","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109306","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109306","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The use of temporary willow wetland forests as nature-based flood defense requires reliable predictions of branch resistance to loads, due to either hydrodynamic forces or strong winds, while accounting for variations across <em>Salix</em> species and varieties, growth environments (e.g., local salinity), and shapes (e.g., shrubs vs. trees, natural vs. pollarded). The <em>Salix</em> genus comprises hundreds of species, each exhibiting high intraspecific diversity with numerous subspecies and genotypes. However, to assess their suitability for flood defense, it is crucial to understand their mechanical properties, which have been documented for only a few species and often using differing methodologies. Quantifying and understanding the variation in mechanical properties of willow branches can improve vegetation-wave models and their use in flood risk assessments. We studied 18 <em>Salix</em> species, varieties and hybrids (shrub and tree type, including the most common species of riverine wetland forests), various specimens of one species (<em>S. alba</em>) along a salinity gradient and two growth forms: natural and pollarded. Sampling took place in Belgium and the Netherlands. We conducted 3-point bending tests and quantified absolute and relative flexibility and strength (maximum load and extension, modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR)). For all species, the thicker the branch, the greater its mechanical strength. Tree type species were more flexible with lower modulus of elasticity and shrub type species stronger with higher modulus of rupture. <em>S. alba</em> was amongst the most flexible species and <em>S. purpurea</em> the strongest. We found a large variability for natural branches and far less variability for pollarded branches. The salinity gradient had no effect on mechanical properties. Our study showed that the type of species and variety as well as pollarding affect the mechanical branch properties. The values of tree mechanics found in this study can be used as input for models, and their application in nature-based flood defense solutions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"320 ","pages":"Article 109306"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143842609","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tobia Politi , Sergej Olenin , Kajetan Deja , Barbara Oleszczuk , Mindaugas Zilius , Stefano Bonaglia , Jan Marcin Weslawski , Marco Bartoli
{"title":"Benthic metabolism and macrofauna bioturbation along a glacier-driven gradient in Kongsfjorden","authors":"Tobia Politi , Sergej Olenin , Kajetan Deja , Barbara Oleszczuk , Mindaugas Zilius , Stefano Bonaglia , Jan Marcin Weslawski , Marco Bartoli","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109304","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109304","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change is warming the Arctic at a rate four times faster than the global average. Due to a unique pattern in ocean currents, the Kongsfjorden fjord in Svalbard (Norway) is experiencing even more rapid warming causing tidewater glaciers to retreat. Increasing freshwater and terrestrial inputs are expected to determine deep impacts at fjord head more than at fjord mouth, affecting both benthic communities and biogeochemistry, selecting highly tolerant pioneer taxa, such as polychaetes with a high bioturbation and nutrient recycling potential. In this work, 16 intact sediment cores were collected from the head and the mouth of Kongsfjorden and incubated in the dark at in situ temperature. Benthic fluxes of nutrients and gas, and denitrification rates were assessed during the incubations and macrofauna abundance and community composition were analyzed. Benthic metabolism and macrofauna bioturbation were then contrasted and interpreted with respect to the glacier disturbance. At the glacier front (fjord head), oxygen and nitrate respiration, methane efflux and nutrient regeneration were higher than at the fjord mouth. At the fjord head, the macrofauna community was more abundant and dominated by deep burrowing polychaetes, tolerant to glacier disturbance. Through bioturbation, they played a crucial role in stimulating coupled nitrification and denitrification, ammonium, and methane release. Our models indicate that polychaetes contribute significantly (32 %) to the total flux variability confirming their role in nutrient cycling. In this Arctic fjord, warming, glacial retreat and disturbance favor pioneer species of macrofauna that promote the recycle of nutrients and the evasion of methane.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"320 ","pages":"Article 109304"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143874056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Iris Barroso , Mar Mourin , Sandra Navarro-Mayoral , Fernando Tuya , Nestor E. Bosch
{"title":"High dominance renders reef fish trophic interactions vulnerable to human pressures in oceanic islands","authors":"Iris Barroso , Mar Mourin , Sandra Navarro-Mayoral , Fernando Tuya , Nestor E. Bosch","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109305","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109305","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Human activities alter marine ecosystems by modifying their biodiversity, often disrupting trophic interactions that determine their structure and functioning. Human influence on trophic interactions mediated by fishes have traditionally been investigated through the lens of indirect proxies, such as the biomass of trophic groups. However, fish biomass alone may not adequately capture the nuanced responses of fish to different levels of human pressures, such as changes in the nature and intensity of trophic interactions. Here, we combined visual counts and remote video surveys to assess how human pressures influence spatial patterns in reef fish biomass and feeding pressure in an oceanic island in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. The biomass and feeding pressure of reef fish assemblages strongly declined across the human pressure gradient, by two- and five-fold, respectively. These patterns were primarily driven by fishery targeted species, which comprised 87 % of fish biomass and 93 % of fish feeding pressure. Despite this marked imprint of human pressures, we found distinct responses among trophic groups. The biomass of omnivores and herbivores declined by 19- and 3-fold respectively, while feeding pressure by these groups declined by 6- and 4-fold, respectively. In contrast, the effect of human pressures on piscivores, invertivores and planktivores was weak or negligible. Importantly, some trophic groups exhibited stronger declines in fish feeding pressure than biomass, whilst others exhibited lower declines. This highlights the nuanced responses of fishes to human exploitation, with compensatory mechanisms, and calls for more detailed studies to identify how humans disrupt trophic interactions and their potential flow on effects on energy and material fluxes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"320 ","pages":"Article 109305"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143838759","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tjitske J. Kooistra , Rob Witbaard , Tjeerd J. Bouma , Stuart G. Pearson , Allert I. Bijleveld , Tjisse van der Heide , Oscar Franken , Karline Soetaert
{"title":"Coarsening coasts: quantifying sensitivity of benthic communities to sandification","authors":"Tjitske J. Kooistra , Rob Witbaard , Tjeerd J. Bouma , Stuart G. Pearson , Allert I. Bijleveld , Tjisse van der Heide , Oscar Franken , Karline Soetaert","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109303","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109303","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sea level rise, increased storminess, and changes in sediment supply due to nourishments are all expected to drive coarsening (i.e., ‘sandification’) of muddy coastal sediments in the decades to come. Since the composition of soft-bottom benthic communities is associated with the sediment grain-size and mud content, this may result in habitats becoming less suitable for some species, leading to species shifts. <strong>Species-sediment relations</strong> can help to predict how this foreseen sandification may affect benthic fauna. We explore and quantify the sandification-sensitivity of benthic communities, with a tidal basin in the Dutch Wadden Sea as a model system. We identify the species' sediment optima and tolerance ranges using <strong>non-linear quantile regression models</strong>, summarise preference and sensitivity at the community level, and determine the difference between optimal and realised sediment habitat. We find that sediment optima are taxon-specific and that most species in this area are sediment generalists. On community level, there is a difference between the preferred and realised sediment habitat. In many areas, the actual inhabited sediment is <strong>coarser and sandier</strong> than expected based on the preferences of the resident species. Future sandification of the area would further decrease sediment habitat suitability for benthic communities in these places. This detailed knowledge of area-specific sensitivity of benthos can be used to inform coastal management decisions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"320 ","pages":"Article 109303"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143833692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lozano-Montes Hector , Neil R. Loneragan , Stephanie A. Fourie , Elizabeth A. Fulton , Daniel Yeoh
{"title":"Ecological network analysis and ecological indicators for an intensively used temperate marine embayment","authors":"Lozano-Montes Hector , Neil R. Loneragan , Stephanie A. Fourie , Elizabeth A. Fulton , Daniel Yeoh","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109285","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109285","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cockburn Sound is one of the most intensively used marine areas in Western Australia and has a history of major industrial development and nutrient pollution. This has contributed to significant losses of seagrass meadows (∼80 %) between the 1950s and early 2000s and declines in exploited fish species such as pink snapper (<em>Chrysophrys auratus</em>) and blue swimmer crab (<em>Portunus armatus</em>). However, Cockburn Sound remains highly valued by the community for its ecological, economic, and recreational attributes. In this study, we developed a quantitative ecosystem model using Ecopath with Ecosim software to identify ecological indicators for ecosystem performance and elucidate how the system functions, including: (1) biomass flow in the food web; (2) identifying keystone species; and (3) defining the ecological network. We defined 73 functional groups based on both local biological surveys from a major research program in 2021–22 and expert consultation. The model identified the ecological role of keystone groups defined as structuring species by processes associated with predation (top-down forces) with sharks, bottlenose dolphin (<em>Tursiops truncates</em>), Australian sea lion (<em>Neophoca cinerea</em>), and cormorants (<em>Phalocrocorax</em> spp.) as functionally important species in the system. The results from the mixed trophic impact (MTI) analysis indicated that commercial and recreational fisheries did not have a major impact on the biomass of fished species, but some indirect impacts were found between the squid jigging fishery and dolphins through shared food resources (squid). The ecological indicators generated in this study provide baseline information on the trophic structure, energetics, and function of the Cockburn Sound ecosystem, and can be used to inform managers on how the system may respond to stressors and disturbances e.g., infrastructure development and climate change, and be used in evaluating alternative management strategies. The Ecopath model highlighted the complexity of Cockburn Sound's ecology, showing the role of higher and lower trophic groups in this food web. This is particularly important because understanding the processes and interactions within the system can support plans for conservation and management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"320 ","pages":"Article 109285"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143858826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michał Tomczak , Jérôme Kaiser , Jinpeng Zhang , Maren Voss , Łukasz Maciąg , Zhou Yang , Jakub Miluch , Wenkai Huang , Helge W. Arz
{"title":"Global sea level and monsoon effects on terrigenous input and temperature in the north-western South China Sea during the last glacial","authors":"Michał Tomczak , Jérôme Kaiser , Jinpeng Zhang , Maren Voss , Łukasz Maciąg , Zhou Yang , Jakub Miluch , Wenkai Huang , Helge W. Arz","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109296","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109296","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>On glacial/interglacial timescales, sedimentation in shallow, near-coastal environments is mainly a function of climate, tectonics and global sea level changes, the latter two regulating changes in morphology and sedimentation space accommodation. Climatic fluctuations affect parameters of the ocean currents and primary production, as well as sediment inputs from terrestrial sources regulated by precipitation, weathering and runoff. Deciphering changes in the interplay of these different variables with time is primordial for environmental reconstruction. Here, the paleoenvironmental evolution of the north-western South China Sea (southwest of Hainan Island) has been investigated for the period 80–50 kyr BP, i.e. between Marine Stage Isotope (MIS) 5a and early MIS 3, which includes the formation of the Hainan paleo-delta. A combination of records based on bulk sediment parameters, molecular organic proxies and oxygen stable isotopes of benthic foraminifera suggests that terrigenous input was mainly controlled by changes in global sea level and summer monsoon intensity, and likely influenced primary production. Global sea level fluctuations probably triggered local changes in sea surface temperature and air temperature on the adjacent land through changes in the advection of water masses from the northern Pacific and periodic closing/opening of the Taiwan and Qiongzhou straits. Combining proxies based on both terrestrial and marine organic matter within the same sedimentary archive allows understanding the influence of both the global sea level and the East Asian Monsoon on the evolution of the sedimentary environment of the north-western South China Sea during the last glacial period.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"320 ","pages":"Article 109296"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143826355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Application of functional diversity and hierarchical modelling to evaluate the macrobenthic community dynamics from river Thakuran, Sundarbans estuarine system","authors":"Snigdha Bhaumik, Ahmed Shahir, Sumit Mandal","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109295","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109295","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the impact of season-driven environmental shifts on macrobenthic assemblages from Sundarbans estuarine system using a combination of ordination and hierarchical modelling approaches. Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities (HMSC) was applied to decipher species-environment and trait-environment relationships, assess functional traits, and species associations across pre-monsoon (PreM), monsoon (Mon), and post-monsoon (PM). Between class analysis depicted significant difference (<em>p</em> = 0.0001) in environmental parameters between seasons. A total of 119 macrobenthic species belonging to 6 phyla and 73 families were recorded during the faunistic survey. Polychaetes were observed as the most dominant taxa, comprising more than 50 % of the total species documented. Maximum macrobenthic species abundance of 21953 ind.m<sup>−2</sup> was observed during PreM that drastically reduced to 7948 ind.m<sup>−2</sup> and 7928 ind.m<sup>−2</sup> in Mon and PM respectively. Functional diversity indices displayed distinct spatio-temporal patterns, with higher values recorded in downstream stations (T7 and T8) during Mon. Furthermore, 20 functional traits in 5 categories were used to identify the prevalence of macrobenthic functional groups. Eight functional groups were identified, and mode of reproduction forming the node of divergence. Functional traits like large body size and deposit-feeder were prevalent during Mon, while suspension feeders and carnivores dominated during PreM and PM. According to HMSC results, fixed effects explained 96.7 % variance of species occurrence with percentage of clay and silt explaining most variance of 21.5 % and 12.2 % respectively. Furthermore, phosphate concentrations support species with asexual reproductive strategies and detritivorous feeding habits, at 0.80 support value. These findings highlight the importance of trait-based ecological modelling for understanding estuarine macrobenthic assemblages in response to seasonal dynamics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"319 ","pages":"Article 109295"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143799137","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicholas A. Heredia, Natalija Suhareva, Rita Poikāne, Juris Aigars, Matīss Žagars
{"title":"Ecological adaptability: Size-dependent foraging of European perch at the coastal-freshwater interface of the Baltic Sea","authors":"Nicholas A. Heredia, Natalija Suhareva, Rita Poikāne, Juris Aigars, Matīss Žagars","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109294","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109294","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Elucidating the feeding ecology of predatory fish in coastal-freshwater ecosystems is crucial for effective conservation and management, especially considering ever-changing predator-prey relationships. This study explores the dietary patterns and trophic interactions of European perch (<em>Perca fluviatilis</em>, hereafter “perch”) in the coastal-freshwater environments of the Baltic Sea. We combined stomach content and stable isotope analyses to examine the foraging strategies and habitat use of perch populations inhabiting the interface between coastal marine and inland freshwater lagoon-like environments, characteristic of the southeastern Baltic Sea. Our findings indicate that perch in these ecosystems exhibit significant dietary variability and occupy distinct trophic positions, influenced by the differing ecological characteristics of lake and sea habitats. The freshwater environment exhibits more consistent feeding patterns for perch, while the marine environment appears to offer a more dynamic food supply influenced by the migratory patterns of marine prey. This research highlights the ecological importance of habitat diversity in supporting perch populations and the need for targeted conservation strategies to preserve these vital ecosystems. Further studies are recommended to enhance our understanding of the long-term ecological dynamics and the impact of environmental changes on perch foraging behavior and habitat use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"319 ","pages":"Article 109294"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143807905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Distribution of surfactants in the sea surface microlayer across a tropical estuarine system in Caribbean Colombia","authors":"Karen Moreno-Polo , Diomer Tobón-Monsalve , Lennin Florez-Leiva , Carola Lehners , Oliver Wurl , Wilberto Pacheco , Mariana Ribas-Ribas","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109291","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109291","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The sea surface microlayer is the ocean–atmosphere interface (≤1000 μm thick), is ubiquitous on the ocean surface, and is characterized by the accumulation of surfactants that influence the exchange of climate-relevant gases, such as CO<sub>2</sub>. This study on the sea surface microlayer in the Gulf of Urabá, Caribbean Sea, intended to determine the influence of fluvial input on the surfactant concentration distribution and the enrichment factor in a tropical estuarine system. For this purpose, samples were collected in the fluvial and marine zones of the Gulf of Urabá. A glass plate was used to sample the sea surface microlayer. No differences were found in the concentration of surfactants and their enrichment factor between zones. The sea surface microlayer was enriched in surfactants, whose concentration was significantly higher in the sea surface microlayer than in the underlying water. All stations had surfactant concentrations higher than 200 μg Teq L<sup>−1</sup>, a value above which reductions of up to 23 % in the rate of ocean–atmosphere CO<sub>2</sub> transfer was found. About 55 % of the concentrations corresponded to the high regime of surfactants and 28 % to slick zones, and together with the enrichment factor, these were higher than those of other studies conducted in coastal and oceanic areas. Our results offer valuable insights into the ocean–atmosphere interface in tropical biogeochemical cycles and provide new information about the sea surface microlayer in tropical regions where such data are scarce.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"320 ","pages":"Article 109291"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143815214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}