Ecosystem engineers enhance the multifunctionality of an urban novel ecosystem: Population persistence and ecosystem resilience since the 1980s.

Autor: Firth LB; School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, United Kingdom; Zoology Department, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland; School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom; Current address: School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. Electronic address: louise.firth@ucc.ie., Forbes A; School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, United Kingdom., Knights AM; School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, United Kingdom; Current address: School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland., O'Shaughnessy KA; APEM Ltd, Stockport, United Kingdom; Current address: Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island, AL, United States of America., Mahmood-Brown W; School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, United Kingdom., Struthers L; School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, L69 3BX, United Kingdom., Hawcutt E; School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, United Kingdom., Bohn K; School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom; Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom; Current address: Natural England, Nottingham, NG2 4LA, United Kingdom., Sayer MDJ; NERC National Facility for Scientific Diving, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratories, Oban PA37 1QA, United Kingdom; Current: Tritonia Scientific Ltd., Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratories, Oban PA37 1QA, United Kingdom., Quinn J; School of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, United Kingdom., Allen J; Department of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, University of Liverpool, L69 3BX, United Kingdom., Dürr S; School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L3 3AF, United Kingdom., Guerra MT; Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technologies (DiSTeBA), Lecce, Italy., Leeper A; School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom; Department of International Affairs, Iceland Ocean Cluster, Reykjavik 101, Iceland., Mieszkowska N; School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, L69 3BX, United Kingdom; The Marine Biological Association of the UK, Plymouth, PL1 2PB, United Kingdom., Reid G; Botany, World Museum, National Museums, Liverpool, L3 8EN, United Kingdom., Wilkinson S; Department of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, University of Liverpool, L69 3BX, United Kingdom; Port Erin Marine Laboratory, University of Liverpool, Port Erin, Isle of Man, IH49 6JA; Current address: Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough, PE1 1JY, United Kingdom., Williams AE; APEM Ltd, Stockport, United Kingdom., Hawkins SJ; School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, United Kingdom; School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom; Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom; Department of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, University of Liverpool, L69 3BX, United Kingdom; The Marine Biological Association of the UK, Plymouth, PL1 2PB, United Kingdom; Port Erin Marine Laboratory, University of Liverpool, Port Erin, Isle of Man, IH49 6JA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2024 Nov 20; Vol. 952, pp. 175675. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Sep 02.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175675
Abstrakt: In degraded urban habitats, nature-based solutions aim to enhance ecosystem functioning and service provision. Bivalves are increasingly reintroduced to urban environments to enhance water quality through biofiltration, yet their long-term sustainability remains uncertain. Following the restoration of the disused South Docks in Liverpool in the 1980s, natural colonization of mussels rapidly improved dock-basin water quality and supported diverse taxa, including other filter feeders. While the initial colonization phase has been well documented, there has been limited published research since the mid-1990s, despite ongoing routine water quality monitoring. Here, we assessed the long-term persistence of mussel populations, their associated biodiversity, and physico-chemical parameters of the water in Queens and Albert Docks by comparing historical (1980s to 1990s) and contemporary data from follow-up surveys (2012,2022). Following an initial period of poor water quality (high contamination and turbidity, low oxygen), the natural colonization of mussels from Albert Dock in 1988 extended throughout the South Docks. By the mid-1990s, the environment of the South Docks and its mussel populations had stabilized. The dock walls were dominated by mussels which provided important complex secondary substrate for invertebrates and macroalgae. Surveys conducted in 2012 and 2022 confirmed the continued dominance of mussels and estimates of mussel biofiltration rates confirm that mussels are continuing to contribute to maintaining water quality. A decline in salinity was observed in both docks in 2022, with evidence of recovery. While these ecosystems appear relatively stable, careful management of the hydrological regime is crucial to ensuring the persistence of mussels and resilient ecosystem service provision through biofiltration.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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