Ecosystem management bioindicators: the ECOMAN project--a multi-biomarker approach to ecosystem management

The ECOMAN project was initiated from an awareness of the complexity of the functioning of coastal marine systems and the clear need for more pragmatic environmental assessment techniques linking environmental degradation with its causes. The aim of the project is to develop a suite of easy to use, cost effective and environmentally valid biological responses (biomarkers) to assess the general health of coastal systems, including estuaries. To achieve this aim, various sublethal endpoints are being measured and evaluated from a range of common coastal organisms showing different feeding types (filter feeding, grazing and predation) and habitat requirements (estuary and rocky shore) and at different levels of biological response (cellular, physiological and behavioural). This holistic integrated approach is essential to identify the full impact of chemical contamination on organisms, and enables the sensitivity of organisms to be ranked and key sentinel species for specific habitats to be identified.     

Detoxification mechanisms in shrimp: comparative approach between hydrothermal vent fields and estuarine environments

Hydrothermal vents are extreme deep-sea habitats that, due to their singular features, still intrigue scientific communities. Swift growth rates and profuse biomass of biological communities can be observed, despite of their inherently unstable physical-chemical and toxic conditions, indicating that organisms inhabiting this environment must be well adapted to these inhospitable conditions. The caridean shrimp, Chorocaris chacei, Mirocaris fortunata and Rimicaris exoculata, together with bathymodiolid mussels, dominate the vent fauna along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). Crustacean species are widely used as biological indicators of environmental alterations, since they play a key ecological role as planktivorous grazers, epibenthic scavengers or as prey species. The biological consequences of the hydrothermal metal-rich environment in shrimp species are still largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was the determination of the metal levels (Ag, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn), metallothioneins (MT) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) in shrimp species collected in Rainbow, Lucky Strike and Menez-Gwen vent sites, in order to evaluate their different adaptation strategies toward metals when compared with two common coastal shrimp species (Palaemon elegans and Palaemonetes varians) from a fairly unpolluted estuarine system in south Portugal (Ria Formosa). Results show significant differences in metal concentrations, MT levels and lipid peroxidation between vent and coastal shrimp and also between shrimp species from the same site. This indicates that biochemical responses in both vent and coastal shrimp are affected not only by the environmental characteristics but also by inter-specific differences. Nevertheless, these responses apparently grant a successful adaptation for the survival in a metal-extreme environment.     

Biological structures as a source of habitat heterogeneity and biodiversity on the deep ocean margins

Biological structures exert a major influence on species diversity at both local and regional scales on deep continental margins. Some organisms use other species as substrates for attachment, shelter, feeding or parasitism, but there may also be mutual benefits from the association. Here, we highlight the structural attributes and biotic effects of the habitats that corals, sea pens, sponges and xenophyophores offer other organisms. The environmental setting of the biological structures influences their species composition. The importance of benthic species as substrates seems to increase with depth as the complexity of the surrounding geological substrate and food supply decline. There are marked differences in the degree of mutualistic relationships between habitat-forming taxa. This is especially evident for scleractinian corals, which have high numbers of facultative associates (commensals) and few obligate associates (mutualists), and gorgonians, with their few commensals and many obligate associates. Size, flexibility and architectural complexity of the habitat-forming organism are positively related to species diversity for both sessile and mobile species. This is mainly evident for commensal species sharing a facultative relationship with their host. Habitat complexity is enhanced by the architecture of biological structures, as well as by biological interactions. Colony morphology has a great influence on feeding efficiency for suspension feeders. Suspension feeding, habitat-forming organisms modify the environment to optimize their food uptake. This environmental advantage is also passed on to associated filter-feeding species. These effects are poorly understood but represent key points for understanding ecosystems and biodiversity on continental margins. In this paper we explore the contributions of organisms and the biotic structures they create (rather than physical modifications) to habitat heterogeneity and diversity on the deep continental margins.     

User-friendly guide for using benthic ecological indicators in coastal and marine quality assessment

Experience demonstrates that none of the available measures on biological effects of pollution should be considered ideal. The use of a single approach does not seem appropriate due to the complexity inherent in assessing the environmental quality of a system. Rather, this should be evaluated by combining a suite of indices providing complementary information.Having this in mind, a key table is proposed in this work with the aim of helping managers and authorities of coastal areas in selecting the most suitable ecological indicators taking into account the type of disturbance and the data available. Such key includes numerous indices based on benthic invertebrate fauna information, because in the case of coastal and transitional waters ecosystems there is a clear preference for benthic communities, which integrate environmental conditions and changes in an a very effective way if we want to monitor long-term responses and site-specific impacts.The development of this key was based not only on theoretical approaches, but also on results from its application using data bases corresponding to different geographical areas (the Mondego estuary, in the North-Western Coast of Portugal, and Mar Menor coastal lagoon, Escombreras basin, and Cabo Tiñoso in the South-Eastern coast of Spain).Some recommendations are provided with regard to the most adequate application of the indices, as for example, in what situations it is not advisable the use of some of them, depending on the type of disturbance or the level of taxonomic identification of the organisms.     

A coastal management program for channels located in backbarrier systems

Management of the interactions between social/economic interests and the coastal environment requires practical, interdisciplinary assessment techniques. Backbarrier systems are critical natural resources that provide both economic and social benefits. Activities such as aquaculture, fishing, shipping and port activities, sediment mining, salt extraction, and tourism all take place in these ecosystems but are often not compatible with each other. Therefore, a program to manage such a system must congregate many different types of activities and stakeholders with potentially conflicting interests. In this paper, we develop a proposed coastal management program (CMP), based on the driving-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework and the integrated coastal management (ICM) cycle, for the management of channels located in backbarrier systems subject to dredging operations. The conceptual model involves the application of regional sediment management (RSM) actions and is applied to a case study, Faro Channel, located in the Ria Formosa backbarrier system in Algarve, Portugal. The CMP provides results on the interactivity between scientists, stakeholders, and decision-makers, by defining and clarifying the economic and environmental aspects of decision-making processes through the utilisation and measurement of local coastal indicators. The proposed CMP proved to be a useful tool in the definition of coastal management initiatives for channels inside backbarrier systems, since it identified management problems and allowed management solutions to be formulated. The CMP could be used within a broader ICM program but would also be effective when used on its own.     

天津近岸海域大型底栖动物摄食功能群特征及其与环境因子的关系

摄食功能群是指生态系统中食性相同的生物群落,研究摄食功能群有助于科学评估区域生态健康状况.基于2015年9月、2016年5月和2016年9月的天津近岸海域大型底栖动物调查数据,结合同步获取的环境因子,分析研究区大型底栖动物摄食功能群组成及其变化特征,探究大型底栖动物摄食功能群组成及变化的原因.结果表明,3个航次的大型底...     

Eco-environmental impact assessment of pre-leisure beach nourishment on the benthic invertebrate community at Anping coast

In recent years,owing to global warming and the rising sea levels,beach nourishment and groin building have been increasingly employed to protect coastal land from shoreline erosion.These actions may degrade beach habitats and reduce biomass and invertebrate density at sites where they were employed.We conducted an eco-environmental evaluation at the Anping artificial beach-nourishment project area.At this site,sand piles within a semi-enclosed spur groin have been enforced by use of eco-engineering concepts since 2003.Four sampling sites were monitored during the study period from July 2002 to September 2008.The environmental impact assessment and biological investigations that we conducted are presented here.The results from this study indicate that both biotic(number of species,number of individual organisms,and Shannon-Wiener diversity) and abiotic parameters(suspended solids,biological oxygen demand,chemical oxygen demand,dissolved inorganic nitrogen,dissolved inorganic phosphorus,total phosphorus,total organic carbon,median diameter,and water content) showed significant differences before and after beach engineering construction.Biological conditions became worse in the beginning stages of the engineering but improved after the restoration work completion.This study reveals that the composition of benthic invertebrates changed over the study period,and two groups of organisms,Bivalvia and Gastropoda,seemed to be particularly suitable to this habitat after the semi-enclosed artificial structures completion.     

Coastal data and information management for integrated coastal management: The role of IODE

Coastal zones are characterized by large concentrations of population, unique and vital ecosystems, and many industrial and other economic activities on land and at sea. The many and diverse activities result in different types of conflicts of use and access to resources in coastal areas. This calls for integrated management of coastal zones. However, successful integrated coastal management must be supported by reliable data and information that will lead to informed decision-making and planning. The International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) network which is a project of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO is playing a key role in capacity building for ocean and coastal data and information management in Africa. Currently, about 25 data and information centers have been established in coastal African countries through these efforts. These data and information centers should support effective management of coastal zones.     

Coastal inshore waters in the NW Mediterranean: Physicochemical and biological characterization and management implications

The physicochemical and biological characteristics of coastal waters form a gradient extending from land to ocean. In the Mediterranean this gradient is particularly large, due to the sea’s weak tides. Within coastal waters, those waters in contact with land are called coastal inshore waters (CIW), defined herein as between 0 and 200 m from the shoreline. Here we present the first physicochemical and biological characterization of CIW of the NW Mediterranean Sea. This case study is based on 19 years of data collected from coastal inshore (CIW; 0–200 m), nearshore (CNW; 200–1500 m), and offshore (COW; >1500 m) waters of the Catalan coast. Analyses of these data showed that the physicochemical and biological characteristics of CIW differ significantly from those of CNW and COW due to: (1) significantly higher concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients (nitrate = 11.07 μM, nitrite = 0.52 μM, ammonium = 6.43 μM, phosphate = 0.92 μM, silicates = 5.99 μM) and chlorophyll-a (=2.42 μg/L) in CIW than in either CNW or COW (in some cases up to one order of magnitude); (2) a greater variability of dissolved inorganic nutrients and chlorophyll-a in CIW than in CNW and COW, and (3) the presence of a mostly urban population and the effects of river inflows as a primary source of CIW variability but with minimal impact on CNW or COW. In addition, the risk of eutrophication was found to be highest in CIW, placing human and environmental interests at greater risk than in the outermost coastal waters. The results highlight the importance of considering the distinctive physicochemical and biological properties of CIW in future coastal waters studies. This is of major importance in assessments of eutrophication and coastal water quality, not only to identify the pressure–impact relationships but also to allow the timely detection of local environmental problems and thus avoid endangering the unique communities of CIW and ensuring the sustainability of human activities. In conclusion, CIW characterization is essential to integrate coastal zone management.     

The diversity of harmful algal blooms: a challenge for science and management

A broad spectrum of events come under the category of harmful algal blooms (HABs), the common denominator being a negative impact on human activities. Harmful algal blooms involve a wide diversity of organisms, bloom dynamics, and mechanisms of impact. Here we review the effects of natural and man-induced environmental fluctuations on the frequency and apparent spreading of these phenomena. This article highlights the need for interdisciplinary research aimed at shedding light on basic mechanisms governing the occurrence and succession of microalgae in coastal seas. Information integrated from various discipline coupled with improved, sustained monitoring systems, will help predict and manage problems caused by HABs over a wide range of space and time scales.     

Frameworks and indicators for assessing progress in integrated coastal management initiatives

The fundamental purpose of all integrated coastal management (ICM) initiatives is to maintain, restore or improve specified qualities of coastal ecosystems and their associated human societies. A defining feature of ICM is that it addresses needs for both development and conservation in geographically specific places—be they a single community, an estuary or the coast of an entire nation. The times required to achieve these fundamental goals at significant spatial scales far exceed those of the usual 4–6-year project, the dominant ICM modality in developing nations. This paper offers two simple, but elastic frameworks for assessing progress over the extended time periods involved. The first is the four Orders of Outcomes that group together the sequences of institutional, behavioral and social/environmental changes that can lead to more sustainable forms of coastal development. The second framework is a version of the more familiar ICM policy cycle. These conceptually simple frameworks are making it possible to unbundle and organize into consistent formats the usually implicit assumptions that underpin project and program designs and then group activities and outcomes along a critical path that leads—or is presumed to lead—to the desired outcomes. Each step in the ICM policy cycle and each Order of Outcomes suggest the indicators by which progress and learning can be assessed. The application of these frameworks to a diversity of ICM initiatives is proving useful in assessing progress across portfolios of ICM initiatives, extracting good practices and teasing out how different governance contexts effect the forces that shape the evolution of ICM initiatives.     

MEPBAY and SMC: Software tools to support different operational levels of headland-bay beach in coastal engineering projects

This paper presents MEPBAY and SMC software tools that allow comprehending and solving problems in headland-bay beach through a parabolic model. These tools can be employed as coastal engineering design tools (including nourishment designs) and also for academic purposes. They are oriented to different end-users, including coastal technicians, scientists and undergraduates and as coastal engineering design tools, they can be applied to different operational levels (pre-design and design). The aim of the paper is to present design guidelines, the capabilities of the tools, their potential use and applications. Both tools were applied to analyze San Lorenzo Beach and demonstrate their ability at different project levels.     

The potential role of Sustainability Science in coastal zone management

Sustainability Science invokes a co-produced approach to research between researchers and managers, involving a shared participatory, policy-centred process. The COREPOINT project which was developed with the principles of Sustainability Science in mind, provides evidence of the effectiveness and challenges involved in the knowledge transfer process between research centres and local government officials involved in coastal research and management. The Expert Couplet Nodes (ECN) embedded within the project aimed to ensure that a paradigm shift in attitude and behaviour towards traditional science and management practices took place. A comparison of the ECN process in two study sites in Ireland provided an opportunity to review the process and outcomes of the collaborative enquiry arrangements by referring to a suite of Sustainability Science principles developed during the project. In doing so, this paper demonstrates how the ECN approach built capacity for improved coastal management and how Sustainability Science has a key role to play in Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). However, weaknesses in the ECN approach also showed that greater innovation from the ICZM community of researchers, policy makers and practitioners is of critical importance to the roll out of Sustainability Science as a societal solution in the transition towards sustainability. This requires capacity building to deal with the complexity of coastal socio-ecological systems.     

Coastal and marine ecosystem services valuation for policy and management: Managed realignment case studies in England

The recognition of the economic value of nature and the services it provides to humanity has become increasingly essential in the context of coastal zone management. In this paper we review the progress to date on both the necessary conceptual framework and empirical valuation studies required to bolster decision support systems (DSS) targeted at integrated coastal zone management goals. We highlight the importance of using an ecosystem services approach and recommend some basic sequential, although overlapping, analytical steps for appropriate environmental valuation and policy assessment: spatial explicitness; marginal changes; double counting; non-linearities; and threshold effects. We illustrate the practical use of the DSS by reviewing an existing UK case study on managed coastal realignment along the Eastern coast of England, and a new UK case study on managed realignment implemented in a southern area on the same coast. Comparing the two studies, the importance of spatial explicitness and the need for a sequential decision support system when dealing with ecosystem services valuation and project policy appraisal become particularly evident.     

生物海洋学的研究状况

本文阐述了生物海洋学的内容及其研究状况。根据我国沿海特点,建议我国今后对生物海洋学研究的重点是:1.对不同水域初级生产力的研究。2.对沿海小型底栖生物在海洋生态系统能流和物质循环中的作用研究。3.河口,有代表性海域可溶性有机物(DOM)、颗粒有机物(POM)的来源、数量分布、化学组成,以及在海洋食物链的作用和鱼虾产卵场变动关系的研究。4.沿海养殖环境生原要素循环、环境容量及病害发生的环境研究。5.海洋生物对重要有机污染物和海藻毒素的吸收、富集、代谢、在食物链传递,以及生态影响和生态监测研究。6.沿海植物性碎屑向近海输运,及其在食物链中的作用研究。7.浮游生物的群集、支配群集因素,以及和渔业关系的研究。8.选择代表性海域开展物质通量的研究。     

A critical review of the CoastView project: Recent and future developments in coastal management video systems

This contribution provides a critical review of the CoastView project; a research program designed to develop and quantify video-derived Coastal State Indicators (CSIs) which simplify various aspects of coastal zone management including, coastal protection, navigation and recreation. This paper aims to provide a guide to future applied research projects of this kind. The research program implemented a ‘frame of reference’ methodology in order to effectively match research outcomes to the needs of end users and to facilitate communication within a consortium comprising both scientists and end users of the technology. Data derived from coastal video systems played a crucial role in defining CSIs which form a central component of the ‘frame of reference’ process. In general coastal video systems were demonstrated to be a very effective coastal management tool in all of the areas under investigation, uniquely providing data with excellent spatial and temporal resolution and coverage. Additionally, the ‘frame of reference’ ensured the appropriate match of science to the needs of the end user. However, even given these significant advances, the transfer of useful methodologies to applied tools is not guaranteed. The importance of providing simple, robust tools for delivering CSIs simply and efficiently to the coastal manager at the appropriate time-scale was recognised; ideally this should be completed within the timeframe of the research program. The acceptance of new methodologies is greatly enhanced by demonstrating them alongside more established techniques and other data sources, clearly showing the advantages, reliability and accuracy of the new approach.     

Environmental management of clastic coastal depositional environments: inferences from an Australian geomorphic database

Simple, conceptual geomorphic models can assist environmental managers in making informed decisions regarding management of the coast at continental and regional scales. This basic information, detected from aerial photographs and/or satellite images, can be used to ascertain the relative significance of several common environmental issues, including: sediment trapping efficiency, turbidity, water circulation, and habitat change due to sedimentation for different types of clastic coastal depositional environments. The classification of 780 Australian clastic coastal depositional environments based on their geomorphology is used to derive a coastal regionalisation, comprised of a distinctive suite of environments for each region. Because of the close link between the relative influence of waves and tides and the geomorphology of clastic coastal depositional environments, a basic understanding of the broad geomorphic and sedimentary characteristics by environmental managers will assist them in ascertaining the relative significance of environmental issues in each region. The benefit of this approach is that it provides guidance in tailoring management schemes differently for each region, resulting in more effective and efficient treatment of these issues.     

Biological indicators in the Caribbean coastal zone and their role in integrated coastal management

Caribbean coastal ecosystems are increasingly being threatened by natural and anthropogenic factors. The scale of these factors is at local, national, regional and global levels. Threats include the effects of fisheries and extraction, eutrophication, siltation, and pollution as well as global climate events such as El Niño and global climate change. Integrated coastal management (ICM) should clearly demonstrate the adverse effects of environmental impacts, thus justifying the need for mitigation and should evaluate the success of management efforts. ICM requires robust indicators that gauge the ‘health’ of the coast in relation to environmental, social and economic activities. Biological indicators (bioindicators) offer a signal of the biological condition in an ecosystem. Using bioindicators as an early warning of pollution or degradation in an ecosystem can help sustain critical resources. Biological indicators in the Caribbean are focused around particular ecosystems, especially coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove forests and include a range of biological parameters relating to particular species, groups of species and biological processes. The use of these indicators is critically reviewed and the presence or absence of a relevant framework for their use in Caribbean ICM programs is discussed.     

THESEUS decision support system for coastal risk management

While planning coastal risk management strategies, coastal managers need to assess risk across a range of spatial and temporal scales. GIS-based tools are one efficient way to support them in the decision making process through a scenarios analysis starting from social, economic and environmental information integrated into a common platform. However, this integration process requires a significant effort from a team of scientists in terms of a) identifying the appropriate scales and data resolution for analysing social, environmental and economic issues; b) selecting and linking an appropriate set of tools to build a coupled model; c) representing key emerging (and hence challenging) research issues, such as risk perception and social resilience in the model; d) developing multi-criteria analysis to integrate social, environmental, economic impacts; and e) accounting for the expectations of the stakeholders and therefore optimizing the opportunity for them to interact with the tool development and with the final tool itself.In this spirit, this paper presents an open-source Spatial Decision Support System developed within the THESEUS Project to help decision makers to scopeg optimal strategies to minimise coastal risks. The exploratory tool allows the users to perform an integrated coastal risk assessment, to analyse the effects of different combinations of engineering, social, economic and ecologically based mitigation options, across short (2020s), medium (2050s) and long-term (2080s) scenarios, taking into account physical and non-physical drivers, such as climate change, subsidence, population and economic growth.     

Socio-economic indicators and integrated coastal management

The need to better understand the linkages and interdependencies of socio-economic and coastal environmental dynamics has taken on a more deliberate role in the development and assessment of Integrated Coastal Management world-wide. The analysis and establishment of indicator-driven programs to assess change in coastal and watershed systems have increasingly moved to stress socio-economic forcings and impacts. This article serves to review the need for and provide an assessment of important frameworks designed to foster such integration. It argues that the evolution of the Driver–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) framework, now in broad use, provides an essential contribution.