Medium- and Long-term Recovery of Estuarine and Coastal Ecosystems: Patterns,Rates and Restoration Effectiveness

Many estuarine and coastal marine ecosystems have increasingly experienced degradation caused by multiple stressors. Anthropogenic pressures alter natural ecosystems and the ecosystems are not considered to have recovered unless secondary succession has returned the ecosystem to the pre-existing condition or state. However, depending upon the scales of time, space and intensity of anthropogenic disturbance, return along the historic trajectory of the ecosystem may: (1) follow natural restoration though secondary succession; (2) be re-directed through ecological restoration, or (3) be unattainable. In order to address the gaps in knowledge about restoration and recovery of estuarine and coastal ecosystems, this special feature includes the present overview and other contributions to provide a synthesis of our knowledge about recovery patterns, rates and restoration effectiveness. From the 51 examples collated in this contribution, we refine the recovery from the list of stressors into six recovery mechanisms: (1) recovery from sediment modification, which includes all aspects of dredging and disposal; (2) recovery by complete removal of stressors limiting natural ecosystem processes, which includes tidal marsh and inundation restoration; (3) recovery by speed of organic degradation, which includes oil discharge, fish farm wastes, sewage disposal, and paper mill waste; (4) recovery from persistent pollutants, which includes chemical discharges, such as TBT; (5) recovery from excessive biological removal, related to fisheries and (6) recovery from hydrological and morphological modification. Drawing upon experience both from these many examples and from an example of one comprehensive study, we show that although in some cases recovery can take <5 years, especially for the short-lived and high-turnover biological components, full recovery of coastal marine and estuarine ecosystems from over a century of degradation can take a minimum of 15–25 years for attainment of the original biotic composition and diversity may lag far beyond that period.     

Mushroom production as an alternative for rural development in a forested mountainous area

Wild mushrooms are recognized as important non-wood forest products in mountainous ecosystems, but their real potential for generating rural economies has not been fully evaluated due to the difficulties in obtaining reliable productivity data, minimizing their true potential as contributor to rural economies. Mushroom yield models based on large data series from Pinus forest ecosystems in the region of Catalonia(Spain), combined with data from the Spanish National Forest Inventory allow us to estimate the potential mushroom productivity by forest ecosystems. The results of 24,500 tons/yr of mushrooms of which 16,300 tons are classified as edible and 7,900 tons are commonly marketed demonstrate the importance of mushroom productions in Catalonian pine forests, mostly located in mountainous areas where the development of agricultural activities is limited. Economic mushroom value is estimated at 48 million € for the edible mushroom and 32 million € for those corresponding to marketable yields, confirming the potential of this non-wood forest product. These production results and corresponding economic values provide a basis for the incorporation of wild mushrooms as significant non-wood forest products in the development of forest policies in mountainous areas.     

Pliocene and late Pleistocene (MIS 5e) decapod crustaceans from Santa Maria Island (Azores Archipelago: Central Atlantic): systematics,palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography

The presence of decapod crustaceans in the Pliocene and Pleistocene (MIS 5e) fossil record of Santa Maria Island (Azores Archipelago) is herein reviewed. Our study raises the number of fossil decapods from this island from one species to 10 taxa (three for the Pliocene and seven for the Last Interglacial). Four of these 10 taxa are reported for the first time in the fossil record, worldwide. A new species of a mud shrimp is also described (Upogebia azorensis n. sp.). Our study suggests that the Plio–Pleistocene decapod assemblages of the Azores did not differ significantly from modern ones, being dominated by species that are today widespread across the Webbnesia ecoregion, the Mediterranean Sea, and the eastern Atlantic shores, including the Azores. As far as can be judged from the limited fossil record, apparently no tropical crab species with a Cabo Verdean/Senegalese provenance reached the Azores during windows of opportunity associated with Glacial Termination 2 or with the initial setting of the Last Interglacial period. This contribution increases the total number of marine taxa reported for the Pliocene and Pleistocene outcrops of Santa Maria Island to 218 and 155, respectively, highlighting the scientific relevance of its palaeontological heritage.     

The fissure swarm of the Askja volcanic system along the divergent plate boundary of N Iceland

Divergent plate boundaries, such as the one crossing Iceland, are characterized by a high density of subparallel volcanic fissures and tectonic fractures, collectively termed rift zones, or fissure swarms when extending from a specific volcano. Volcanic fissures and tectonic fractures in the fissure swarms are formed during rifting events, when magma intrudes fractures to form dikes and even feeds fissure eruptions. We mapped volcanic fissures and tectonic fractures in a part of the divergent plate boundary in northern Iceland. The study area is ~1,800 km², located within and north of the Askja central volcano. The style of fractures changes with distance from Askja. Close to Askja the swarm is dominated by eruptive fissures. The proportion of tectonic fractures gets larger with distance from Askja. This may indicate that magma pressure is generally higher in dikes close to Askja than farther away from it. Volcanic fissures and tectonic fractures are either oriented away from or concentric with the 3–4 identified calderas in Askja. The average azimuth of fissures and fractures in the area deviates significantly from the azimuth perpendicular to the direction of plate velocity. As this deviation decreases gradually northward, we suggest that the effect of the triple junction of the North American, Eurasian and the Hreppar microplate is a likely cause for this deviation. Shallow, tectonic earthquakes in the vicinity of Askja are often located in a relatively unfractured area between the fissure swarms of Askja and Kverkfjöll. These earthquakes are associated with strike-slip faulting according to fault plane solutions. We suggest that the latest magma intrusions into either the Askja or the Kverkfjöll fissure swarms rotated the maximum stress axis from being vertical to horizontal, causing the formation of strike-slip faults instead of the dilatational fractures related to the fissure swarms. The activity in different parts of the Askja fissure swarm is uneven in time and switches between subswarms, as shown by a fissure swarm that is exposed in an early Holocene lava NW of Herðubreið but disappears under a younger (3500–4500 BP) lava flow. We suggest that the location of inflation centres in Askja central volcano controls into which part of the Askja fissure swarm a dike propagates. The size and amount of fractures in the Kollóttadyngja lava shield decrease with increasing elevation. We suggest that this occurred as the depth to the propagating dike(s) was greater under central Kollóttadyngja than under its flanks, due to topography.     

Relationships Between Petrophysical and Mechanical Properties of Certain Calcarenites Used in Building

Mendicino calcarenite was once widely used in traditional constructions by Italy’s foremost stonemasons’ schools. This paper provides a complete physico-mechanical characterization in order to improve understanding of strength and durability properties and so apply that knowledge to conservation and new construction. Stone samples from three lithofacies are taken from the following quarries of Cosenza province: Scannelle in Malito; Cannataro in Carolei; Albanese in San Lucido. Samples are subjected to: X-ray diffraction, mercury intrusion porosimetry, ultrasonic pulse velocity, capillary water absorption, uniaxial compressive, flexural, point load tests with respect to the X, Y, Z axes. Malito samples exhibit creamy colour, better hydric behaviour, low open porosity, reduced water absorption capability, isotropic hydric behaviour, higher fossil abundance (both in number and size) than the lithofacies taken from Carolei and San Lucido, which exhibit whitish colour, greater strength and more homogeneous texture. The greater compactness of Carolei and San Lucido samples can be ascribed to homogeneity and low porosity and their better mechanical properties to textural features. Anisotropy plays an important role. Placing stone samples along the Z axis prevents water intrusion, and improves mechanical strength. Isotropy and compact and heterogeneous fabric in stones result in higher strength and lower water absorption.

     

Middle Stone Age starch acquisition in the Niassa Rift, Mozambique

The quest for direct lines of evidence for Paleolithic plant consumption during the African Middle Stone Age has led scientists to study residues and use-wear on flaked stone tools. Past work has established lithic function through multiple lines of evidence and the spatial breakdown of use-wear and microscopic traces on tool surfaces. This paper focuses on the quantitative analysis of starch assemblages and the botanical identification of grains from flake and core tools to learn about human ecology of carbohydrate use around the Niassa woodlands, in the Mozambican Rift. The processing of starchy plant parts is deduced from the occurrence of starch assemblages that presumably got attached to stone tool surfaces by actions associated with extractive or culinary activities. Specifically, we investigate starch grains from stone tools recently excavated in northern Mozambique at the site of Mikuyu; which presumably spans the middle to late Pleistocene and represents similar sites found along the Malawi/Niassa corridor that links East, Southern, and Central Africa. Starch was extracted and processed with a diverse tool kit consisting of scrapers, cores, points, flakes, and other kinds of tools. The microbotanical data suggests consumption of seeds, legumes, caryopses, piths, underground storage organs, nuts, and mesocarps from more than a dozen families. Our data suggest a great antiquity for starch use in Africa as well as an expanded diet and intensification.     

On The Origin of The High-Perihelion Scattered Disk: The Role of The Kozai Mechanism And Mean Motion Resonances

We study the transfer process from the scattered disk (SD) to the high-perihelion scattered disk (HPSD) (defined as the population with perihelion distances q > 40 AU and semimajor axes a>50 AU) by means of two different models. One model (Model 1) assumes that SD objects (SDOs) were formed closer to the Sun and driven outwards by resonant coupling with the accreting Neptune during the stage of outward migration (Gomes 2003b, Earth, Moon, Planets 92, 29–42.). The other model (Model 2) considers the observed population of SDOs plus clones that try to compensate for observational discovery bias (Fernández et al. 2004, Icarus , in press). We find that the Kozai mechanism (coupling between the argument of perihelion, eccentricity, and inclination), associated with a mean motion resonance (MMR), is the main responsible for raising both the perihelion distance and the inclination of SDOs. The highest perihelion distance for a body of our samples was found to be q = 69.2 AU. This shows that bodies can be temporarily detached from the planetary region by dynamical interactions with the planets. This phenomenon is temporary since the same coupling of Kozai with a MMR will at some point bring the bodies back to states of lower-q values. However, the dynamical time scale in high-q states may be very long, up to several Gyr. For Model 1, about 10% of the bodies driven away by Neptune get trapped into the HPSD when the resonant coupling Kozai-MMR is disrupted by Neptune’s migration. Therefore, Model 1 also supplies a fossil HPSD, whose bodies remain in non-resonant orbits and thus stable for the age of the solar system, in addition to the HPSD formed by temporary captures of SDOs after the giant planets reached their current orbits. We find that about 12 – 15% of the surviving bodies of our samples are incorporated into the HPSD after about 4 – 5 Gyr, and that a large fraction of the captures occur for up to the 1:8 MMR (a ⋍ 120 AU), although we record captures up to the 1:24 MMR (a ≃ 260 AU). Because of the Kozai mechanism, HPSD objects have on average inclinations about 25°–50°, which are higher than those of the classical Edgeworth–Kuiper (EK) belt or the SD. Our results suggest that Sedna belongs to a dynamically distinct population from the HPSD, possibly being a member of the inner core of the Oort cloud. As regards to 2000 CR₁₀₅ , it is marginally within the region occupied by HPSD objects in the parametric planes (q,a) and (a,i), so it is not ruled out that it might be a member of the HPSD, though it might as well belong to the inner core.