Functional and structural responses to marine urbanisation
Urban areas have broad ecological footprints with complex impacts on natural systems. In coastal areas, growing populations are advancing their urban footprint into the ocean through the construction of seawalls and other built infrastructure. While we have some understanding of how urbanisation mig...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2018-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa98a5 |
| _version_ | 1797748149720186880 |
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| author | M Mayer-Pinto V J Cole E L Johnston A Bugnot H Hurst L Airoldi T M Glasby K A Dafforn |
| author_facet | M Mayer-Pinto V J Cole E L Johnston A Bugnot H Hurst L Airoldi T M Glasby K A Dafforn |
| author_sort | M Mayer-Pinto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Urban areas have broad ecological footprints with complex impacts on natural systems. In coastal areas, growing populations are advancing their urban footprint into the ocean through the construction of seawalls and other built infrastructure. While we have some understanding of how urbanisation might drive functional change in terrestrial ecosystems, coastal systems have been largely overlooked. This study is one of the first to directly assess how changes in diversity relate to changes in ecosystem properties and functions (e.g. productivity, filtration rates) of artificial and natural habitats in one of the largest urbanised estuaries in the world, Sydney Harbour. We complemented our surveys with an extensive literature search. We found large and important differences in the community structure and function between artificial and natural coastal habitats. However, differences in diversity and abundance of organisms do not necessarily match observed functional changes. The abundance and composition of important functional groups differed among habitats with rocky shores having 40% and 70% more grazers than seawalls or pilings, respectively. In contrast, scavengers were approximately 8 times more abundant on seawalls than on pilings or rocky shores and algae were more diverse on natural rocky shores and seawalls than on pilings. Our results confirm previous findings in the literature. Oysters were more abundant on pilings than on rocky shores, but were also smaller. Interestingly, these differences in oyster populations did not affect in situ filtration rates between habitats. Seawalls were the most invaded habitats while pilings supported greater secondary productivity than other habitats. This study highlights the complexity of the diversity-function relationship and responses to ocean sprawl in coastal systems. Importantly, we showed that functional properties should be considered independently from structural change if we are to design and manage artificial habitats in ways to maximise the services provided by urban coastal systems and minimise their ecological impacts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:00:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-934ece57a5944f9082f38d960d36542a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:00:45Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-934ece57a5944f9082f38d960d36542a2023-08-09T14:38:53ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262018-01-0113101400910.1088/1748-9326/aa98a5Functional and structural responses to marine urbanisationM Mayer-Pinto0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9679-7023V J Cole1E L Johnston2A Bugnot3H Hurst4L Airoldi5T M Glasby6K A Dafforn7Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney, Australia; Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences , Mosman, NSW 2088, Australia; Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed.Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney , Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; NSW Department of Primary Industries, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute , Taylors Beach, NSW, AustraliaEvolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney, Australia; Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences , Mosman, NSW 2088, AustraliaEvolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney, Australia; Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences , Mosman, NSW 2088, AustraliaSchool of Marine Science and Engineering, Plymouth University , Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, United KingdomDipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali and Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca per le Scienze Ambientali, Università di Bologna, UO CoNISMa, University of Bologna , Bologna, ItalyNSW Department of Primary Industries, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute , Taylors Beach, NSW, AustraliaEvolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney, Australia; Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences , Mosman, NSW 2088, AustraliaUrban areas have broad ecological footprints with complex impacts on natural systems. In coastal areas, growing populations are advancing their urban footprint into the ocean through the construction of seawalls and other built infrastructure. While we have some understanding of how urbanisation might drive functional change in terrestrial ecosystems, coastal systems have been largely overlooked. This study is one of the first to directly assess how changes in diversity relate to changes in ecosystem properties and functions (e.g. productivity, filtration rates) of artificial and natural habitats in one of the largest urbanised estuaries in the world, Sydney Harbour. We complemented our surveys with an extensive literature search. We found large and important differences in the community structure and function between artificial and natural coastal habitats. However, differences in diversity and abundance of organisms do not necessarily match observed functional changes. The abundance and composition of important functional groups differed among habitats with rocky shores having 40% and 70% more grazers than seawalls or pilings, respectively. In contrast, scavengers were approximately 8 times more abundant on seawalls than on pilings or rocky shores and algae were more diverse on natural rocky shores and seawalls than on pilings. Our results confirm previous findings in the literature. Oysters were more abundant on pilings than on rocky shores, but were also smaller. Interestingly, these differences in oyster populations did not affect in situ filtration rates between habitats. Seawalls were the most invaded habitats while pilings supported greater secondary productivity than other habitats. This study highlights the complexity of the diversity-function relationship and responses to ocean sprawl in coastal systems. Importantly, we showed that functional properties should be considered independently from structural change if we are to design and manage artificial habitats in ways to maximise the services provided by urban coastal systems and minimise their ecological impacts.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa98a5urbanisationartificial structuresecosystem functioningfiltration ratesfunctional groupsoysters |
| spellingShingle | M Mayer-Pinto V J Cole E L Johnston A Bugnot H Hurst L Airoldi T M Glasby K A Dafforn Functional and structural responses to marine urbanisation Environmental Research Letters urbanisation artificial structures ecosystem functioning filtration rates functional groups oysters |
| title | Functional and structural responses to marine urbanisation |
| title_full | Functional and structural responses to marine urbanisation |
| title_fullStr | Functional and structural responses to marine urbanisation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Functional and structural responses to marine urbanisation |
| title_short | Functional and structural responses to marine urbanisation |
| title_sort | functional and structural responses to marine urbanisation |
| topic | urbanisation artificial structures ecosystem functioning filtration rates functional groups oysters |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa98a5 |
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