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"Ecology Juvenile literature."
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In the Scheme of Things
2006,2000
In the Scheme of Things looks at architecture’s need to respond creatively and meaningfully to the extraordinary changes affecting the profession now. In each of the twelve essays that comprise this timely volume, Fisher addresses issues of vital concern to architects and students, offering hard-hitting criticism and proposing innovative and practical ideas for reform at the level of both the individual practitioner and the profession as a whole.
Lakes, Rivers, and Streams
2016
Water covers about 70 percent of Earth's surface. Most water is located in Earth's oceans, but Earth's freshwater is found in the lakes, rivers, and streams located around the globe. This title encourages readers to dive deep into Earth's freshwater bodies. Readers learn about important science concepts such as the water cycle and how bodies of water form. Age-appropriate text makes complex earth science concepts accessible for young readers. Readers will be delighted by the photographs that accompany this well-researched text.
Facts at Your Fingertips
2011
What could be more fascinating than the story of life? This new reference series reviews the fundamental life-science concepts and examines all aspects of modern thinking about biology, ecology, evolution, genetics, microbiology, cell biology, and life forms including humans. This book looks at the intricate relationship between organisms and their environment and how this delicate balance can be affected by climate change and human activities. Special features include annotated diagrams, fact boxes, key \"Science Words,\" and simple practical experiments to try at home.
Effects of shoreline armouring and overwater structures on coastal and estuarine fish: opportunities for habitat improvement
by
Munsch, Stuart H.
,
Cordell, Jeffery R.
,
Toft, Jason D.
in
Breakwaters
,
Coastal ecology
,
coastal squeeze
2017
1. Nearshore ecosystems are increasingly recognized as critical habitats for fish of cultural, ecological and economic significance. These ecosystems are often densely inhabited by juvenile fish, highly productive and refuges from predation, leading ecologists to characterize them as nurseries. However, nearshore ecosystems are being transformed globally to support demands of growing coastal populations. Many shorelines are modified by armouring (e.g. seawalls, riprap) that minimizes erosion, and overwater structures (e.g. piers, docks) that facilitate waterfront use. These modifications affect the ecology of nearshore systems by restructuring, eliminating and shading shallow waters. 2. Here, we review literature examining effects of armouring and overwater structures on coastal and estuarine fishes, and discuss how research and management can coordinate to minimize negative effects. 3. Along armoured shorelines, fish assemblages differed from unarmoured sites, fish consumed less epibenthic and terrestrial prey, beach spawning was less successful and fish were larger. Under large overwater structures, visually oriented fish were less abundant and they fed less. Shade from overwater structures also interrupted localized movements of migratory fish. Thus, shoreline modifications impaired habitats by limiting feeding, reproduction, ontogenetic habitat shifts from shallow to deeper waters and connectivity. 4. Research suggests that restoring shallow waters and substrate complexity, and minimizing shading underneath overwater structures, can rehabilitate habitats compromised by shoreline modifications. 5. Synthesis and applications. Shoreline armouring and overwater structures often compromise fish habitats. These threats to nearshore fish habitats will become more severe as growing coastal populations and rising sea levels increase demands for shoreline infrastructure. Our ability to assess and rehabilitate nearshore fish habitats along modified shorelines will be enhanced by: focusing research attention on metrics that directly indicate fish habitat quality; implementing and evaluating shoreline features that repair compromised habitat functions within human-use constraints; collating natural history knowledge of nearshore ecosystems; and embracing the socio-ecological nature of habitat improvements by educating the public about conservation efforts and fostering appreciation of local nearshore ecosystems. Actions to reduce impacts of shoreline modifications on fish are particularly feasible when they align with societal goals, such as improving flood protection and providing spaces that facilitate recreation, education, and connections between people and nature.
Journal Article
The crown-of-thorns seastar species complex: knowledge on the biology and ecology of five corallivorous Acanthaster species
by
Wörheide, Gert
,
Pratchett, Morgan S.
,
Uthicke, Sven
in
Acanthaster
,
Acanthaster planci
,
adults
2024
Coral-eating crown-of-thorns seastars (CoTS,
Acanthaster
spp.) are major contributors to the coral reef crises across the Indo-Pacific region. Until recently, CoTS throughout the Indo-Pacific were regarded to be a single species,
Acanthaster planci
. However, genetic and morphological analyses demonstrated that there are at least four distinct species:
Acanthaster benziei
in the Red Sea,
Acanthaster mauritiensis
and
A. planci
in the Indian Ocean, and
Acanthaster
cf.
solaris
in the western Pacific.
Acanthaster
cf.
ellisii
in the eastern Pacific needs more taxonomic attention. Here, we review the biological knowledge for each species adapting a pragmatic geographical species definition and using a systematic literature review complemented with more focused searches for individual species. The vast majority of CoTS research (88%) was conducted on
A.
cf.
solaris
, with much of this research undertaken on the Great Barrier Reef or in Japan. Many studies of
A.
cf.
solaris
are focused on monitoring or documenting incidences of outbreaks, though there is a solid base of knowledge on larval, juvenile and adult ecology derived from field and laboratory experiments. By contrast, most of the published studies on the four remaining species simply document cases of population outbreaks. The major taxonomic bias in CoTS research constitutes a significant limitation for understanding and managing these species for two reasons. First, even for
A.
cf.
solaris
, which is the most studied species, limited fundamental knowledge of their biology and ecology constrains understanding of the drivers of outbreaks and hinders corresponding management actions for prevention and control of these events. Second, understanding and management of other species are predicated on the assumption that all CoTS species have similar biology and behaviour, an unsatisfying assumption for ecosystem management.
Journal Article
Antipredator mechanisms of post-metamorphic anurans
by
Duca, Charles
,
Beard, Karen H.
,
Brodie, Edmund D.
in
Adults
,
Animal Ecology
,
Anti-predator behavior
2019
A crucial step in any ethological study is to distinguish and classify the observed behavior into categories. The literature on anuran antipredator mechanisms is largely scattered and descriptive due to the opportunistic nature of the observations and the lack of a simple, widely accepted classification scheme. We propose an explanatory classification system of antipredator mechanisms for post-metamorphic anurans (i.e., juveniles and adults) based on a thorough review of the literature and observations made during fieldwork and in the laboratory since 1970. In addition, we provide a freely available global database on antipredator mechanisms of post-metamorphic anurans. The classification system is composed of 12 antipredator mechanisms and 28 variations distributed into three stages of defense (avoid detection, prevent attack, and counterattack). The database comprises 650 species and 39 families providing a unique opportunity to investigate ecological and evolutionary questions regarding antipredator mechanisms of anuran. We provide a general overview of geographic, taxonomic, and phylogenetic patterns found in the database. Both our studies and that of our colleagues added 70 species to the database. The number of publications on antipredator mechanisms increased substantially after the year 2000. We hope to spark a renewed interest in antipredator mechanisms of post-metamorphic anurans to understand further the evolution of predator–prey interactions.
Journal Article
Smaller species but larger stages
2022
Global warming can alter size distributions of animal communities, but the contribution of size shifts within versus between species to such changes remains unknown. In particular, it is unclear if expected body size shrinkage in response to warming, observed at the interspecific level, can be used to infer similar size shifts within species. In this study, we compare warming effects on interspecific (relative species abundance) versus intraspecific (relative stage abundance) size structure of competing consumers by analyzing stage-structured bioenergetic food web models consisting of one or two consumer species and two resources, parameterized for pelagic plankton. Varying composition and temperature and body size dependencies in these models, we predicted interspecific versus intraspecific size structure across temperature. We found that warming shifted community size structure toward dominance of smaller species, in line with empirical evidence summarized in our review of 136 literature studies. However, this result emerged only given a size–temperature interaction favoring small over large individuals in warm environments. In contrast, the same mechanism caused an intraspecific shift toward dominance of larger (adult) stages, reconciling disparate observations of size responses within and across zooplankton species in the literature. As the empirical evidence for warming-driven stage shifts is scarce and equivocal, we call for more experimental studies on intraspecific size changes with warming. Understanding the global warming impacts on animal communities requires that we consider and quantify the relative importance of mechanisms concurrently shaping size distributions within and among species.
Journal Article
Impact of structural habitat modifications in coastal temperate systems on fish recruitment: a systematic review
by
Airoldi, Laura
,
Støttrup, Josianne G.
,
Macura, Biljana
in
Abundance
,
Artificial structures
,
Bibliographic data bases
2019
Background
Shallow nearshore marine ecosystems are changing at an increasing rate due to a range of human activities such as urbanisation and commercial development. As a result, an increasing number of structural modifications occur in coastal nursery and spawning habitats of fish. Concomitant to this increase, there have been declines in many coastal fish populations and changes in the composition of fish communities. As requested by Swedish stakeholders, this review aimed to synthesise scientific evidence of the impact on fish recruitment of structural modifications in temperate coastal areas.
Methods
We searched for peer-reviewed and grey literature on such impacts in English, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, German, Swedish and Spanish. Searches were performed in bibliographic databases, specialist websites, bibliographies of review articles. We also contacted stakeholder to find relevant literature. Eligible studies included small- and large-scale field studies in marine systems and large lakes (> 10,000 km
2
) in temperate regions of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Included replicated comparisons of fish recruitment between altered and unaltered control areas, comparisons before and after an alteration, or both. Relevant outcomes (response variables) included measures of recruitment defined as abundance of juvenile fish in coastal habitats. All fish species were considered. Articles were screened for eligibility by title, abstract and full text. Eligible studies were critically appraised based on their external and internal validity. From each eligible study of sufficient validity, we extracted information on study design, measured outcomes, exposure, type of comparator, effect modifiers and study findings. Study findings were synthesised narratively.
Results
We searched for eligible studies in 15 databases, 24 specialist websites, Google Scholar, and bibliographies of 11 review articles. The review finally included 37 studies that were eligible and of sufficient validity to be considered for final synthesis. Most studies (23 of 37) were from the Northern Hemisphere. Studies varied in design, spatial resolution, target fish species, and type of structural habitat change. This high level of variation did not allow for a quantitative synthesis and prevented us from drawing general conclusions on the impact of structures or structural modifications on fish recruitment. In this review we provide a narrative synthesis of the evidence base and classify eligible studies into six categories (based on type of exposure and comparator). The categories are as follows: the impacts on fish recruitment of: (1) artificial structures in coastal areas, (2) structures designed as fish attractors, (3) large scale urban sprawl, (4) ‘novel’ habitats, (5) habitat loss, and (6) restoration.
Conclusions
This review revealed a very limited evidence base for how structural modifications and marine urban sprawl can affect fish recruitment. Thus, there is a substantial mismatch between stakeholder needs and research evidence. Further, the impact and ecological performance of artificial structures depend both on context and species. Clearly, there is a need for more research on the subject, especially on long-term consequences at larger spatial scales.
Journal Article
Mother strawberry poison frogs might supplement nutritive eggs with secretory provisioning
by
Granados-Martínez, Sofía
,
Jones, Ida-May
,
Stynoski, Jennifer L
in
Amphibians
,
Dietary supplements
,
Eggs
2024
Many animal lineages produce and provision offspring with nutritive material such as milk, lipid-enriched skin, or mucus. Some frogs deposit offspring into small pools of water known as phytotelmata, and a subset of those species also provision offspring with eggs. Often when parental frogs enter the water, oophagous tadpoles swim erratically, vibrate, nip, and even suck on adult skin, which has traditionally been interpreted as begging and tactile stimulus for oviposition. However, these behaviors are also consistent with the hypothesis that such mouth-to-skin contact serves the function of acquiring secretory provisioning from parents, as in the mucophagous fry of some fishes. Here we present images obtained with a macro lens at 6 K resolution of mother-offspring interactions in the strawberry poison frog, Oophaga pumilio, that suggest that tadpoles not only poke or nip maternal skin during feeding visits, but rather forcefully suck on it. We compare these observations to those from numerous lower resolution videos of previous experiments with O. pumilio, and place the findings in the context of a literature review of both anecdotal evidence of mother-tadpole interactions across phytotelm-breeding anurans and secretory provisioning across the animal kingdom. We propose that (1) skin sucking behavior may involve the transfer of nutritive mucous secretions or other defensive, immunological, hormonal, or microbial factors from mother frogs to tadpoles and that (2) such secretions may serve to supplement egg provisioning in this and other frogs with oophagous and phytotelm-dwelling larvae.
Journal Article
A review of iteroparity in anadromous salmonids: biology, threats and implications
by
Bøe, Kristin
,
Kristensen, Martin L
,
Lennox, Robert J
in
Anadromous fishes
,
Anadromous species
,
Anthropogenic factors
2023
Iteroparity occurs when organisms reproduce more than once, and is seen as a bet-hedging reproductive strategy. Despite a wealth of research on iteroparous Atlantic salmon, steelhead, brown trout, and Arctic charr, the determinants of reproductive investment, the intra- and interspecific differences in the degree of iteroparity, the drivers of repeat spawning, and the contribution of repeat spawners to populations and sustainability remain unclear. In particular, the knowledge base is stronger for Atlantic salmon and brown trout, but relatively weak for Arctic charr and steelhead. While juveniles, maiden spawners and repeat spawners are facing similar challenges, many threats specific to the kelt stage are emerging (e.g., downstream migration passed barriers after spawning). Recent work has quantified the benefits of iteroparity for population resilience, and the potential for iteroparity to increase when anthropogenic stressors are mitigated. This is the first literature review paper synthetizing the growing knowledge base that exists on various aspects of the ecology and biology of repeat spawners in freshwater and at sea, the threats they face, the proximate and ultimate mechanisms underlying iteroparity in salmonids, the importance of iteroparity for population-level processes, as well as highlighting pressing areas of research. Collectively, this work offers a valuable resource to fisheries scientists and managers by shedding light on an important life-history stage that warrants more attention to mitigate these threats and restore healthy wild salmonid populations.
Journal Article