Rising tides, cumulative impacts and cascading changes to estuarine ecosystem functions.

ABSTRACT: In coastal ecosystems, climate change affects multiple environmental factors, yet most predictive models are based on simple cause-and-effect relationships. Multiple stressor scenarios are difficult to predict because they can create a ripple effect through networked ecosystem functions. Estuarine ecosystem function relies on an interconnected network of physical and biological processes. Estuarine habitats play critical roles in service provision and represent global hotspots for organic matter processing, nutrient cycling and primary production. Within these systems, we predicted functional changes in the impacts of land-based stressors, mediated by changing light climate and sediment permeability. Our in-situ field experiment manipulated sea level, nutrient supply, and mud content. We u

SUBMITTER: O'Meara TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5578963 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature