A5044767449- Marine and coastal plant biology
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Avian ecology and behavior
- Marine and fisheries research
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Cephalopods and Marine Biology
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Marine animal studies overview
- Marine Biology and Environmental Chemistry
- Indigenous Studies and Ecology
- Ecosystem dynamics and resilience
- Forest Insect Ecology and Management
- Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Plant and fungal interactions
- Geological and Geophysical Studies
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Geological and Tectonic Studies in Latin America
Radboud University Nijmegen
2017-2025
Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
2012-2024
Utrecht University
2016-2018
Netherlands Institute of Ecology
2016
Russian Academy of Sciences
2013
Consequences conferred at a distance Migratory animals have adapted to life in multiple, sometimes very different environments. Thus, they may show particularly complex responses as climates rapidly change. Van Gils et al. that body size red knot birds has been decreasing their Arctic breeding ground warms (see the Perspective by Wikelski and Tertitski). However, real toll of this change appears not changing northern part range but apparently more stable tropical wintering range. The...
The Arctic is becoming warmer at a high rate, and contractions in the extent of sea ice are currently changing habitats marine top-predators dependent on ice. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) depend for hunting seals. For these top-predators, longer ice-free seasons hypothesized to force hunt alternative terrestrial food, such as eggs from colonial breeding birds. We analyzed time-series polar bear observations four locations Spitsbergen (Svalbard) one east Greenland. Summer occurrence bears,...
Highlights•Climate extremes may cause breakdown of the facultative seagrass-lucinid mutualism•Loss this mutualistic feedback can amplify seagrass ecosystem degradation•Risk marine mutualism goes beyond obligate coral symbiosis•These mechanisms need inclusion in conservation and restoration approachesSummaryIn many ecosystems, biodiversity critically depends on foundation species such as corals seagrasses that engage interactions [1–3]. Concerns grow environmental disruption mutualisms...
Recent insights suggest that predators should include (mildly) toxic prey when non-toxic food is scarce. However, the assumption energetically as profitable misses possibility have other ways to avoid being eaten, such formation of an indigestible armature. In case, face a trade-off between avoiding toxins and minimizing ballast intake. Here, we report on trophic interactions shorebird (red knot, Calidris canutus ) its two main bivalve prey, one mildly but easily digestible, harder digest. A...
Ecosystems worldwide depend on habitat-forming foundation species that often facilitate themselves with increasing density and patch size, while also engaging in facultative mutualisms. Anthropogenic global change (e.g., climate change, eutrophication, overharvest, land-use change), however, is causing rapid declines of species-structured ecosystems, typified by sudden collapse. Although disruption obligate mutualisms involving known to precipitate collapse coral bleaching), how (i.e.,...
ABSTRACT Climate‐driven shifts in herbivores, temperature, and nutrient runoff threaten coastal ecosystem resilience. However, ecological resilience, particularly for foundation species, remains poorly understood due to the scarcity of field experiments conducted across appropriate spatial temporal scales that investigate multiple stressors. This study evaluates resilience a widespread tropical marine plant (turtlegrass) disturbances its geographic range examines how environmental gradients...
Effects of predation may cascade down the food web. By alleviating interspecific competition among prey, predators promote biodiversity, but precise mechanisms how alter have remained elusive. Here we report on a predator-exclosure experiment carried out in tropical intertidal ecosystem, providing evidence for three-level trophic induced by molluscivore Red Knots (Calidris canutus) that affects pore water biogeochemistry. In exclosures knots' favorite prey (Dosinia isocardia) became dominant...
Among energy-maximizing animals, preferences for different prey can be explained by ranking the according to their energetic content. However, diet choice also depends on characteristics of predator, such as need ingest necessary nutrients and constraints imposed digestion toxins in food. In combination, these factors lead mixed diets which energetically most profitable food is not eaten exclusively even when it abundant. We studied red knots (Calidris canutus canutus) feeding mollusks at a...
Abstract Facilitation of foundation species is critical to the structure, function and persistence ecosystems. Understanding dependence strength this facilitation on environmental conditions important for informed ecosystem management predicting impacts global change. In coastal seagrass habitats, chemosymbiotic lucinid bivalves can facilitate seagrasses by decreasing potentially toxic levels sulphide in sediment porewater. However, variation lucinid–seagrass with context has not been...
Abstract Marine foundation species such as corals, seagrasses, salt marsh plants, and mangrove trees are increasingly found to engage in mutualistic interactions. Because mutualisms by their very nature generate a positive feedback between the species, subtle environmental impacts on one of involved may trigger mutualism breakdown, potentially leading ecosystem regime shifts. Using an empirically parameterized model, we investigate facultative seagrass lucinid bivalves with endosymbiotic...
Despite active seagrass restoration gaining traction as a tool to halt and reverse worldwide losses, overall success remains limited. Restoration strategies, through seeding or transplantation, face different environmental bottlenecks that limit success. Choosing the most appropriate strategy of two for specific location, however, is hampered by lack direct practical comparisons between strategies within single system. To investigate potential life stage dependent bottlenecks, we compared...
Capsule Context-specific equations are needed to reconstruct diet composition and intake rate of Red Knots by the use shell fragments retrieved from droppings. Aims To explore whether method Knot described Dekinga & Piersma [Dekinga, A. Piersma, T. 1993. Reconstructing on basis faeces in a mollusc-eating wader, Calidris canutus. Bird Study 40: 144–156] accurately predicts canutus outside Northwest Europe, at Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania. Methods Feeding experiments with captive bivalves Dosinia...
Barr Al Hikman, a large intact coastal wetland in the Sultanate of Oman, is an important wintering site for migratory waterbirds Asian–East African Flyway. The last reported systematic survey area from 1990. Here, we present results three surveys 2007/2008, 2013/2014 and 2015/2016. Up to half million 42 species were counted. Shorebirds by far most numerous group (>410,000). For 18 shorebird species, numbers at Hikman exceeded 1% their flyway population. Therefore, our confirm that still...
Abstract Aim Molluscivorous shorebirds supposedly developed their present wintering distribution after the last ice age. Currently, molluscivorous are abundant on almost all shores of world, except for those in Indo‐West Pacific (IWP). Long before arrived scene, molluscan prey IWP evolved strong anti‐predation traits a prolonged evolutionary arms race with durophagous predators including brachyuran crabs. Here, we investigate whether absence from site Oman can be explained by community being...
Coastal ecosystem functioning often hinges on habitat‐forming foundation species that engage in positive interactions (e.g. facilitation and mutualism) to reduce environmental stress. Seagrasses are important coastal zones but rapidly declining with losses typically linked intensifying global change‐related There is growing evidence loss or disruption of can amplify degradation as it compromises its stress mitigating capacity. Multiple recent studies highlight seagrass a facultative...
Abstract Coastal ecosystems are generally controlled by the combination of bottom‐up (resource‐driven) and top‐down (consumer‐driven) trophic, non‐trophic interactions. Anthropogenic disruption these interactions, for example, through eutrophication or overfishing, leads to loss foundation species composing ecosystems. Within degraded ecosystems, new interactions may become dominant, hampering restoration species. We demonstrate this concept in saltwater Lake Grevelingen, where seagrass was...
Long‐distance migratory species often include multiple breeding populations, with distinct migration routes, wintering areas and annual‐cycle timing. Detailed knowledge on population structure connectivity provides the basis for studies evolution of strategies conservation. Currently, five subspecies Bar‐tailed Godwits Limosa lapponica have been described. However, two apparently separate areas, taxonomic status L. l . taymyrensis remains unclear. Here we compare in Middle East West Africa,...
Abstract Breeding success of many Arctic‐breeding bird populations varies with lemming cycles due to prey switching behavior generalist predators. Several species breed on islands escape from predators like Arctic fox Vulpes lagopus , but little is known about how these interact. We studied brent geese Branta bernicla that share gulls ( Larus spec.) in Taimyr, Siberia (Russia). On one hand, are egg predators, which occasionally steal an when incubating leave the nest for foraging bouts....
Seagrass meadows form essential ecological components in coastal zones but are rapidly declining worldwide due to anthropogenic impacts, including eutrophication and climate change-related heat waves. An important consequence of increased is organic matter input the sediment, which, together with raised temperatures, stimulates production toxic sulfide. Although multiple recent studies have highlighted that seagrass can engage a mutualistic relationship lucinid bivalves alleviating sulfide...
Coastal systems often depend on foundation species such as seagrasses that are supported by self-facilitation. Seagrass meadows, however, threatened worldwide due to climate change and local human impact, disrupting self-facilitation leading system instability. Florida Bay is a large seagrass dominated coastal ecosystem suffered from multiple mortality events over the last half century driven hypoxia, high water temperatures, hypersalinity, biological oxygen demand. These conditions reduce...
Abstract Climate-driven shifts in herbivores, temperature and nutrient runoff threaten coastal ecosystem resilience. However, our understanding of ecological resilience, particularly for foundation species, remains limited due to a rarity field experiments that are conducted across appropriate spatial temporal scales investigate multiple stressors. This study aimed evaluate the resilience widespread tropical marine plant (turtlegrass) disturbances its geographic range how this is impacted by...