Martin J. Attrill

Climatic influence on a marine fish assemblage

Understanding the fluctuations in marine fish stocks is important for the management of fisheries, and attempts have been made to demonstrate links with oceanographic and climatic variability, including the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The NAO has been correlated with a range of long-term ecological measures, including certain fish stocks. Such environmental influences are most likely to affect susceptible juveniles during estuarine residency, as estuaries are critical juvenile nursery or over-wintering habitats. Here we show that, during a 16-year period, climatic forcing (by means of the NAO) is consistently the most important parameter explaining variation in assemblage composition, abundance and growth of juvenile marine fish during estuarine residency. A possible mechanism for the effect of the NAO is a temperature differential between estuarine and marine waters that allows fish to facultatively exploit optimal thermal habitats. The connection has potentially important implications for the size and numbers of individuals recruited to the fishery, for understanding and predicting the composition of juvenile fish stocks using estuaries, and for the appropriate conservation of estuarine systems in relation to fish stocks.

Community and population indicators of ecosystem health: targeting links between levels of biological organisation

Abstract Risk assessments have regularly utilised analysis at the community level as a tool for determining the health of an aquatic system. Using relevant examples, the pros and cons of community level investigation are reviewed, highlighting both the recent advances employing coarse levels of taxonomic identity and the suitability of fish communities for such analyses. Community structure, however, is merely an expression of variation in the populations of the constituent species and the response of these populations to environmental stress. In turn, the maintenance of populations is dictated by the input of individuals within that population in terms of growth (biomass) and reproductive output (persistence), parameters which can provide useful information on the health of a system. It is therefore important to explore the mechanisms linking the different levels of biological organisation to understand how individual toxicological responses may be expressed at the community level and conversely what mechanisms are producing observed community structures in stressed systems. This also has consequences in terms of risk assessment, determining which level of organisation provides the most sensitive and robust method of assessing environmental health.

Nutrification impacts on coral reefs from northern Bahia, Brazil

Coral reefs extend for 20 km along the north coast of the state of Bahia, Brazil. Over the last 15 years, this region has experienced an acceleration of generally unplanned urbanisation, with the irregular and indiscriminate use of septic tanks in urban centres contaminating the groundwater. This infiltration of nutrients and pathogens is facilitated by both the soil permeability and an accented hydraulic head, which eventually leads to the percolation of nutrient-rich groundwater seaward to the reefs. The groundwater nutrient concentrations (nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, phosphate and silicate) from Guarajuba beach (a highly urbanised area) are over 10 times higher than groundwater from Papa Gente beach, an area of low human occupation. The pH values of the groundwater samples also indicate the predominance of reducing conditions in Guarajuba, due to the high availability of organic matter and consequent bacterial activity. Additionally, faecal coliform data indicate domestic wastewater as the source of groundwater contamination. High densities of macroalgae and heterotrophic organisms on the impacted reefs, as well as higher concentrations of nutrients, evoke the effects of eutrophication on this coral reef ecosystem. These data suggest that the high availability of nutrients is affecting the trophic structure in the study area, especially in Guarajuba, with the increased turf and macroalgae growth reducing light penetration to the coral colonies, competing with them for space and inhibiting the settlement of new coral larvae.

Effect of habitat fragmentation on the macroinvertebrate infaunal communities associated with the seagrass Zostera marina L.

1. The effect of habitat fragmentation was investigated in two adjacent, yet separate, intertidal Zostera marina beds in the Salcombe Estuary, Devon, UK. The seagrass bed on the west bank comprised a continuous meadow of ca. 2.3 ha, whilst the bed on the east bank of the estuary was fragmented into patches of 6–9 m2. 2. Three 10 cm diameter core samples for infaunal macroinvertebrates were taken from three stations within each bed. No significant difference was found in univariate community parameters between beds, or in measured seagrass parameters. However, multivariate analysis revealed a significant difference in community composition, due mainly to small changes in species abundance rather than differences in the species present. 3. The species contributing most to the dissimilarity between the two communities were polychaetes generally associated with unvegetated habitats (e.g. Magelona mirabilis) and found to be more common in the fragmented bed. 4. A significant difference in median grain size and sorting coefficient was recorded between the two beds, and median grain size was found to be the variable best explaining multivariate community patterns. 5. The results of the study provide evidence for the effects of habitat fragmentation on the communities associated with seagrass beds, habitats which are of high conservation importance. As the infaunal community is perhaps intuitively the component least likely to be affected by fragmentation at the scale observed, the significant difference in community composition recorded has consequences for more sensitive and high-profile parts of the biota (e.g. fish), and thus for the conservation of seagrass habitats and their associated communities. Copyright

Assessing wave energy effects on biodiversity: the Wave Hub experience

Marine renewable energy installations harnessing energy from wind, wave and tidal resources are likely to become a large part of the future energy mix worldwide. The potential to gather energy from waves has recently seen increasing interest, with pilot developments in several nations. Although technology to harness wave energy lags behind that of wind and tidal generation, it has the potential to contribute significantly to energy production. As wave energy technology matures and becomes more widespread, it is likely to result in further transformation of our coastal seas. Such changes are accompanied by uncertainty regarding their impacts on biodiversity. To date, impacts have not been assessed, as wave energy converters have yet to be fully developed. Therefore, there is a pressing need to build a framework of understanding regarding the potential impacts of these technologies, underpinned by methodologies that are transferable and scalable across sites to facilitate formal meta-analysis. We first review the potential positive and negative effects of wave energy generation, and then, with specific reference to our work at the Wave Hub (a wave energy test site in southwest England, UK), we set out the methodological approaches needed to assess possible effects of wave energy on biodiversity. We highlight the need for national and international research clusters to accelerate the implementation of wave energy, within a coherent understanding of potential effects—both positive and negative.

Red shirt colour is associated with long-term team success in English football

Abstract The colour of sportswear has been shown to influence the outcome of bouts for several different combat sports. The generality of these effects, and whether they extend to collaborative forms of contests (team sports), is uncertain. Since 1947, English football teams wearing red shirts have been champions more often than expected on the basis of the proportion of clubs playing in red. To investigate whether this indicates an enhancement of long-term performance in red-wearing teams, we analysed the relative league positions of teams wearing different hues. Across all league divisions, red teams had the best home record, with significant differences in both percentage of maximum points achieved and mean position in the home league table. The effects were not due simply to a difference between teams playing in a colour and those playing in a predominantly white uniform, as the latter performed better than teams in yellow hues. No significant differences were found for performance in matches away from home, when teams commonly do not wear their “home” colours. A matched-pairs analysis of red and non-red wearing teams in eight English cities shows significantly better performance of red teams over a 55-year period. These effects on long-term success have consequences for colour selection in team sports, confirm that wearing red enhances performance in a variety of competitive contexts, and provide further impetus for studies of the mechanisms underlying these effects.

The influence of drought-induced low freshwater flow on an upper-estuarine macroinvertebrate community

Severe drought in the Thames catchment during 1989 and 1990 resulted in increased water abstraction from the river Thames, reducing the amount of freshwater flowing into the Thames estuary over Teddington weir. Increased salinity levels were recorded in the upper estuary, related to the decrease in flow, which in turn affected the community of freshwater invertebrates inhabiting a site below Teddington weir. A large decrease in BMWP score was recorded following increased abstraction in both 1989 and 1990. However, the disappearance of taxa was not directly related to their perceived sensitivity to organic pollution, with Asellidae, Caenidae and Unionidae being amongst the first families to be affected. Multidimensional scaling ordination indicated that the community demonstrated a cyclical pattern of disturbance and recovery related to variations in salinity and flow-dependent influx of organisms via invertebrate drift. The study indicates that reducing freshwater flow below a critical level can have detrimental effects on the diversity of macroinvertebrate communities in certain sections of tidal rivers.

Environmental factors and interactions affecting the temporal abundance of juvenile flatfish in the Thames Estuary

Samples taken regularly from the intake screens of West Thurrock power station between January 1977 and November 1992 were used to investigate the factors controlling flatfish abundance (flounder: Platichthys flesus; dab: Limanda limanda; plaice: Pleuronectes platessa; sole: Solea solea) in the middle Thames estuary. Most sampled fish were age-0. All species followed regular patterns of seasonal occurrence, had distinctive seasonal abundance peaks and demonstrated only minimal temporal overlap. Multiple-regression models were used to study the relationship between physico-chemical variables, physico-chemical variable interactions, trends and seasonal factors on fluctuations in flatfish sample abundance. Flounder abundance was significantly influenced by temperature, suspended solids, oxygen-flow and oxygen-temperature interactions, trend and seasonal variables. Dab abundance was significantly related to suspended solids, oxygen-flow, oxygen-temperature and flow-chlorinity interactions, Crangon crangon abundance and seasonal variables. Sole abundance was controlled only by seasonal variables, whilst plaice abundance could not be adequately explained by the available physico-chemical data. The combination of variables affecting flatfish abundance indicates species using the estuary were affected by a complex set of events within the estuary. The interactions between routinely measured environmental variables further suggest that estuarine monitoring studies must attempt to understand the nature of possible interactions between variables if an improved understanding of the changes in estuarine fish communities resulting from human activity is to be gained.

Modelling the effect of drought on estuarine water quality

Abstract Long-term data assembled for monitoring the water quality of the Thames estuary between 1977–1992 were used to examine the changing influences of physico-chemical variables on estuarine water quality during drought conditions. Seasonal and monthly means were computed and tested for significant differences. Time series data were used to estimate regression models explaining observed variations in water quality parameter measurements during the predrought (1977–1988) and drought (1989–1992) periods. Stability tests were used to establish significant differences in predrought and drought models and to make inferences about the significance of drought induced low flows on water quality. Significant mean seasonal and monthly differences were found for flow, chlorinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and suspended solids. Total oxidisable nitrogen showed no significant change. Regression analyses were consistent with these results and highlighted the significance of drought related changes in flow and temperature for the determination of estuarine water quality. This suggests that management policies designed to mitigate the effects of drought be extended to consider their effects on estuarine water quality given the ecological importance of these areas.

Trends in agricultural pesticide (atrazine, lindane, simazine) concentrations in the Thames Estuary

Abstract Trends in the concentrations of atrazine, lindane and simazine in the estuary of the River Thames between 1988 and 1997 were examined using linear regression methods to determine whether attempted reductions in pesticide discharges had improved estuarine water quality. Concentrations of all the studied pesticides declined over the period, despite the influences of drought induced reductions in freshwater flow from the Thames catchment. Measures to control pesticide discharges resulted in dramatic reductions (>90%) of the triazines atrazine and simazine, and a 73% reduction in lindane. Achieved reductions in the Thames compare favourably with those recorded for the Humber Estuary. Measured concentrations in the Thames Estuary are now similar to those found in other UK and European estuaries, suggesting that the Thames Estuary is no longer of special concern. Although worries have been expressed about possible long-term exposure effects on estuarine fauna of sublethal levels of the studied pesticides, current measured concentrations are below literature-reported chronic threshold values. Current levels, therefore, do not appear to pose significant ecotoxicological risks to exposed estuarine biota.