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Environments
Special Issues
Changing Estuaries under the Context of Urbanization and Climate Change
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Changing Estuaries under the Context of Urbanization and Climate Change

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 7642

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Linda J. Walters

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL 32816, USA
Interests: marine ecology; restoration ecology; ecosystem services; threatened/endangered species; biodegradable materials for restoration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. L. Holly Sweat

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Smithsonian Marine Station, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 701 Seaway Drive, Fort Pierce, FL 34949, USA
Interests: marine ecology; estuarine biodiversity and restoration; benthic ecology; biofilms and microbiomes; ecosystem engineers
Dr. Melinda J. Donnelly

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA
Interests: estuarine restoration, coastal wetlands, living shorelines, marine biodiversity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Estuaries are often locations of rapid change. This Special Issue will focus on how humans have negatively impacted these diverse coastal ecosystems, including, but not limited to, microplastics and other contaminants, harmful algal blooms, warming temperatures, sea level rise, boat strikes and wakes, overharvesting, habitat loss, and invasive species. Some of these negative impacts are now being addressed in estuaries through restoration, rehabilitation, and enhancement efforts. Manuscripts on these efforts are also welcome.

Dr. Linda J. Walters
Dr. L. Holly Sweat
Dr. Melinda J. Donnelly
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Environments is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • estuaries
  • coastal ecosystems
  • anthropogenic impacts
  • environmental mitigation
  • coastal restoration
  • nature-based coastal defense
  • microplastics
  • pollutants
  • algal blooms
  • invasive species

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 4029 KiB  
Article
Effects of Reduced Seawater pH and Oil Contamination on Bacterial Communities and Biochemical Markers of Estuarine Animal Hosts
by António Louvado, Victor Galhano, Fernanda Lima, Daniel F. R. Cleary, Isabel Lopes, Newton C. M. Gomes and Francisco J. R. C. Coelho
Environments 2024, 11(2), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11020037 - 17 Feb 2024
Viewed by 2171
Abstract
Ecosystem functioning depends on complex interactions between microorganisms, hosts, and the environment. Changes in environmental conditions (e.g., ocean acidification) in combination with anthropogenic pollution have been shown to affect the composition and function of free-living microbial communities, but little is known about the [...] Read more.
Ecosystem functioning depends on complex interactions between microorganisms, hosts, and the environment. Changes in environmental conditions (e.g., ocean acidification) in combination with anthropogenic pollution have been shown to affect the composition and function of free-living microbial communities, but little is known about the effects these stressors on host-associated communities. This study aims to characterize the response of host-associated bacterial communities of the bottom-dwelling polychaete Hediste diversicolor and the epibenthic gastropod Peringia ulvae to oil contamination and reduced seawater pH. The independent and interactive effects of both stressors were simulated under controlled conditions. The response of host-associated bacterial communities was assessed using the high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and several biochemical markers related to host metabolic pathways, e.g., neurotransmission, anaerobic metabolism, biotransformation, oxidative stress, and energy consumption. In H. diversicolor, reduced seawater pH was associated with a high relative abundance of Cyanobacteria, while in P. ulvae oil contamination was associated with a reduction in the relative abundance of Chitinophagales. In P. ulvae, enrichment with oil hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria suggests a possible role of these organisms in the dispersion of oil hydrocarbon degraders. Furthermore, oil supplementation shifted some specific biochemical markers of gastropods related to oxidative stress and energy consumption, which suggests host stress. In general, the bacterial communities and biochemical markers of the gastropod were more affected by stressors than those of the polychaete. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of the response of host-associated bacterial communities of benthic macrofauna to anthropogenic contamination and environmental change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Changing Estuaries under the Context of Urbanization and Climate Change)
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20 pages, 4812 KiB  
Article
Modeling Benthic Community Settlement and Recruitment on Living Dock Restoration Mats
by Sandra Rech, Kelli Z. Hunsucker and Robert J. Weaver
Environments 2023, 10(8), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments10080138 - 3 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1707
Abstract
An increase in population along the Indian River Lagoon has led to eutrophication, a decline in water quality, and overall degradation. The Living Docks program is a citizen–science initiative started at the Florida Institute of Technology for lagoon restoration. Public and private docks [...] Read more.
An increase in population along the Indian River Lagoon has led to eutrophication, a decline in water quality, and overall degradation. The Living Docks program is a citizen–science initiative started at the Florida Institute of Technology for lagoon restoration. Public and private docks are volunteered to become Living Docks, where oyster mats are attached to dock pilings to provide a natural substrate for benthic organism growth. The community development on the oyster mats boosts water filtration to improve overall water quality and combat anthropogenic effects on the lagoon. The purpose of this project was to model benthic settlement and recruitment of prominent organisms on the Living Dock oyster mats at four research sites with specific environmental factors (e.g., temperature, salinity, turbidity, and pH). Beta regression models for recruitment and settlement were created for five of the more dominant organisms observed: oyster, barnacle, sponge, tubeworm, and encrusting bryozoan. The results of the modeling indicated that the settlement was influenced by pH, salinity, dock location, and turbidity, while recruitment was influenced by pH, salinity, dock location, and immersion time. This project provides insight into how lagoon conditions surrounding the Living Docks impact benthic growth and can aid in IRL restoration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Changing Estuaries under the Context of Urbanization and Climate Change)
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13 pages, 2238 KiB  
Article
Terrestrial Carbon Additions to Zooplankton Prey Influence Juvenile Estuarine Fish Growth
by Ellery B. Johnson, Craig Boys, James Hitchcock, Wade Hadwen, Stewart Fielder, Jordan A. Facey and Simon M. Mitrovic
Environments 2023, 10(3), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments10030050 - 8 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2623
Abstract
Freshwater inflows are linked to the abundance and catch rates of fish in estuaries. The role of terrestrial carbon resources brought into estuaries after inflows may be important, but this is currently not well understood. Therefore, we performed a study examining the effect [...] Read more.
Freshwater inflows are linked to the abundance and catch rates of fish in estuaries. The role of terrestrial carbon resources brought into estuaries after inflows may be important, but this is currently not well understood. Therefore, we performed a study examining the effect of terrestrial dissolved organic matter (tDOM) dietary additions on the growth of food-limited juvenile Australian bass (Macquaria novemculeata). Crustaceous zooplankton Artemia franciscana (Artemia) were reared for two days under control conditions (no addition) or with additions of tDOM leachate at dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations of 5 mg/L or 10 mg/L. Artemia were fed to juvenile bass in their treatment tanks over 42 days at feeding rates reduced by 65–75% of ad libitum. Juvenile fish from the 5 mg/L treatment exhibited no statistical difference in weight or standard, fork and total lengths compared to the control treatment. In contrast, the fish in the 10 mg/L tDOM treatment had significant increases (p < 0.05) in all length parameters after 42 days compared to the other treatments. The greater lengths of fish where tDOM is available indicate that tDOM can contribute to improved growth and development in juvenile Australian bass. While stable isotope analysis of fish tissue showed only minor changes toward terrestrial carbon signatures, increased terrestrial resource availability in the juvenile fish diets may have subsidised energetic needs, facilitating the greater utilisation of endogenous resources. Overall, the results indicate that freshwater inflows that deliver terrestrial resources may be important for the growth and development of estuarine fish. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Changing Estuaries under the Context of Urbanization and Climate Change)
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