SEAWISER’s Post

My bachelor thesis has been recently published: Fragmentation and Connectivity in dehesa Ecosystems Associated with Cerambyx spp. Dispersion and Control: A Graph-Theory Approach In this work, we used a Graph-Theory Approach to simulate the possible benefits of introducing a number of nests for predator birds (in the work we used as reference the Eurasian jay) in Sierra Morena (Andalusia, Spain) to control the dispersion of xylophagous Cerambycids, including Cerambyx welensii, Cerambyx cerdo, and Prinobius myardi. The results demonstrate that local connectivity metrics are useful for detecting the most significant areas for placing barriers (i.e., predators), thereby controlling the dispersion of xylophages to new areas. https://lnkd.in/d7XimyeX

Ready to meet a new team?! 🌊 Introducing - FaunatiX! FaunatiX is one of the 8 teams of @IMBRSea master’s students conducting research projects over a 2 week field course at @tjarnolabbet . Antonio Garcìa Muñoz, Dilan Perales, Kate Golinvaux, Kelly McLoughlin, and Lena Lingenfelder make up Team FaunatiX, led by our supervisor Gauthier Schaal! We have combined our unique skill sets and strengths to ask if a seagrass meadow’s level of exposure affects the macrofaunal biodiversity within the sediment below. Is exposure and hydrodynamics the limiting factor? Do other abiotic factors have a greater impact on the biodiversity within sediment? What is the best way to quantify exposure in these bays? These and other questions are what we asked one another before beginning this project! Since the start of this project, we have been busy scouting sites, gathering tools, confirming our methodologies and collecting macrofauna and granulometry cores from 10 different locations. There has been a lot of trial and error, successes, silliness, and plenty of learning - and this is only the first half of the project! Stick around to see what FaunatiX will do with our core samples once we return to the lab! What are you looking forward to learning about? 🌱🦀🌊 Comment below! #marinebiology #marineconservation #research #seagrass #macrofauna #Tjärnö #Tjärnömarinelab #IMBRSea #ErasmusMundus #sustainability

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐚 In both Belgium and the Netherlands, companies and research institutions are working to enhance biodiversity in the North Sea by restoring oyster beds on the sea floor. These beds had disappeared over the years, partly due to the use of trawl nets in fishing. In the Netherlands, the first project to reintroduce oyster beds is now underway at the Borssele wind farm off the coast of Vlissingen. Similarly, plans to establish oyster beds in the Belgian North Sea are being deployed. Meanwhile, in Blankenberge, another experiment is in progress, where a new 600-meter harbor dam is being constructed to prevent harbor channel silting. If you are interested in knowing more about the efforts of DEME Group, UGent, Jan De Nul Group, Van Oord, Ørsted and Go Ocean, read the article in De Tijd (in Dutch): https://lnkd.in/earFjRzJ Marc Huygens Annelies Declercq Faculty of Bioscience Engineering UGent #oysterrestoration #biodiversity #bluegrowth #oysters #oysterbeds #northsea

Some information about our target species and sampling area! 🌊 Alexandrium spp. and Paralytic Shellfish Toxins - Alexandrium is a marine Dinoflagellate that blooms annually causing PST production around Ireland's coastlines. - Some species of the genus produce Paralytic Shellfish Toxins (PSTs) such as Saxitoxin. - Alexandrium is a species complex meaning they are very similar taxonomically yet not all are responsible for producing PSTs. - This has made it difficult to identify the presence of toxic species through the traditional method of light microscopy leading us to examine molecular based approaches. - Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) is a human illness caused by the consumption of filter-feeding molluscs contaminated by PSTs. 🌊 Study Area: Castlemaine Harbour - Castlemaine Harbour, Co. Kerry is located in the Southwest of Ireland. - It is a national natural reserve area and is rich in biodiversity. - It is located in the inner part of Dingle Bay and contains a complex mixture of mudflats, sandbanks and saltmarshes. It also has an estuary for two major rivers: the River Maine and the River Laune. - The bay is characterized by strong currents and a large tidal range. - It is also an important area of production of oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and mussels (Mytilus edulis) and is significantly impacted by the presence of PSTs. #PSPSafe #ShellfishSafety #MarineInstitute #ATU #UCD #DAFM #MarineResearch #Collaboration #Research #Water #Science #Phytoplankton #HABs #PST #PSP

Truth and Reconciliation Day Understanding how the practice of mine closure connects with traditional knowledge and reconciliation is one of the field’s most important challenges. “Medicine Wheel for the Planet” by Dr.Jennifer Grenz is a huge contribution towards meeting that challenge – particularly for those with outlooks formed by western science. Restoration ecology is an important part of the modern practice of #mineclosure, and the preconceptions of both fields are closely linked. Those preconceptions are exposed and challenged throughout Dr. Grenz’s thoughtful and personal book. Starting from her own background in restoration ecology, she questions the notion that our role (or ability) is to return the natural world to a perfect state that existed at some undefined point in the past, particularly in a changing climate. She exposes the arrogance of taking on a role that pretends that humans can be isolated from their land relations. Through both stories and direct explanation, she contrasts this with a reciprocal and relational outlook informed by Indigenous worldviews. The book shares Indigenous ecology as a compelling (re)connection with other ways of knowing, and a path forward that is both practical and inspiring. There is a lot to this book, and I hesitate to extract ideas out of context while recommending it. I will wrap up by quoting Dr. Grenz’s definition of Indigenous ecology: “Relationally guided healing of our lands, water and relations through intentional shaping of ecosystems by humans to bring a desired balance that meets the fluid needs of communities while respecting and honouring our mutual dependence through reciprocity”. In mine closure, there have been many “closure vision statements” that could be improved dramatically by incorporating the principles behind this definition. Principles that are explored thoroughly in the book. By the way, if this inspires you to pick up the book, you might want to consider skipping Amazon et al, and ordering from Massy Books, 100% Indigenous owned and operated bookstore (and really good folks too): https://lnkd.in/gV7ipv6d *As a side note, I first became aware of Dr. Grenz’s work attending the wrap-up panel discussion for the 2023 Massey Lectures. Dr. Grenz was a panelist, and that discussion is available as a CBC podcast at https://lnkd.in/g47jmC_w. This was my introduction to her work, and it left me eager for the publication of this book.

🌿Integrating functional traits into trophic rewilding science🌿 A new paper by Joe Atkinson, Rachael Gallagher, Szymon Czyżewski, Matthew Kerr, Jonas trepel, Robert Buitenwerf & Jens-Christian Svenning. Link to paper: https://lnkd.in/eesayHXs The article summed up:   Trophic rewilding is gaining momentum as a method of ecological restoration However, we currently have little integration between rewilding and functional ecology, traditionally being focused on the effects of large mammal reintroductions on species (taxonomic) diversity 🌱In this paper, we review the evidence for the ways in which large mammals influence the expression of plant functional traits (e.g. plant height, leaf nitrogen content, leaf dry matter content), in order to build a set of hypotheses about how rewilding may effect the functioning of plant communities🌱 💡 We conduct a case study of the European flora, to investigate the broad relationship between plant traits and a species ability to cope with herbivory We extend these ideas to plant invasions, and hypothesise how more complex assemblages of herbivores (and carnivores) may be able to reduce the dominance of individual species and promote functional diversity of ecosystems💡 🌍The traits of plant and animals provide a pathway to generality in scientific findings, which is of great importance for scaling up restoration approaches across a diversity of environments and in the face of widely emerging human-created novel ecosystems 🌍 Danmarks Grundforskningsfond / The Danish National Research Foundation #novelecosystems #climatechange #ecology #ecosystems #rewilding #restoration #anthropocene #humanecology #megafauna #invasivespecies

Together, let's prioritize ecology for our shared future 💪🌍 In a #tribune published today in Les Echos, Wavepiston ranked among the 300 stakeholders from the world of impact and economics, brought together at the initiative of ChangeNOW, that call for overcoming divisions and positioning ecology and planetary boundaries as fundamental principles upon which society must build and organize itself, for a sustainable future. In a world that pushes us to polarize, to divide, threatening the very existence of our democracies, two elements unite us all: ecology and humanity. Ecology, as the science of our common home, because it defines, like a physical law, the framework in which we live. Humanity, because it defines, like a moral law, what we all are. It is time to consider ecology not as a constraint, but as the foundation of our common future. Discover this call to prioritize ecology for our shared future and sign up for #changeNOW2024 to be part of it 👉 https://lnkd.in/emubGqqN and sign up for #changeNOW2024 to be part of it 👉 https://lnkd.in/e-gS8Etz

If you traverse some of Hawaiʻi's shorelines (specifically Oʻahu's south and east shores, parts of Maui and Hilo) and notice seaweed in the water, chances are they could be invasive and not native species. And this could have an adverse effect on the seafood we eat and the health of coral reefs. Botanists from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa have uncovered key survival strategies used by invasive seaweed species in nearshore ecosystems, potentially explaining their dominance over native Hawaiian limu in certain habitats. Nearshore ecosystems extend up to 300 feet offshore, encompassing the shallow coastal waters where land and ocean environments interact and many marine species live and feed. An October 2024 study published in Scientific Reports found that invasive species such as "gorilla ogo" and "spiny seaweed" thrive in areas with submarine groundwater discharge, where daily tidal cycles create extreme salinity (salt level) fluctuations. https://lnkd.in/gN6t6G8J

Together, let's prioritize ecology for our shared future 🌍 In a #tribune published today in Les Echos, 300 stakeholders from the world of impact and economics, brought together at the initiative of ChangeNOW, call for overcoming divisions and positioning ecology and planetary boundaries as fundamental principles upon which society must build and organize itself, for a sustainable future. In a world that pushes us to polarize, to divide, threatening the very existence of our democracies, two elements unite us all: ecology and humanity. 👉 Ecology, as the science of our common home, because it defines, like a physical law, the framework in which we live. 👉 Humanity, because it defines, like a moral law, what we all are. It is time to consider ecology not as a constraint, but as the foundation of our common future. Discover this call to prioritize ecology for our shared future and sign up for #changeNOW2024 to be part of it  🖊️ https://lnkd.in/emubGqqN And sign up for #changeNOW2024 to be part of it  🖊️ https://lnkd.in/e-gS8Etz

"Unfortunately, people have built new wind farms right in our habitats. It is tricky for us bats to pass, the suction of the long rotor blades is so great that it can make us crash to the ground." 🦇 It's International Children's Book Day! A chance to celebrate a love of reading, learning and the great importance of children's books. We're seizing the day to share Kathleen Röllig's 'The Great Migration', a tale of a bat named Otto and the modern-world challenges he and his many friends now face. The book spotlights the impact of human infrastructure, like wind farms, on the natural world. The crucial work of scientists and ecological researchers is also featured, and we're proud to support it. Bats are important, did you know they're essential pollinators? The only true flying mammals, there are 1,300 species worldwide. They've existed for 50 million years, and can live to be 40 years old! 🎂 Read on to discover more amazing facts in this educational story of resilience and friendship. #ICBD #InternationalChildren'sBookDay #Ecology #Education #Windfarms #Renewableenergy