![]() For example, an Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) approach to marine resources considers a suite of natural physical, chemical, biological, geographic, and climatic factors in context of anthropogenic activities and impacts. A main objective of such policies is maintenance of good ecological status (GES) in marine waters, habitats, and resources using integrated or “holistic” approaches ( Borja et al., 2008, 2016 Karsenti et al., 2011 Duffy et al., 2013 Danovaro et al., 2016). Examples include the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Australia's Oceans Policy, the Canada Oceans Act and Oceans Strategy, the United States Oceans Act of 2000 and National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan, the European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), and the South African National Water Act. To maintain ecosystem services, many countries develop legal and policy frameworks to guide sustainable use of marine resources ( Pereira et al., 2013). In addition, sources of degradation such as elevated CO 2 and temperature threaten ecosystem integrity and the capacity for marine ecosystems to remain productive ( WHCEQ, 2010 NOC, 2013 Rogers, 2013 Halpern et al., 2015). With an estimated two-thirds of the human population living in or near coastal areas ( Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005), coastal population growth contributes ecosystem pressure, with virtually no marine areas unaffected by human influence ( Halpern et al., 2008). However, marine ecosystems and transitional waters (e.g., coastal areas, estuaries, lagoons, fjords) are increasingly stressed by multiple and often interconnected factors, such as overexploitation, chemical and nutrient pollution, pathogens, harmful algae, and hypoxia. Marine and coastal systems provide a variety of important ecosystem services, such as food, recreation, employment, medicine, and regulation of waste, disease, and climate ( Liquete et al., 2013). Monitoring the Marine System: Supported by Legal Obligation DNA sequencing of bioindicators, both traditional (e.g., benthic macroinvertebrates, ichthyoplankton) and emerging (e.g., microbial assemblages, fish via eDNA), promises to improve assessment of marine biological quality by increasing the breadth, depth, and throughput of information and by reducing costs and reliance on specialized taxonomic expertise. Progress in these efforts coupled with continued improvements in high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics pave the way for sequence data to be employed in formal integrated ecosystem evaluation, including food web assessments, as called for in the European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Molecular-based assessments of biodiversity and ecosystem function offer advantages over traditional methods and are increasingly being generated for a suite of taxa using a “microbes to mammals” or “barcodes to biomes” approach. ![]() In addition, microbial assemblages drive food webs but are not amenable to visual inspection and thus are largely excluded from detailed inventory. Most traditional methods to assess biological quality rely on specialized expertise to provide visual identification of a limited set of specific taxonomic groups, a time-consuming process that can provide a narrow view of ecological status. Many ocean policies mandate integrated, ecosystem-based approaches to marine monitoring, driving a global need for efficient, low-cost bioindicators of marine ecological quality. 6Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), c/o DCV, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.5Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), La Jolla, CA, USA.4Climate Change Cluster, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.3Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.2Department of Biological Sciences and Northern Gulf Institute, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA.1Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (stationed at NOAA/NMFS/SWFSC/La Jolla, CA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, USA.Thompson 1,2, Bernardo Duarte 3, Tim Kahlke 4, Andrew R.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |