Publications by authors named "J M Hall-Spencer"

Article Synopsis
  • * They act as foundation species, creating "facilitation cascades" that help mitigate physical stress, reduce predator impacts, and improve resource availability for other species, which leads to complex and supportive community structures.
  • * Key research gaps include understanding how rhodoliths function as facilitators, the stability of these interactions over time, how species dynamics change in different environments, and their potential as climate refuges, which is essential for shaping effective marine conservation policies.
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Ocean acidification (OA) is known to influence biological and ecological processes, mainly focusing on its impacts on single species, but little has been documented on how OA may alter plankton community interactions. Here, we conducted a mesocosm experiment with ambient (∼410 ppmv) and high (1000 ppmv) CO concentrations in a subtropical eutrophic region of the East China Sea and examined the community dynamics of microeukaryotes, bacterioplankton and microeukaryote-attached bacteria in the enclosed coastal seawater. The OA treatment with elevated CO affected taxa as the phytoplankton bloom stages progressed, with a 72.

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Blooms of microalgal red tides and macroalgae (e.g., green and golden tides caused by Ulva and Sargassum) have caused widespread problems around China in recent years, but there is uncertainty around what triggers these blooms and how they interact.

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Global marine conservation remains fractured by an imbalance in research efforts and policy actions, limiting progression towards sustainability. Rhodolith beds represent a prime example, as they have ecological importance on a global scale, provide a wealth of ecosystem functions and services, including biodiversity provision and potential climate change mitigation, but remain disproportionately understudied, compared to other coastal ecosystems (tropical coral reefs, kelp forests, mangroves, seagrasses). Although rhodolith beds have gained some recognition, as important and sensitive habitats at national/regional levels during the last decade, there is still a notable lack of information and, consequently, specific conservation efforts.

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Ocean acidification can severely affect bivalve molluscs, especially their shell calcification. Assessing the fate of this vulnerable group in a rapidly acidifying ocean is therefore a pressing challenge. Volcanic CO seeps are natural analogues of future ocean conditions that offer unique insights into the scope of marine bivalves to cope with acidification.

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