Mapping marine benthic biological traits to facilitate future sustainable development.

Escalating societal demands placed on the seabed mean there has never been such a pressing need to align our understanding of the relationship between the physical impact of anthropogenic activities (e.g., installation of wind turbines, demersal fishing) and the structure and function of the seabed assemblages.

Biological traits of marine benthic invertebrates in Northwest Europe.

Biological traits analysis (BTA) provides insight into causes and consequences of biodiversity change that cannot be achieved using traditional taxonomic approaches. However, acquiring information on biological traits (i.e.

Species interactions and environmental context affect intraspecific behavioural trait variation and ecosystem function.

Functional trait-based approaches are increasingly adopted to understand and project ecological responses to environmental change; however, most assume trait expression is constant between conspecifics irrespective of context. Using two species of benthic invertebrate (brittlestars and ), we demonstrate that trait expression at individual and community levels differs with biotic and abiotic context. We use PERMANOVA to test the effect of species identity, density and local environmental history on individual (righting and burrowing) and community (particle reworking and burrow ventilation) trait expression, as well as associated effects on ecosystem functioning (sediment nutrient release).

Compensatory responses can alter the form of the biodiversity-function relation curve.

There is now strong evidence that ecosystem properties are influenced by alterations in biodiversity. The consensus that has emerged from over two decades of research is that the form of the biodiversity-functioning relationship follows a saturating curve. However, the foundation from which these conclusions are drawn mostly stems from empirical investigations that have not accounted for post-extinction changes in community composition and structure, or how surviving species respond to new circumstances and modify their contribution to functioning.

Consequences of biodiversity loss diverge from expectation due to post-extinction compensatory responses.

Consensus has been reached that global biodiversity loss impairs ecosystem functioning and the sustainability of services beneficial to humanity. However, the ecosystem consequences of extinction in natural communities are moderated by compensatory species dynamics, yet these processes are rarely accounted for in impact assessments and seldom considered in conservation programmes. Here, we use marine invertebrate communities to parameterise numerical models of sediment bioturbation - a key mediator of biogeochemical cycling - to determine whether post-extinction compensatory mechanisms alter biodiversity-ecosystem function relations following non-random extinctions.

Towards an integrated approach to marine benthic monitoring.

In the UK, most marine benthic monitoring is carried out in a piecemeal fashion, funded by different sectors of industry that utilise the marine environment under licence. Monitoring requirements are imposed by licence conditions, which can vary considerably between licences. The UK Government also conducts marine environmental surveys in support of its legislative commitments.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments at dredged material disposal sites around England: concentrations in 2013 and time trend information at selected sites 2008-2013.

The maintenance of navigation channels to ports and the development of their facilities present a need to conduct dredging operations, and the subsequent disposal of dredged material at sea. Contaminant concentrations in candidate dredged material are determined and their possible impacts considered during the licensing process, which can result in the exclusion of some material from sea disposal. Monitoring of disposal sites is conducted in order to ensure that no undesirable impacts are occurring.

A temporal and spatial assessment of TBT concentrations at dredged material disposal sites around the coast of England and Wales.

Despite legislative interventions since the 1980s, contemporary concentrations of organotin compounds in marine sediments still impose restrictions on the disposal of dredged material in the UK. Here, we analyse temporal and spatial data to assess the effectiveness of the ban on the use of TBT paints in reducing concentrations at disposal sites. At a national scale, there was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of samples in which the concentration was below the limit of detection (LOD) from 1998 to 2010.

Impacts of dredged material disposal on macrobenthic invertebrate communities: A comparison of structural and functional (secondary production) changes at disposal sites around England and Wales.

Although the impacts of dredged material disposal in the marine environment have been well studied, there is currently a limited understanding of the associated impacts on benthic function. This study compares macrofaunal structural and functional (based on secondary production estimates) responses to dredged material disposal at 14 sites across the coast of England and Wales. Disposal resulted in significant reductions of total secondary production at seven sites; no sites exhibited significant increases in production estimates.

Burial survival of benthic macrofauna following deposition of simulated dredged material.

In many coastal regions, the disposal of dredged material constitutes the largest (albeit often localised) anthropogenic disturbance to the seabed. Impacts can be minimised by reducing the amount of sediment overburden on the bed at any one time allowing short-term recovery to proceed via the vertical migration of resident species. However, there is currently a limited understanding of the ability of such species to successfully vertically migrate.

Impact and recovery associated with the deposition of capital dredgings at UK disposal sites: lessons for future licensing and monitoring.

The majority of studies relating to impacts and recovery at dredgings disposal sites have concentrated on areas subject to regular and frequent disposals of maintenance dredgings over relatively long time periods. In comparison less is known regarding the significance of impacts and the recovery processes associated with the disposal of capital dredgings that commonly involves the infrequent deposition of heterogenous material over relatively restricted time periods. Impacts and recovery processes are likely to be different to those associated with the disposal of maintenance dredgings.

Macrofaunal recolonisation following the intertidal placement of fine-grained dredged material.

Dredged material is increasingly being regarded as a potential resource, and one of its many uses is to create and/or improve intertidal habitats (i.e. beneficial use).

Minimizing impacts of maintenance dredged material disposal in the coastal environment: a habitat approach.

At present, coastal disposal of maintenance dredged material constitutes one of the most important problems in coastal zone management and in some coastal areas represents the major anthropogenic disturbance to the benthos. In this review we first propose, based on the classic literature, that macrofaunal communities typical of environmentally stressed habitats are more resilient than those of more environmentally stable habitats, and we outline the macrofaunal successional changes following a disturbance. Second, from a review and analysis of the published and unpublished literature on macrofaunal recovery following maintenance dredged material deposition in the coastal environment, we compare the successional sequences and recovery rates in euhaline and polyhaline systems.