Seafloor sediment microtopography as a surrogate for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

Marine soft sediments play crucial roles in global biogeochemical cycles and biodiversity. Yet, with organisms often hidden in the sediment, they pose challenges for effective monitoring and management. This study introduces a novel approach utilizing sediment microtopography as a proxy for ecosystem functioning and biodiversity.

Polyester fibres slowly degrade in marine sediments.

Microplastics are everywhere, including marine sediment. In this study, we evaluated the degradation of polyester, rayon, and cotton sewing threads over nine months when buried in marine sediment in Waitematā Harbour, Auckland, New Zealand. Polyester tensile strength was tested pre- and post-burial to track changes over time.

Rapid effects of plastic pollution on coastal sediment metabolism in nature.

While extensive research has explored the effects of plastic pollution, ecosystem responses remain poorly quantified, especially in field experiments. In this study, we investigated the impact of polyester pollution, a prevalent plastic type, on coastal sediment ecosystem function. Strips of polyester netting were buried into intertidal sediments, and effects on sediment oxygen consumption and polyester additive concentrations were monitored over 72-days.

Polyester microfiber impacts on coastal sediment organic matter consumption.

As plastic pollution continues to accumulate at the seafloor, concerns around benthic ecosystem functionality heightens. This research demonstrates the systematic effects of polyester microfibers on seafloor organic matter consumption rates, an important benthic ecosystem function connected to multiple reactions and processes. We used a field-based assay to measure the loss of organic matter, both with and without polyester microfiber contamination.

Modelled broad-scale shifts on seafloor ecosystem functioning due to microplastic impacts on bioturbation.

Bioturbating species play an essential role in regulating nutrient cycling in marine sediments, but their interaction with microplastics (MP) remains poorly understood. Here we investigated the linkage between MP and ecosystem functioning using experimental observations of luminophore distribution in the sediment to parametrize bioturbation coefficients (D). this information as fed into a simplified transport-reaction model, allowing us to upscale our experimental results.

Toward a network perspective in coastal ecosystem management.

Environmental management in coastal ecosystems has been challenged by the complex cumulative effects that occur when many small issues result in large ecological shifts. Current environmental management of these spaces focuses on identifying and limiting problematic stressors via a series of assessment techniques. Whilst there is a strong desire among managers to consider complexity in ecological responses to cumulative effects, current approaches for assessing risk focus on breaking down the issues into multiple cause and effect relationships.

Ecological network analysis of traits reveals variable response capacity to stress.

Response diversity increases the potential 'options' for ecological communities to respond to stress (i.e. response capacity).

Real-world impacts of microplastic pollution on seafloor ecosystem function.

Emerging research shows that microplastic pollution could be impacting seafloor ecosystem function, but this has been primarily demonstrated without environmental and ecological context. This causes uncertainty in the real-world effects of microplastic pollution and leaves out essential information guiding policy and mitigation. In this study, we take a well-supported sampling design and statistical approach commonly employed in benthic ecology to evaluate real-world effects of microplastic pollution on coastal, benthic ecosystem function.

Biological traits approaches in benthic marine ecology: Dead ends and new paths.

Biological traits analysis (BTA) links community structure to both ecological functions and response to environmental drivers through species' attributes. In consequence, it has become a popular approach in marine benthic studies. However, BTA will reach a dead end if the scientific community does not acknowledge its current shortcomings and limitations: (a) uncertainties related to data origins and a lack of standardized reporting of trait information; (b) knowledge gaps on the role of multiple interacting traits on driving the organisms' responses to environmental variability; (c) knowledge gaps regarding the mechanistic links between traits and functions; (d) a weak focus on the spatial and temporal variability that is inherent to the trait expression of species; and, last but not least, (e) the large reliance on expert knowledge due to an enormous knowledge gap on the basic ecology of many benthic species.

The impact of cumulative stressor effects on uncertainty and ecological risk.

To enable environmental management actions to be more effectively prioritized, cumulative effects between multiple stressors need to be accounted for in risk-assessment frameworks. Ecological risk and uncertainty are generally high when multiple stressors occur. In the face of high uncertainty, transparent communication is essential to inform decision-making.

The influence of mussel restoration on coastal carbon cycling.

Increasing responsiveness to anthropogenic climate change and the loss of global shellfish ecosystems has heightened interest in the carbon storage and sequestration potential of bivalve-dominated systems. While coastal ecosystems are dynamic zones of carbon transformation and change, current uncertainties and notable heterogeneity in the benthic environment make it difficult to ascertain the climate change mitigation capacity of ongoing coastal restoration projects aimed at revitalizing benthic bivalve populations. In this study we sought to distinguish between direct and indirect effects of subtidal green-lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus) on carbon cycling, and combined published literature with in-situ experiments from restored beds to create a carbon budget for New Zealand's shellfish restoration efforts.

Enhancing multiple scales of seafloor biodiversity with mussel restoration.

Restoration projects are underway internationally in response to global declines in shellfish beds. As diverse biological assemblages underpin a variety of ecosystem services, understanding broader changes in biodiversity associated with mussel restoration becomes increasingly valuable to scientists and restoration practitioners. Studies generally show bivalve beds increase species richness and abundance, but results are scale-dependent and conditional on the mobility of specific communities observed.

Positive contribution of macrofaunal biodiversity to secondary production and seagrass carbon metabolism.

Coastal vegetated habitats such as seagrasses are known to play a critical role in carbon cycling and the potential to mitigate climate change, as blue carbon habitats have been repeatedly highlighted. However, little information is known about the role of associated macrofauna communities on the dynamics of critical processes of seagrass carbon metabolism (e.g.

Best-BRA (Is subpectoral or prepectoral implant placement best in immediate breast reconstruction?): a protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial of subpectoral versus prepectoral immediate implant-based breast reconstruction in women following mastectomy.

Background: Implant-based breast reconstruction (IBBR) is the most commonly performed reconstructive procedure following mastectomy. IBBR techniques are evolving rapidly, with mesh-assisted subpectoral reconstruction becoming the standard of care and more recently, prepectoral techniques being introduced. These muscle-sparing techniques may reduce postoperative pain, avoid implant animation and improve cosmetic outcomes and have been widely adopted into practice.

Informing the management of multiple stressors on estuarine ecosystems using an expert-based Bayesian Network model.

The approach of applying stressor load limits or thresholds to aid estuarine management is being explored in many global case studies. However, there is growing concern regarding the influence of multiple stressors and their cumulative effects on the functioning of estuarine ecosystems due to the considerable uncertainty around stressor interactions. Recognising that empirical data limitations hinder parameterisation of detailed models of estuarine ecosystem responses to multiple stressors (suspended sediment, sediment mud and metal content, and nitrogen inputs), an expert driven Bayesian network (BN) was developed and validated.

Beyond the single index: Investigating ecological mechanisms underpinning ecosystem multifunctionality with network analysis.

Ecosystems simultaneously deliver multiple functions that relate to both the activities of resident species and environmental conditions. One of the biggest challenges in multifunctionality assessment is balancing analytical simplicity with ecosystem complexity. As an alternative to index-based approaches, we introduce a multivariate network analysis that uses network theory to assess multifunctionality in terms of the relationships between species' functional traits, environmental characteristics, and functions.

Climate cascades affect coastal Antarctic seafloor ecosystem functioning.

Polar seafloor ecosystems are changing rapidly and dramatically, challenging previously held paradigms of extreme dynamical stability. Warming-related declines in polar sea ice are expected to alter fluxes of phytoplankton and under-ice algae to the seafloor. Yet, how changes in food flux cascade through to seafloor communities and functions remains unclear.

The distribution and ecological effects of microplastics in an estuarine ecosystem.

Coastal sediments, where microplastics (MPs) accumulate, support benthic microalgae (BMA) that contribute to ecosystem functions such as primary production, nutrient recycling and sediment biostabilization. The potential interactions between MPs, BMA and associated properties and functions remain poorly understood. To examine these interactions, a survey of 22 intertidal sites was conducted.

Identifying "vital attributes" for assessing disturbance-recovery potential of seafloor communities.

Despite a long history of disturbance-recovery research, we still lack a generalizable understanding of the attributes that drive community recovery potential in seafloor ecosystems. Marine soft-sediment ecosystems encompass a range of heterogeneity from simple low-diversity habitats with limited biogenic structure, to species-rich systems with complex biogenic habitat structure. These differences in biological heterogeneity are a product of natural conditions and disturbance regimes.

Wear Resistance of Medium Carbon Steel with Different Microstructures.

In this research, the tribological properties of different microstructures of medium carbon steel produced by either an austempered process or quenched-tempered process are investigated. The as-received samples with annealed microstructure (spherodized) are austempered to obtain a bainite microstructure or quenched-tempered to obtain a tempered martensite microstructure. The tribological performance of these microstructures was studied using a ball-on-disk UMT3 tribometer.

Patient-reported outcomes of immediate implant-based breast reconstruction with and without biological or synthetic mesh.

Background: Biological and synthetic meshes may improve the outcomes of immediate implant-based breast reconstruction (IBBR) by facilitating single-stage procedures and improving cosmesis. Supporting evidence is, however, limited. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of biological and synthetic mesh on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of IBBR 18 months after surgery.

A call to evaluate Plastic's impacts on marine benthic ecosystem interaction networks.

Plastic pollution continues to seep into natural and pristine habitats. Emerging laboratory-based research has evoked concern regarding plastic's impact on ecosystem structure and function, the essence of the ecosystem services that supports our life, wellbeing, and economy. These impacts have yet to be observed in nature where complex ecosystem interaction networks are enveloped in environmental physical and chemical dynamics.

Predicting habitat suitability of filter-feeder communities in a shallow marine environment, New Zealand.

The distribution of benthic ecosystems, dominated by filter-feeding communities, is highly influenced by the seabed geomorphology. However, the spatial variation in settlement of these species is also affected by near-bottom currents and any changes in light, nutrient concentration and food quality often associated with increases of suspended sediment concentrations within the water column. Detailed predictions of the geographic distribution of filter-feeder species and a deeper understanding of the physical processes influencing their distribution patterns is key for effective management and conservation.