Long-term impacts of extreme events
on estuarine ecosystems
Filipe
Martinho
Centre for Functional Ecology – CFE
Department of Life Sciences
University of Coimbra
Overview
One of the most recognized aspects of
climate change is the gradual increase
in air and water temperature around
the globe
Impact on Earth’s marine ecosystems
• Biology
• Oceanography
• Functioning
IPCC, 2001; 2007
Overview
Smooth changes can be interrupted by
sudden drastic switches to a contrasting
state.
EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
As a consequence of climate change, the loss
of resilience in biological communities
usually paves the way for a switch to an
alternative state.
Overview
Long-term datasets are among the most important tools for addressing the
impacts of climate change and extreme events on marine ecosystems
Rijnsdorp et al., 2009
ICES Journal of Marine Science
Overview
Mondego estuary
one of the longest time-series in Portugal
2003
2016
Biological communities
• Benthic invertebrates
• Zooplankton and ichthyoplankton
• Fish
Extreme weather events
• Droughts
• Heat waves
• Floods
Impacts on fish communities
Prolonged drought resulted in:
• Changes in dominant functional groups
• Increase in species with marine affinities
• Lower species diversity
• Reduced functional diversity
• Lower production of key species
Martinho et al., 2007
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Sci
Dolbeth et al., 2010
Marine and Freshwater Research
Baptista et al., 2015
Marine Pollution Bulletin
Impacts on fish communities
Prolonged drought resulted in:
• Changes in species climate affinity
Sub-tropical flatfishes
Present only during the drought
A. laterna
Scaldfish
D. hexophthalma
Ocellated wedge sole
Baptista et al., 2015
Marine Pollution Bulletin
Martinho et al., 2010
Journal of Applied Ichthyology
B. luteum
Solenette
P. lascaris
Sand sole
Impacts on habitat use by marine fish
B
-2
-3
-3
F
-2
-2
-3
-3
1
1
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2013
Negatively correlated with salinity
- higher salinity
- lower river runoff
- smaller extension of river plumes into coastal areas
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2005
2004
2006
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
-1
-2
Positively correlated with NAO
- global climate patterns influence growth and
survival of early life stages
0
2005
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
•
•
2004
SST
2
-2
-3
J
3
2
1
1
-2
-3
-3
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
-1
-2
2005
0
2004
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
0
SST Winter
2
-1
Lower densities during the drought
3
2
2003
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
-1
0
•
0
2003
NAO
1
H
Estuarine densities of D. labrax
(+ correlation)
2
0
-1
2004
3
1
-1
2003
-1
-3
3
River Runoff
0
-2
-3
I
1
-2
3
Water Temperature
3
NAO Winter
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
0
(- correlation)
2
G
-2
2
1
3
Salinity
E
D
2
-1
0
-1
-3
3
0-Group Abundance Peak
C
1
2005
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
0
-1
European sea bass
Dicentrarchus labrax
2
2004
0-Group Prodution
1
2003
0-Group Density
2
3
2003
3
2003
A
Martinho et al., 2009
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Sci
Bento et al, 2016
Submitted
Impacts on estuarine colonization by marine fish
Estuarine colonization of P. flesus
Early life stages follow a latitudinal trend
•
Growth and survival is mainly determined by prevailing
water temperature
•
•
Different populations have different thresholds to
temperature regimes
Extreme events can overrule the latitudinal trend and
impose a mismatch between prey and predator, or
between larvae and suitable hydrographic conditions
Mondego
16
Sea surface temperature (ºC)
•
European flounder
Platichthys flesus
Martinho et al., 2013
Journal of Sea Research
Villaine
14
Slack
12
Wadden Sea
10
8
Sor ord
6
60
70
80
90
100
110
Mean hatch date
120
130
140
Take home message
The long-term impacts of extreme events on estuarine communities depend on:
• Extension in time and space of the extreme event(s)
• Resilience of specific communities/species/functional groups
• Ontogeny – life cycle stages tend to have different thresholds to changes
• Position relative to geographical distribution range
Prolonging existing long-term monitoring plans is mandatory for addressing
climate/species relationships
Future work
MYTAG - PTDC/MAR-EST/2098/2014
Integrating natural and artificial tags to reconstruct fish migrations and
ontogenetic niche shifts
Project - IF/01410/2012
Estuarine areas as nursery grounds for marine fish in a global change
scenario: combining local and large-scale approaches
Future work
Estuarine habitat colonization vs oceanic circulation and river plumes
Relationship between fish and zooplankton with large/meso-scale climate drivers
Acknowledgments
Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology - FCT
Investigador FCT – IF/01410/2012
Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), Coimbra, Portugal
Team members & funding
Homepage: cfe.uc.pt/fmartinho
E-mail: [email protected]