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  • Urbanisation supplements ecosystem functioning in disturbed estuaries

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    Author(s)
    Olds, Andrew D
    Frohloff, Brooke A
    Gilby, Ben L
    Connolly, Rod M
    Yabsley, Nicholas A
    Maxwell, Paul S
    Henderson, Christopher J
    Schlacher, Thomas A
    Griffith University Author(s)
    Olds, Andrew D.
    Connolly, Rod M.
    Year published
    2018
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    Abstract
    Humans have urbanised and fragmented landscapes across the globe, with detrimental impacts to biodiversity, habitats and food webs in most biomes. Urbanisation might also modify the provision of ecological functions, but these putative effects of landscape transformation are rarely measured. Coastal cities are typically located near estuaries, and we tested for potential impacts of these on ecological functions. Our study used 22 estuaries in eastern Australia as model systems to examine how urbanisation shapes the consumption of carrion by fish, a pivotal ecological function in estuaries. Fish assemblages varied among ...
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    Humans have urbanised and fragmented landscapes across the globe, with detrimental impacts to biodiversity, habitats and food webs in most biomes. Urbanisation might also modify the provision of ecological functions, but these putative effects of landscape transformation are rarely measured. Coastal cities are typically located near estuaries, and we tested for potential impacts of these on ecological functions. Our study used 22 estuaries in eastern Australia as model systems to examine how urbanisation shapes the consumption of carrion by fish, a pivotal ecological function in estuaries. Fish assemblages varied among estuaries according to the extent of shoreline hardening, and this was correlated with changes in the rate of carrion consumption. In estuaries with low levels of shoreline hardening and abundant remnant mangroves, most carrion was consumed by toadfishes (Tetraodontidae). By contrast, in moderately urban estuaries (i.e. where 20–60% of shorelines had been hardened with artificial structures) yellowfin bream (Sparidae) replaced toadfish and performed the bulk of the scavenging function. Bream are particularly effective scavengers that utilize artificial structures as habitat for both foraging and sheltering. We show that by augmenting habitat for an important species of scavenger, the moderate addition of urban structures to estuarine shorelines also helped to supplement a key ecological function in estuaries. Urbanisation impacts diversity in all ecosystems, but many opportunistic species flourish in urban habitats. Identifying and conserving taxa that perform important roles in urban environments is now a critical conservation challenge for maintaining ecological functions across disturbed landscapes.
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    Journal Title
    ECOGRAPHY
    Volume
    41
    Issue
    12
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.03551
    Copyright Statement
    © 2018 The Authors. Ecography © 2018 Nordic Society Oikos. The attached file is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the journal's website for access to the definitive, published version.
    Subject
    Ecological Applications
    Environmental Science and Management
    Ecology
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/382943
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    • Journal articles

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