Coastal Ecosystem Biodiversity: Linkage with Anthropogenic Activities and Climate Changes

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Diversity and Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (26 January 2024) | Viewed by 2033

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
Interests: nutrients; biogeochemistry; coastal microorganisms; phytoplankton; terrestrial material transport

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Guest Editor
Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Interests: metagenomics; microbial diversity; microbial ecology; molecular microbiology; next generation sequencing

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Science, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, Kuching 93350, Malaysia
Interests: plant tissue culture; plant metabolomics; endophytes; plant breeding; natural product research; bioactive secondary metabolites; carnivorous plants; orchids cultivation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coastal zone is the interaction region between land and ocean, which harbors substantial microorganisms, fauna, and flora. Currently, coastal ecosystems are significantly influenced by different human activities, such as agriculture, fishery, and marine tourism. These activities may act as drivers or pressures for ecosystems. More importantly, coastal ecosystems are also impacted by climate changes on a global scale. Climate events, including short (e.g., storm) and long (e.g., temperature changes) temporal scales, are assumed to be key for coastal biodiversity. Notably, diversity is significantly linked to the ecosystem resilience and functions, which are deemed to be key support for sustainable development. On a global scale, biodiversity protection is an issue beyond science, receiving great attention from citizens, government, and all stakeholders. This Special Issue focuses on the latest research output on coastal biodiversity studies from the view of climate changes and human influences, e.g., species diversity, evolutionary origins, and biodiversity drivers. Topics of interest for this Special Issue may include, but are not limited to, the study of biodiversity in the following areas:

  • Drivers and pressures on biodiversity in different coastal ecosystems;
  • Relationship between climate events (short/long temporal scales) and biodiversity;
  • The linkage between ecosystem biodiversity and human development in coastal zones;
  • Influences of terrestrial materials on ecosystem biodiversity, functions, and potential values;
  • Adaptive or acclimation patterns of marine animals and microorganisms in coastal zones.

Dr. Shan Jiang
Dr. Biao Chen
Dr. Changi Wong
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • biodiversity
  • coastal ecosystems
  • climate events
  • human activities
  • microorganisms
  • pressure
  • sustainable development

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3462 KiB  
Article
Morphological Evolution of an Intertidal Mudflat in Relation to Mangrove Growth: Implications for Future Erosion Control
by Nguyen Tan Phong, Nguyen Bao Thuan, Le Tan Loi and Huynh Van Quoc
Life 2024, 14(6), 711; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14060711 - 30 May 2024
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Abstract
There is limited information regarding the influence of mangrove growth on the morphological evolution of intertidal mudflats. In this study, Tan Phu Dong district, Tien Giang Province, Vietnam, was selected for investigating how mangrove growth influenced the morphological evolution of an intertidal mudflat. [...] Read more.
There is limited information regarding the influence of mangrove growth on the morphological evolution of intertidal mudflats. In this study, Tan Phu Dong district, Tien Giang Province, Vietnam, was selected for investigating how mangrove growth influenced the morphological evolution of an intertidal mudflat. The authors analyzed a series of satellite images (from 1995 and 2022), calculated the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), and documented field visits and observations in pursuit of the objective of the study. The findings revealed that fine-grained sediment accumulated as unconsolidated substratum (US) in the first step of the morphological evolution of the intertidal mudflat, with sediment accumulation of 910 ha in 1995. The US provided favorable conditions for mangroves to grow, while mangrove growth helped compact the US into a compact substratum (CS) in addition to promoting continuous sediment accumulation, increased the vegetation cover of the island, and elevated the substrate density of the remaining areas. As a result, the US and CS decreased steadily between 1995 and 2020, from 910 ha in 1995 to 401 ha in 2020 and from 433 ha in 2005 to 111 ha in 2020, respectively. Meanwhile, the low-vegetation area (LVA), medium-vegetation area (MVA), and high vegetation area (HVA) gradually increased between 1995 and 2015, from 0 ha in 1995 to 104 ha in 2015, from 0 ha in 1995 to 96 ha in 2015, and from 0 ha in 1995 to 114 ha in 2015, respectively. However, the LVA decreased slightly between 2015 and 2020 due to significant sand accumulation, which significantly killed the mangrove trees. In contrast, the MVA and HVA steadily increased between 2015 and 2020, from 96 ha in 2015 to 116 ha in 2020 and from 114 ha in 2015 to 221 ha in 2020, respectively. In 2022, there was a steady increase in HVA (298 ha in 2022), although the date of the 2022 satellite retrieval was 28 January 2022. This study recommends that the technical design of the existing coastal protection works should be revised or adapted to take account of sediment accumulation as the first step in the morphological evolution of the examined intertidal mudflat, rather than mangrove growth. Full article
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28 pages, 8299 KiB  
Article
Screening of Phytoplankton Dynamics: Assessing Reservoir Ecosystem Health under Thermal Pollution from an Electrical Power Plant in the Pechora River Basin, European North
by Elena Patova, Julia Shabalina, Michael Sivkov and Sophia Barinova
Life 2024, 14(1), 71; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14010071 - 31 Dec 2023
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Abstract
For the first time, we investigated species composition, phytoplankton community structure, and hydrochemical parameters in the artificial cooling reservoir of a major thermal power plant (TPP) in northeastern Europe located in the Pechora River basin (Komi Republic). Our research, conducted during June and [...] Read more.
For the first time, we investigated species composition, phytoplankton community structure, and hydrochemical parameters in the artificial cooling reservoir of a major thermal power plant (TPP) in northeastern Europe located in the Pechora River basin (Komi Republic). Our research, conducted during June and August, revealed a total of 81 species of algae and cyanobacteria, with cyanobacteria predominating. Among these cyanobacteria and microalgae (Bacillariophyta and Chlorophyta), algae that serve as reliable indicators of water quality were identified. The assessment of water quality based on abundance and species composition of indicator phytoplankton species revealed that the waters of the Pechorskoe Reservoir belong to the III class (β-mesosaprobic or moderately polluted). This indicates that water quality is satisfactory, and the reservoir retains the ability to self-purify. The power plant’s discharges heat the surface layers, increasing plankton communities’ diversity, abundance, and biomass. Such stable warming in the upper layers throughout the season, uncommon for natural water bodies in the north, results in a slight increase in the trophic status of the studied reservoir, supported by hydrochemical analysis. These results provide valuable information about ecosystem functioning under temperature increasing for predicting changes in the phototrophic biota of small northern reservoirs facing the impacts of climate change. Full article
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