Date of this Version
4-11-2014
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Water filtration is one of the most important ecosystem services provided by sessile organisms in coastal ecosystems. As a consequence of increased coastal development, human-made shoreline structures (e.g., docks and bulkheads) are now common, providing extensive surface area for colonization by filter feeders. We estimate that in a highly urbanized sub-tropical estuary, water filtration capacity supported by filter feeding assemblages on dock pilings accounts for 11.7 million liters of water h−1, or ~30% of the filtration provided by all natural oyster reef throughout the estuary. Assemblage composition, and thus filtration capacity, varied as a function of piling type, suggesting that the choice of building material has critical implications for ecosystem function. A more thorough depiction of the function of coastal ecosystems necessitates quantification of the extensive ecosystem services associated with human-made structures.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Layman, Craig A.; Jud, Zachary R.; Archer, Stephanie K.; and Riera, David, "Provision of ecosystem services by human-made structures in a highly impacted estuary" (2014). Department of Biological Sciences. 113.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cas_bio/113
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Comments
Originally Published in Environmental Research Letters, IOP Science