ORCID Profile
0000-0001-8488-0890
Current Organisations
University of Southampton
,
Univeristy of Hull
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Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-02-2016
DOI: 10.1111/MAEC.12297
Publisher: Geological Society of America
Date: 06-09-2013
DOI: 10.1130/G34819.1
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2012
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2019.01.068
Abstract: Increasingly environmental management seeks to limit the impacts of human activities on ecosystems relative to some 'reference' condition, which is often the presumed pre-impacted state, however such information is limited. We explore how marine ecosystems in deep time (Late Jurassic) are characterised by AZTI's Marine Biotic Index (AMBI), and how the indices responded to natural perturbations. AMBI is widely used to detect the impacts of human disturbance and to establish management targets, and this study is the first application of these indices to a fossil fauna. Our results show AMBI detected changes in past seafloor communities (well-preserved fossil deposits) that underwent regional deoxygenation in a manner analogous to those experiencing two decades of organic pollution. These findings highlight the potential for palaeoecological data to contribute to reconstructions of pre-human marine ecosystems, and hence provide information to policy makers and regulators with greater temporal context on the nature of 'pristine' marine ecosystems.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-10-2017
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-016-3747-6
Abstract: Global warming during the Early Jurassic, and associated widespread ocean deoxygenation, was comparable in scale with the changes projected for the next century. This study quantifies the impact of severe global environmental change on the biological traits of marine communities that define the ecological roles and functions they deliver. We document centennial-millennial variability in the biological trait composition of Early Jurassic (Toarcian) seafloor communities and examine how this changed during the event using biological traits analysis. Environmental changes preceding the global oceanic anoxic event (OAE) produced an ecological shift leading to stressed benthic palaeocommunities with reduced resilience to the subsequent OAE. Changes in traits and ecological succession coincided with major environmental changes and were of similar nature and magnitude to those in severely deoxygenated benthic communities today despite the very different timescales. Changes in community composition were linked to local redox conditions whereas changes in populations of opportunists were driven by primary productivity. Throughout most of the OAE substitutions by tolerant taxa conserved the trait composition and hence functioning, but periods of severe deoxygenation caused benthic defaunation that would have resulted in functional collapse. Following the OAE recovery was slow probably because the global nature of the event restricted opportunities for recruitment from outside the basin. Our findings suggest that future systems undergoing deoxygenation may initially show functional resilience, but severe global deoxygenation will impact traits and ecosystem functioning and, by limiting the species pool, will slow recovery rates.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/AN14419
Abstract: Variation in liveweight change in the ewe flock during periods of poor nutrition can affect farm profitability through the effects of liveweight loss on potential stocking rate, management interventions including supplementary feeding, and ewe and lamb survival and productivity. There is variation between in idual animals in their ability to manage periods of poor nutrition, but the links between liveweight change and breeding values in the adult ewe flock have not been quantified. We analysed 5216 liveweight profiles for 2772 ewes managed over 3 years at eight sites across Australia, to define the relative effects of environment, reproductive performance and breeding values on liveweight change. The range in liveweight loss varied from 1.3 kg to 21.6 kg, and for liveweight gain from 0.4 kg to 28.1 kg. Site and year had the largest influence on liveweight change, which demonstrates that seasonal conditions and management were the most important factors influencing liveweight change. Liveweight loss was influenced by previous and current reproductive performance but these effects were small in comparison to the effects of site and year. There were mixed associations with sire breeding values for growth, fat and muscle depending on site. An increase in sire breeding values for fat by 1 mm was associated with a reduction in liveweight loss by up to 1.3 kg regardless of ewe breed, and this was more evident at sites where ewes lost a greater proportion of their liveweight. While management had the greatest effect on liveweight change, there appears to be scope to use breeding values to select sheep that will lose less weight during periods of poor nutrition in some environments.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1071/MF19242
Abstract: The world’s coastlines have become heavily modified over the last century, with the adjacent natural habitats declining in bio ersity and health under increasing pressure from urbanisation. In this study we assessed the structure and biological traits of macrofaunal assemblages from 24 south-east Queensland mudflats in order to determine whether ecological functioning (e.g. primary production, nutrient cycling) and the delivery of ecosystem services was affected by urbanisation. This work represents the most comprehensive assessment of mudflat assemblages in the region to date. The mudflats contained 50 macrofaunal taxa and so were comparable to other local intertidal systems. Summer assemblages contained more species, more in iduals and had differing taxonomic composition. When indexed as a proportion of subcatchment area, urbanisation did not correspond to a clear impact on macrofaunal composition rather, the nature of the industry or activity was critical. Mudflats from subcatchments with industries producing organic wastes significantly differed from subcatchments with & .3% cover of these industries. Functioning was conserved in mudflats experiencing current levels of enrichment, but this may decline with growing pressure from human populations. The results of this study illustrate that large-scale spatial data, such as from satellites, can be used to detect the cumulative effects of urbanisation when the pressures are highly resolved.
Publisher: Geological Society of London
Date: 19-08-2009
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2019
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-07-2016
DOI: 10.1038/SREP30381
Abstract: We describe a method for determining the parental HLA haplotypes of a single in idual without recourse to conventional segregation genetics. Blood s les were cultured to identify and sort chromosome 6 by bivariate flow cytometry. Single chromosome 6 lification products were confirmed with a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and verified by deep sequencing to enable assignment of both alleles at the HLA loci, defining the two haplotypes. This study exemplifies a rapid and efficient method of haplotyping that can be applied to any chromosome pair, or indeed all chromosome pairs, using a single sorting operation. The method represents a cost-effective approach to complete phasing of SNPs, which will facilitate a deeper understanding of the links between SNPs, gene regulation and protein function.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 23-11-2017
DOI: 10.1093/OSO/9780198726289.001.0001
Abstract: We use more than 100 000 chemicals in our daily lives to promote health, treat disease, facilitate transportation, use in industrial processes, grow food and access clean water. While these developments have improved human lives, many of these compounds ultimately end up in our seas and oceans where they represent a threat to marine life, ourselves and our continued use of the oceans to treat our waste, provide us with food and offer us recreation. Many of the pollution problems of previous decades seem to have been resolved, in the developed world, or at least managed to minimise their environmental impacts. However, despite treatments being available that reduce their damaging qualities, a potent mixture of toxic compounds enter the marine environment every day along with other potentially harmful additions including heat, noise and light and non-native species. The question thus arises: is pollution a problem that has really been solved? How well are we managing traditional pollutants? What are the challenges we still face today? What are the upcoming marine pollution challenges that face society? This volume describes the different marine pollutants, the science behind measuring their ecological impacts and how they are monitored in the environment, including traditional and new management approaches. This is an up-to-date account of marine pollution within the broad ecological and social context of a growing, technologically advanced, global population.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 26-05-2022
DOI: 10.1071/MF21308
Abstract: Context Understanding how ecosystems function to deliver services is essential if we are to limit the impacts off human activities. Aim We hypothesised that increased densities of whelk, Pyrazus ebeninus, and crab, Macrophthalmus setosus, up to four times (given their large body-size and ecological roles, e.g. consuming deposits and disturbing sediments) would affect the macrofaunal community and how it functions in a south-eastern Queensland mudflat. Method The biota and physical environment of the field-deployed cages (three density treatments, caged and control plots) were s led up to 90 days. Results After 90 days, the redox discontinuity layer was deeper and sediment organic matter was higher in all density treatments. This is consistent with enhanced burrowing, surface disturbance, mucus and pellet production. However, no significant changes in the taxonomic composition of the unmanipulated portion of the macrofaunal resident assemblage were observed. Conclusion Whereas some communities change structurally when perturbated and then revert, this community remained in the new manipulated configuration for at least 90 days. Implications Limited understanding of the ecological relationships in these systems, such as the processes operating to support this large increase in deposit-feeding biomass constrains evidence-based management. These systems may be able to, at least temporally, support enhanced biomasses and levels of ecosystem services.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2015
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2018.08.041
Abstract: Climate change and anthropogenic nutrient enrichment are driving rapid increases in ocean deoxygenation. These changes cause bio ersity loss and have severe consequences for marine ecosystem functioning and in turn the delivery of ecosystem services upon which humanity depends (e.g. fisheries). We seek to understand how such changes will impact seafloor functioning using biological traits analysis. Results from a sewage-sludge disposal site in the Firth of Clyde, UK spanning 26 years of monitoring showed that substantial changes in macrobenthic nutrient cycling and the provision of food for predators occurred, with elevated functioning on the margins 1-2 km from the centre of the disposal grounds. Thus, changes in food-web dynamics are expected, that weaken benthic pelagic coupling and lower secondary production (such as fisheries). Generally, functioning was conserved, but declined below a ~6% total organic carbon threshold. Similar to other severely deoxygenated systems, the recovery was slow and hysteresis was apparent.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-06-2013
Publisher: Geological Society of London
Date: 27-03-2023
Abstract: Climate change is undermining the health and integrity of seafloor ecosystems, with declines in bioturbation expected to impact future ecosystem functioning. We explored changes in the nature and degree of bioturbation during Early Jurassic global warming and ocean deoxygenation. Understanding how these communities responded can help anticipate how bioturbation and ecosystem functioning might change over large spatial and temporal scales. Trace and body fossils from outcrop and core in the Cleveland Basin, UK show how healthy seafloor communities deteriorated through the Pliensbachian spinatum Zone, and macroinfaunal behaviour fluctuated across the Pliensbachian–Toarcian boundary coincident with mass extinction. Deoxygenation began above the stage boundary, and conditions deteriorated until bioturbation ceased completely (upper tenuicostatum Zone) for 0.6–2.5 Ma, longer than anywhere else in NW Tethys. The macroinfaunal record revealed new details on the progression and timing of deoxygenation, benthic recovery and fluctuations in the palaeoredox boundary. After the oceanic anoxic event infauna were fewer, smaller and did not mix sediments to depth, and while the depth and ersity of bioturbation had increased by the fibulatum Subzone ( bifrons Zone), the benthos had not recovered to late Pliensbachian pre-oceanic anoxic event state. Bioturbation collapse over large parts of the Northern Hemisphere probably contributed to regional-scale changes in ecosystem functioning.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-04-2020
DOI: 10.1111/FAF.12460
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Bryony Caswell.