Dissertation/ Thesis
Modelling Coral Reef Futures: Exploring the role of structural complexity in sustaining ecosystem services
| العنوان: | Modelling Coral Reef Futures: Exploring the role of structural complexity in sustaining ecosystem services |
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| المؤلفون: | Chelsey Beese |
| سنة النشر: | 2024 |
| مصطلحات موضوعية: | Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology), Biological mathematics, coral reefs, ecosystem modelling, habitat structural complexity, predator-prey interactions, habitat degradation, ecosystem services, trophodynamics, School: School of Biological Sciences, 310305 Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology), 490102 Biological mathematics, 180501 Assessment and management of benthic marine ecosystems, Degree Discipline: Marine Biology, Degree Name: Doctor of Philosophy, Degree Level: Doctoral |
| الوصف: | Environmental disturbances driven by climate change are causing unprecedented degradation of natural systems across the globe. Rapid environmental changes limit our capacity to forecast future habitat conditions based on historical benchmarks as we face scenarios unlike any observed in the past. Tropical coral reefs are experiencing widespread biodiversity and habitat loss due to increasingly frequent marine heatwaves, intense storms, pathogens, pollutants, and human exploitation. Reef flattening has been observed across the entire range of latitudes where coral reefs develop. Coral reef fauna are specialised to inhabit one of the most structurally complex habitats in the world, making them particularly vulnerable to habitat degradation. The flattening of reef habitats changes system dynamics and jeopardizes the stability of the ecosystem services we rely on reefs to provide. In this thesis, I develop and explore ecosystem models that explicitly consider the influence of habitat quality on dynamic processes. Using parameters that simulate a generic reef ecosystem, I manipulate habitat quality in several ways, revealing key aspects of the interaction between fish communities and habitat quality with a focus on the provision of ecosystem services. These models can be used as predictive tools to inform ecosystem management strategies and determine trade-offs in decision-making, allowing us to plan for a future where coral reef ecosystems are likely to be drastically different from those of the past. To set the stage for this work, Chapter 1 begins with a comprehensive overview of coral reef ecosystems and the critical issues threatening their survival. The relationship between various ecological factors and their collective impacts on coral reefs is highlighted, focussing on trophic relationships and the consequences of disturbance. This is followed by a detailed examination of structural complexity in marine environments, emphasizing its crucial role as a structuring force in reef ecosystems. The next section ... |
| نوع الوثيقة: | thesis |
| اللغة: | unknown |
| Relation: | https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Modelling_Coral_Reef_Futures_Exploring_the_role_of_structural_complexity_in_sustaining_ecosystem_services/26421523 |
| DOI: | 10.26686/wgtn.26421523 |
| الاتاحة: | https://doi.org/10.26686/wgtn.26421523 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Modelling_Coral_Reef_Futures_Exploring_the_role_of_structural_complexity_in_sustaining_ecosystem_services/26421523 |
| Rights: | CC BY 4.0 |
| رقم الانضمام: | edsbas.79EBC4C9 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | BASE |
| DOI: | 10.26686/wgtn.26421523 |
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