Editorial: Human impacts on river catchments and coastal ecosystems: A meta-ecosystem perspective
Meta-ecosystems can be defined as a set of ecosystems connected by spatial flows of energy, matter and organisms (Loreau et al., 2003; Cid et al., 2022). A paradigmatic meta-ecosystem is the one formed by the interaction of river catchments and coastal ecosystems. For example, rivers transport enormous amounts of nutrients to coastal waters (Schlünz and Schneider, 2000; Li et al., 2020), determining primary and secondary productivity (Gibson et al., 2002; Garnier et al., 2010). Thus, estuaries are highly productive areas (Levin et al., 2001), with a higher value of ecosystem services per hectare than any other ecosystem (Costanza et al., 1997; Newton et al., 2018). At the same time, river basins are subjected to multiple human disturbances (e.g. hydrological disturbances, pollution, habitat degradation) that accumulate downstream until they reach the sea (Newton et al., 2012; Flo et al., 2019). This makes estuaries one of the most degraded ecosystems on Earth (Kaiser et al., 2011).
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | artículo biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media
2023-01-01
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| Subjects: | River plumes, Coastal, Estuaries, Integrated catchment management (ICM), Metaecosystem, Rivers, http://metadata.un.org/sdg/6, Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/307807 https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85152367942 |
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| Summary: | Meta-ecosystems can be defined as a set of ecosystems connected by spatial flows of energy, matter and organisms (Loreau et al., 2003; Cid et al., 2022). A paradigmatic meta-ecosystem is the one formed by the interaction of river catchments and coastal ecosystems. For example, rivers transport enormous amounts of nutrients to coastal waters (Schlünz and Schneider, 2000; Li et al., 2020), determining primary and secondary productivity (Gibson et al., 2002; Garnier et al., 2010). Thus, estuaries are highly productive areas (Levin et al., 2001), with a higher value of ecosystem services per hectare than any other ecosystem (Costanza et al., 1997; Newton et al., 2018). At the same time, river basins are subjected to multiple human disturbances (e.g. hydrological disturbances, pollution, habitat degradation) that accumulate downstream until they reach the sea (Newton et al., 2012; Flo et al., 2019). This makes estuaries one of the most degraded ecosystems on Earth (Kaiser et al., 2011). |
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