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1. Diet of a threatened endemic fox reveals variation in sandy beach resource use on California Channel Islands

   https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258919  

   Page, Henry M.; Schamel, Juliann; Emery, Kyle A.; Schooler, Nicholas K.; Dugan, Jenifer E.; Guglielmino, Angela; Schroeder, Donna M.; Palmstrom, Linnea; Hubbard, David M.; Miller, Robert J. (October 2021, PLOS ONE)

   Hyrenbach, David (Ed.)

   The coastal zone provides foraging opportunities for insular populations of terrestrial mammals, allowing for expanded habitat use, increased dietary breadth, and locally higher population densities. We examined the use of sandy beach resources by the threatened island fox ( Urocyon littoralis ) on the California Channel Islands using scat analysis, surveys of potential prey, beach habitat attributes, and stable isotope analysis. Consumption of beach invertebrates, primarily intertidal talitrid amphipods ( Megalorchestia spp.) by island fox varied with abundance of these prey across sites. Distance-based linear modeling revealed that abundance of giant kelp ( Macrocystis pyrifera ) wrack, rather than beach physical attributes, explained the largest amount of variation in talitrid amphipod abundance and biomass across beaches. δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of fox whisker (vibrissae) segments suggested individualism in diet, with generally low δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of some foxes consistent with specializing on primarily terrestrial foods, contrasting with the higher isotope values of other individuals that suggested a sustained use of sandy beach resources, the importance of which varied over time. Abundant allochthonous marine resources on beaches, including inputs of giant kelp, may expand habitat use and diet breadth of the island fox, increasing population resilience during declines in terrestrial resources associated with climate variability and long-term climate change. 

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2. The role of inputs of marine wrack and carrion in sandy‐beach ecosystems: a global review

   https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12886  

   Hyndes, Glenn A.; Berdan, Emma L.; Duarte, Cristian; Dugan, Jenifer E.; Emery, Kyle A.; Hambäck, Peter A.; Henderson, Christopher J.; Hubbard, David M.; Lastra, Mariano; Mateo, Miguel A.; et al (August 2022, Biological Reviews)

   ABSTRACT Sandy beaches are iconic interfaces that functionally link the ocean with the landviathe flow of organic matter from the sea. These cross‐ecosystem fluxes often comprise uprooted seagrass and dislodged macroalgae that can form substantial accumulations of detritus, termed ‘wrack’, on sandy beaches. In addition, the tissue of the carcasses of marine animals that regularly wash up on beaches form a rich food source (‘carrion’) for a diversity of scavenging animals. Here, we provide a global review of how wrack and carrion provide spatial subsidies that shape the structure and functioning of sandy‐beach ecosystems (sandy beaches and adjacent surf zones), which typically have littlein situprimary production. We also examine the spatial scaling of the influence of these processes across the broader land‐ and seascape, and identify key gaps in our knowledge to guide future research directions and priorities. Large quantities of detrital kelp and seagrass can flow into sandy‐beach ecosystems, where microbial decomposers and animals process it. The rates of wrack supply and its retention are influenced by the oceanographic processes that transport it, the geomorphology and landscape context of the recipient beaches, and the condition, life history and morphological characteristics of the macrophyte taxa that are the ultimate source of wrack. When retained in beach ecosystems, wrack often creates hotspots of microbial metabolism, secondary productivity, biodiversity, and nutrient remineralization. Nutrients are produced during wrack breakdown, and these can return to coastal waters in surface flows (swash) and aquifers discharging into the subtidal surf. Beach‐cast kelp often plays a key trophic role, being an abundant and preferred food source for mobile, semi‐aquatic invertebrates that channel imported algal matter to predatory invertebrates, fish, and birds. The role of beach‐cast marine carrion is likely to be underestimated, as it can be consumed rapidly by highly mobile scavengers (e.g. foxes, coyotes, raptors, vultures). These consumers become important vectors in transferring marine productivity inland, thereby linking marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Whilst deposits of organic matter on sandy‐beach ecosystems underpin a range of ecosystem functions and services, they can be at variance with aesthetic perceptions resulting in widespread activities, such as ‘beach cleaning and grooming’. This practice diminishes the energetic base of food webs, intertidal fauna, and biodiversity. Global declines in seagrass beds and kelp forests (linked to global warming) are predicted to cause substantial reductions in the amounts of marine organic matter reaching many beach ecosystems, likely causing flow‐on effects for food webs and biodiversity. Similarly, future sea‐level rise and increased storm frequency are likely to alter profoundly the physical attributes of beaches, which in turn can change the rates at which beaches retain and process the influxes of wrack and animal carcasses. Conservation of the multi‐faceted ecosystem services that sandy beaches provide will increasingly need to encompass a greater societal appreciation and the safeguarding of ecological functions reliant on beach‐cast organic matter on innumerable ocean shores worldwide. 

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3. Quantification of Climate Footprints of Vibrio vulnificus in Coastal Human Communities of the United States Gulf Coast

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GH001005  

   Jamal, Yusuf; Usmani, Moiz; Brumfield, Kyle_D; Singh, Komalpreet; Huq, Anwar; Nguyen, Thanh_Huong; Colwell, Rita; Jutla, Antarpreet (August 2024, GeoHealth)

   Abstract The incidence of vibriosis is rising globally with evidence of climate variability influencing environmental processes that support growth of pathogenicVibrio spp. The waterborne pathogen,Vibrio vulnificuscan invade wounds and has one of the highest case fatality rates in humans. The bacterium cannot be eradicated from the aquatic environment, hence climate driven environmental conditions enhancing growth and dissemination ofV.vulnificusneed to be understood to provide preemptive assessment of its presence and distribution in aquatic systems. To achieve this objective, satellite remote sensing was employed to quantify the association of sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll‐a(chl‐a) in locations with reportedV.vulnificusinfections. Monthly analysis was done in two populated regions of the Gulf of Mexico—Tampa Bay, Florida, and Galveston Bay, Texas. Results indicate warm water, characterized by a 2‐month lag in SST, high concentration of phytoplankton, proxied for zooplankton using 1 month lagged chl‐avalues, was statistically linked to higher odds ofV.vulnificusinfection in the human population. Identification of climate and ecological processes thresholds is concluded to be useful for development of an heuristic prediction system designed to determine risk of infection for coastal populations. 

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4. Biotic and abiotic factors affecting Atlantic ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata) spatiotemporal activity at an important shorebird nesting site in Virginia

   https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307821  

   Call, Mikayla N; Pongnon, Rasheed S; Wails, Christy N; Karpanty, Sarah M; Lapenta, Kristy C; Wilke, Alexandra L; Boettcher, Ruth; Alvino, Camille R; Fraser, James D (August 2024, PLOS ONE)

   Romanach, Stephanie S (Ed.)

   Atlantic ghost crabs (Ocypode quadrata) are predators of beach-nesting shorebird nests and chicks on the United States’ Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Ghost crabs may also disturb birds, altering foraging, habitat use, or nest and brood attendance patterns. Shorebird conservation strategies often involve predator and disturbance management to improve reproductive success, but efforts rarely target ghost crabs. Despite the threat to shorebird reproductive success, ghost crabs are a poorly understood part of the beach ecosystem and additional knowledge about ghost crab habitat selection is needed to inform shorebird conservation. We monitored ghost crab activity, defined as burrow abundance, throughout the shorebird breeding season on Metompkin Island, Virginia, an important breeding site for piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) and American oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus). We counted burrows at shorebird nests and random locations throughout the breeding season and investigated whether ghost crab activity was greater at nest sites relative to random locations without shorebird nests. While we observed burrows at all nest sites (n= 63 nests), we found that burrow counts were lower at piping plover nests with shell cover, relative to random locations with no shell cover. Ghost crabs may avoid piping plover nest sites due to anti-predator behaviors from incubating adults or differences in microhabitat characteristics selected by piping plovers. We also investigated the effects of habitat type, date, and air temperature on the abundance of ghost crab burrows. We found that while crab burrows were present across the barrier island landscape, there were more burrows in sandy, undisturbed habitats behind the dunes, relative to wave-disturbed beach. Additionally, ghost crab activity increased later in the shorebird breeding season. Understanding when and where ghost crabs are most likely to be active in the landscape can aid decision-making to benefit imperiled shorebird populations. 

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5. Geochemical factors impacting nitrifying communities in sandy sediments

   https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.16504  

   Wilson, Stephanie_J; Song, Bongkeun; Anderson, Iris_C (September 2023, Environmental Microbiology)

   Abstract Sandy sediment beaches covering 70% of non‐ice‐covered coastlines are important ecosystems for nutrient cycling along the land‐ocean continuum. Subterranean estuaries (STEs), where groundwater and seawater meet, are hotspots for biogeochemical cycling within sandy beaches. The STE microbial community facilitates biogeochemical reactions, determining the fate of nutrients, including nitrogen (N), supplied by groundwater. Nitrification influences the fate of N, oxidising reduced dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), making it available for N removal. We used metabarcoding of 16S rRNA genes and quantitative PCR (qPCR) of ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) genes to characterise spatial and temporal variation in STE microbial community structure and nitrifying organisms. We examined nitrifier diversity, distribution and abundance to determine how geochemical measurements influenced their distribution in STEs. Sediment microbial communities varied with depth (p‐value = 0.001) and followed geochemical gradients in dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, pH, dissolved inorganic carbon and DIN. Genetic potential for nitrification in the STE was evidenced by qPCR quantification ofamoAgenes. Ammonia oxidiser abundance was best explained by DIN, DO and pH. Our results suggest that geochemical gradients are tightly linked to STE community composition and nitrifier abundance, which are important to determine the fate and transport of groundwater‐derived nutrients to coastal waters. 

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