10
Life-Stage-Based Recovery Dynamics
of Mari ne Invertebrates
in Soft-Sediment Habitats
Andrew M. Lohrer and Robert B. Whitlatch
When we observe the environment, we necessarily do so on only a limited range of scales; therefore, our percept ion of events provides us with
only a low-dimensional slice through a high dimensional cake.
Simon A. Levin, The Robert H . MacArthur Award Lecture 1989
(manuscript published in 1992 [Ecology 73(6): 1943-1967])
In this chapter you will:
• Learn about large-scale anthropogenic disturbances of the benthic
community;
(1) the spatial scale of the disturbance and (2) the life-history strategies
of the invertebrate species;
• Explore the dynamics of a life-stage-based model of invertebrates and
management methods that may promote conservation of invertebrate
communities.
10.1. Introduction
Marine soft-sediment habitats are the most common on earth (Snelgrove et
al. 1997) and have important conservation and intrinsic values that make
them important to study. For instance , these habitats can have extraordinarily high biodiversity (Gray et al. 1997), can play important roles in supplying food for fish and humans, and can influence global carbon and geochemical cycling (Graf 1992). In addition , soft-sediment habitats,
particularly those situated in coastal regions of the world , are frequently
subjected to a wide array of human disturbances and consequently bottomdwelling invertebrates have become important indicators of environmental
effects (Gray 1981). Human impacts on these habitats can be both chronic
and acute and can range over a variety of temporal and spatial scales (Zajac
et al. 1998). These impacts frequently result in impaired community function and structure (Gray 1997, for a recent review). For example, the dragging of mobile fishing gear across the seabed often destroys the complex
191
M. Ruth et al. (Eds.), Dynamic Modeling for Marine Conservation
© Springer-Verlag New York, Inc. 2002
Life-Stage-Based Recovery Dynamics
of Mari ne Invertebrates
in Soft-Sediment Habitats
Andrew M. Lohrer and Robert B. Whitlatch
When we observe the environment, we necessarily do so on only a limited range of scales; therefore, our percept ion of events provides us with
only a low-dimensional slice through a high dimensional cake.
Simon A. Levin, The Robert H . MacArthur Award Lecture 1989
(manuscript published in 1992 [Ecology 73(6): 1943-1967])
In this chapter you will:
• Learn about large-scale anthropogenic disturbances of the benthic
community;
(1) the spatial scale of the disturbance and (2) the life-history strategies
of the invertebrate species;
• Explore the dynamics of a life-stage-based model of invertebrates and
management methods that may promote conservation of invertebrate
communities.
10.1. Introduction
Marine soft-sediment habitats are the most common on earth (Snelgrove et
al. 1997) and have important conservation and intrinsic values that make
them important to study. For instance , these habitats can have extraordinarily high biodiversity (Gray et al. 1997), can play important roles in supplying food for fish and humans, and can influence global carbon and geochemical cycling (Graf 1992). In addition , soft-sediment habitats,
particularly those situated in coastal regions of the world , are frequently
subjected to a wide array of human disturbances and consequently bottomdwelling invertebrates have become important indicators of environmental
effects (Gray 1981). Human impacts on these habitats can be both chronic
and acute and can range over a variety of temporal and spatial scales (Zajac
et al. 1998). These impacts frequently result in impaired community function and structure (Gray 1997, for a recent review). For example, the dragging of mobile fishing gear across the seabed often destroys the complex
191
M. Ruth et al. (Eds.), Dynamic Modeling for Marine Conservation
© Springer-Verlag New York, Inc. 2002