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Discussion of Bulleri and Chapman 2010
This document discusses the introduction of coastal infrastructure and its impact on marine environments. It begins by defining intertidal zones and nearshore areas. It then notes that urban growth along coasts has led to many hard structures being added to protect shores from erosion. These artificial structures can affect the normal assemblages of plants and animals and may introduce exotic species. They also impact adjacent natural habitats and can contribute to regional homogenization of species. The document advocates for more research on urbanization's effects and exploring alternatives to hard structures that consider habitat needs while still providing coastal protection.
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Discussion of Bulleri and Chapman 2010
- 1. The Introduction ofcoastal infrastructure as a driver of change in marine environments Elvis Torres Delgado September 11, 2013
- 2. Some Concepts • Intertidialzone – part of the shore that is above water at low tide and below the water at high tide. • Nearshore – area that extends seawards from the low water line.
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- 5. Urban Growth • Highpercentage of the population lives in the coast and they receive a lot of tourism. • Urbanization and coastal structures affect the ecosystem. • A lot of hard structures are added to “protect” the shores of erosion.
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- 7. Isla Verde, PuertoRico http://puertorico.co m.pr/wp- content/uploads/20 13/05/Isla-Verde- Beach-01.jpg
- 8. Ecological consequences ofthe introduction of artificial structure • Artificial structures affect the normal epibiota and fish assemblages. It’s worse with unnatural materials. • Sometimes the problem is not the material, but the structural change what affects biota development (ex. lack of rock pools).
- 9. Ecological consequences ofthe introduction of artificial structure • Unnatural structures may provide ideal conditions for the establishments of exotic species. • Can also affect the species richness or abundance.
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- 11. Ecological consequences ofthe introduction of artificial structure • It is believed that some of these structures may resemble better the natural ones after many years of weathering. • It has been shown that many of these artificial structures don’t support natural assembly even after many decades of exposition.
- 12. Effects on adjacenthabitats • Differences in diversity of species has been found in rocky shores bordered by seawalls. • Biota living in artificial structures may be a food source for species nearby. • Some structures favor a shift from consumers domination to producers domination.
- 13. Regional or large-scalechanges • Urbanization contributes to species homogenization. • Artificial structures can help connect separated populations. Reduces gene flow and genetic diversity.
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- 15. Alternative management options •New solutions to fight coastal erosion without using hard structures are being considered. • In high wave energy a combination of natural and artificial elements may be needed (hybrid designs). • Hard structures that consider suitable habitat for species affected by urbanization processes, fishing, recreation, and education are starting to get used.
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- 17. Final thoughts • Moreinterdisciplinary research is needed to understand the effects of urbanism on coastal ecosystem. • There is a need to explore new solutions to protect coastal structures affecting the ecosystem as less as possible.