Ecosystem Services

This week upon returning to the lab after a--thankfully--uneventful hurricane scare, I worked on more nematode and sediment samples, while taking breaks on the overlook at the marine lab. The view from the overlook, pictured here, provides some context for the work that I am doing, with regards to ecosystem services; without nematodes, the coast and beach areas that we know and love might not be present. Ecosystem services describe the benefits to humans provided by the natural environment. And whilst ecosystem services, as I will talk about here, are exceptionally human-centric, there are ecosystem services provided by organisms for non-human organisms as well. Many ecosystem services are benefits that we derive daily without consciously acknowledging, like food, freshwater, fuel, and air quality.

We can characterize ecosystem services into four categories: (1) Provisioning, (2) Cultural, (3) Supporting, and (4) Regulating, and we can further define services that make up each category. Recreation and ecotourism are well-known ecosystem services that we classify as cultural services, for example. Provisioning services encompass the products humans get from ecosystems, like food, raw materials, water, and medicines. Cultural services encompass the intangible benefits that we derive from the environment, including mental and physical health/wellbeing, spiritual values, and aesthetic values. Supporting services encompass the services that allow all other services to function, which include photosynthesis and nutrient cycling. Finally, regulating services encompass the services that nature provides that regulate the environment, like climate, water purification, pollination, pest control, and erosion regulation.

While nematodes aren't likely ever going to provide provisioning services, they provide supporting and regulating services, by facilitating nutrient cycles in marine sediments and by modifying sediment stability that can contribute to coastal protection. We often correctly attribute beach protection to large structures like coral reefs and barrier islands, but organisms that bioturbate (burrow and dig), like nematodes, polychaetes, and bivalves, help provide sediment stability closer to shores, where corals don't grow and live. These bioturbators may reduce wave and tidal activities as they approach coastlines, which strengthens existing boundaries between land and sea. Although there are a lot of organisms working together to provide sediment stability and regulating services, it is important to understand how human activities may change the magnitude of these ecosystem services. The current work and the final chapter of my dissertation both focus on how microplastics pollution alters organismal behaviors and how changes in those behaviors change regulating and supporting services in coastal sediments. While most microplastics research focuses on how provisioning services will change if our oceans continue to be inundated by pollution, I think that evidence regarding changes in nutrient availability and sediment stability may provide more support for legislation against microplastics.

As the summer and nice fall weather is shifting away, and as we make our last few trips out to the beach for the season, consider all the organisms that are contributing to the health of the ecosystem and the stability of that beach, and make sure to bring your reusable silverware, drinkware, and tupperware. 'Til next time.

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