Ecosystem Services

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Traditionally, blue mussels have been more important as bait than for direct human consumption. However, the mussels are a good source of iron, selenium and vitamin B12. They have small but healthy fats, with a large proportion of omega-3 fatty acids. Investigations are in progress to ascertain whether mussels can be used to filter out nutrients at sewage works. Further, blue mussels are also being explored for possible benefits through marine bioprospecting; researchers have developed a glue which can stop bleeding wounds in less than 60 seconds. The commercial blue mussel fishing industry is not as big as its aquaculture, but fishermen in the Limfjord in Denmark have for several decades harvested blue mussels for food production, and up to 100 000 tons are scraped up from the sea floor each year. Being an important habitat builder for many other species of algae and fauna, blue mussel beds have relatively high biodiversity, and are thus quite resilient to disturbances. The role of blue mussels in carbon storage is assumed to be connected to the amount of carbon stored in blue mussel banks. The amount of released carbon from the decomposed mussel that are actually sequestrated for the future, however, is believed to be minimal. As phytoplankton feeders, mussels play a key role in the ecosystem, particularly in light of ongoing eutrophication from human activities. Mussels can help to counteract eutrophication by being harvested and used as food, animal feed and fertilizer. Perhaps the most important service of blue mussels, in addition to reducing eutrophication, is its ability to take up, and thereby remove, organic pollutants and toxic substances. Through its filter feeding habits, blue mussels can reduce the amount of phytoplankton and cyanobacteria in the water column and thus contribute to water purification, filtering and removing of hazardous substances. Mussels can store relatively large amounts of toxins without themselves being affected. Being long-lived, this storage helps preventing the toxic substance from ending up in far more sensitive organisms. Mussel beds can influence tidal flow and wave action within estuaries, modify patterns of sediment deposition, consolidation and stabilization and are thus potentially useful for coastal protection. The pleasure and recreative value of blue mussel picking, and the enjoyment of gathering your own food, are an important cultural ecosystem service in many coastal communities. Blue mussel beds can also be an attractive view for divers and snorkelers, and help maintaining water quality fit for swimming and beaching. 14 Ecosystem Services
Shallow bays and inlets A multitude of ecosystem services are provided by the flora and fauna of shallow, wave sheltered bays and inlets in the northern Baltic Sea. Shallow bays and inlets are characterized by rich vegetation communities, including submerged rooted plants and charophytes (early relatives to modern land plants often given high conservation values), as well as algae on the occasional hard substrate, and grasses along the shoreline. These systems often contain diverse and structurally complex underwater forests that host a range of other organisms. The most important ecosystem services include their supporting role for biodiversity, habitat provision and maintaining food webs. These ecosystems serve as essential habitat for several species of fish, including perch, pike and cyprinids such as roach, by providing habitat and food during the most sensitive earliest life-stages. The service of top down control exerted by large predatory fish can through trophic cascades prevent eutrophication symptoms of the system. The primary production of plants and benthic macro- and microalgae in these systems is high, contributing substantially to the total primary production of the Bothnian Bay. Charophytes can effectively remove organic chemicals and metals from the water. They mitigate cyanobacterial blooms in surface waters, reduce the viability of certain pathogen microalgae, as well as reduce the development of benthic biofilms. Both commercial and subsistence fisheries are dependent on recruitment of the target species, and perch, pike, roach, rudd, tench, breams, and other cyprinids benefit from the generally warmer temperatures of shallow bays and inlets. Several studies have measured carbon uptake and storage for particular species and areas of wave sheltered bays and inlets in the Baltic Sea, which taken together indicate their potential importance for carbon sequestration. Phosphorus can be removed via assimilation by submerged aquatic plants and in wetlands and via many other mechanisms. Sedimentation in vegetated patches can reduce the risk of resuspension, increase water visibility, as well as bind nutrients in the sediments, thereby reducing eutrophication. Although not well documented, it is assumed that many of the submerged rooted plants of the bays and inlets will have sediment stabilizing effects, since all structures dampening wave and current energy favor sediment retention and coastal protection. Fish species recruited in shallow, wave sheltered bays and inlets are highly valued in the Baltic countries, and the contribution of these habitats to the amount of expenditures of recreational fishing is potentially large. Due to their sheltered character, bays and inlets are popular for boating, swimming, kayaking and other activities which are dependent on healthy ecosystems providing regulating services such as water filtering and eutrophication mitigation. Ecosystem Services 15
Page 1: Ecosystem Services In the Coastal Z
Page 4 and 5: Ecosystem Services In the Coastal Z
Page 6 and 7: 5. Ecosystem services of blue musse
Page 9: Preface This report gives an overvi
Page 12 and 13: Baseline Natura 2000 NCM NIVA NOK T
Page 14 and 15: Kelp has a long tradition of being
Page 19 and 20: 1. Introduction 1.1 Background Mari
Page 21 and 22: quences of different uses (Meld. St
Page 23 and 24: forests, we have also looked at the
Page 25 and 26: Important supporting ecosystem serv
Page 27 and 28: Skagerrak and Baltic in the south.
Page 29: The approach goes beyond ecosystem
Page 32 and 33: Figure 2: Map of the Nordic countri
Page 34 and 35: the tourism industry. The total val
Page 37 and 38: 3. Ecosystem services of kelp fores
Page 39 and 40: and Vance 2015), the spread of inva
Page 41 and 42: Box 2: Eutrophication, climate chan
Page 43 and 44: 3.3 Supporting services 3.3.1 Habit
Page 45 and 46: Scheibling 2012). Detritus settles
Page 47 and 48: Based on the well-known food chains
Page 49 and 50: Box 3: An investigation of CO2 upta
Page 51 and 52: Many studies are also supporting in
Page 53 and 54: 4. Ecosystem services of eelgrass m
Page 55 and 56: Figure 11: Eelgrass meadow with flo
Page 57 and 58: The challenge is to stop or reduce
Page 59 and 60: 4.3.2 Primary production, food webs
Page 61 and 62: 4.3.3 Biological control By high pr
Page 63 and 64: 4.5 Regulating services 4.5.1 Maint
Page 65 and 66: 4.5.5 Coastal defense The eelgrass
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5. Ecosystem services of blue musse
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al. 2002, Vuorinen et al. 2002, Lap
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of plankton and suspended particles
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Figure 18: Blue mussel farmed in a
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5.5 Regulating services 5.5.1 Maint
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for consumption and enjoyment of re
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Box 5: Løgstør - the town of muss
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which slowly become flads and later
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occur in these types of environment
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Figure 22: Shallow, wave sheltered
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6.3.3 Biological control Shallow, w
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On the Swedish east coast the comme
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6.5.3 Eutrophication mitigation Rem
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Within two weeks, the charophyte co
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The contradiction between how the u
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Of the regulating services, kelp an
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7.2 Knowledge gaps Although this st
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huge knowledge gap regarding which
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7.2.4 Shallow bays and inlets Recre
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Baumann HA, Morrison L, Stengel DB.
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Christie H, Norderhaug KM, Fredriks
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FAO. 2014. The State of World Fishe
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HVMFS (Havs- och vattenmyndigheten)
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Karås P. 1996a. Basic abiotic cond
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Lyngby JE, Brix H. 1989. Heavy meta
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Newell RIE. 2004. Ecosystem influen
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Rinde E, Tjomsland T, Hjermann DØ,
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Stål J, Paulsen S, Pihl L, Rönnb
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Wernberg T, Russell BD, Moore PJ, L
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mrd NOK. Siden tareskogene er antat
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størrelse som fiskeoppdrett, men f
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Nordic Council of Ministers Ved Str
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Ecosystem Services

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