Most marine sponges precipitate silicate skeletal elements, and it has been predicted that they would be among the few “winners” among invertebrates in an acidifying, high-CO2 ocean. But members of Class Calcarea and a small proportion of the Demospongiae have calcified skeletal structures, which puts them among those calcifying organisms which are vulnerable to lowered pH and CO3= availability.
The economy and population in Taiwan grew rapidly in the 20th century, during which time little attention was paid to marine environmental protection. Discharges of heavy metals, BOD, COD, organic/inorganic nitrogen, and phosphorous have, as a result, caused environmental problems. Besides pollutants brought by long-range transport such as dust storms, haze, and water-borne radiation, locally sourced pollutants were transported to the coastal area by small mountain rivers on the narrow island.
The marine life of Canada's Pacific marine ecosystems, adjacent to the province of British Columbia, may be relatively responsive to rapid oceanographic and environmental change associated with global climate change due to uniquely evolved plasticities and resiliencies as well as particular sensitivities and vulnerabilities, given this dynamic and highly textured natural setting.
As resource management and conservation efforts move toward multi-sector, ecosystem-based approaches, we need methods for comparing the varying responses of ecosystems to the impacts of human activities in order to prioritize management efforts, allocate limited resources, and understand cumulative effects. Given the number and variety of human activities affecting ecosystems, relatively few empirical studies are adequately comprehensive to inform these decisions. Consequently, management often turns to expert judgment for information.