The Estuarine Quality Paradox, Environmental Homeostasis and the difficulty of detecting anthropogenic stress in naturally stressed areas

摘要: Estuaries have long been regarded as environmentally naturally stressed areas because of the high degree variability in their physico-chemical characteristics, for example oxygen, temperature and salinity water column bed sediment dynamics. However, biota is well-adapted to cope with that stress so may be resilient inherent variability; ability absorb without adverse effects here Environmental Homeostasis. Hence these only stressful marine or freshwater-adapted organisms estuarine this environmental a subsidy whereby they successfully capitalise on conditions. In addition, using examples fauna flora, article indicates characteristics natural estuaries are similar those anthropogenic stress. An over-reliance ecosystem structural features, such diversity, quality indicators therefore makes detection more difficult. This difficulty termed Estuarine Quality Paradox. Because difficulties, argues functional either well rather than ones should used detecting perturbations estuaries.