Marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and carbon cycles
Although recent studies suggest that climate change may substantially accelerate the rate of species loss in the biosphere, only a few studies have focused on the potential consequences of a spatial reorganization of biodiversity with global warming. Here, we show a pronounced latitudinal increase i...
Main Authors: | , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
2010
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/5668/ |
id |
ftplymouthml:oai:plymsea.ac.uk:5668 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftplymouthml:oai:plymsea.ac.uk:5668 2023-05-15T15:27:30+02:00 Marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and carbon cycles Beaugrand, G Edwards, M Legendre, L 2010 http://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/5668/ unknown Beaugrand, G; Edwards, M; Legendre, L. 2010 Marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and carbon cycles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107 (22). 10120-10124. Publication - Article NonPeerReviewed 2010 ftplymouthml 2022-09-13T05:48:23Z Although recent studies suggest that climate change may substantially accelerate the rate of species loss in the biosphere, only a few studies have focused on the potential consequences of a spatial reorganization of biodiversity with global warming. Here, we show a pronounced latitudinal increase in phytoplanktonic and zooplanktonic biodiversity in the extratropical North Atlantic Ocean in recent decades. We also show that this rise in biodiversity paralleled a decrease in the mean size of zooplanktonic copepods and that the reorganization of the planktonic ecosystem toward dominance by smaller organisms may influence the networks in which carbon flows, with negative effects on the downward biological carbon pump and demersal Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Our study suggests that, contrary to the usual interpretation of increasing biodiversity being a positive emergent property promoting the stability/resilience of ecosystems, the parallel decrease in sizes of planktonic organisms could be viewed in the North Atlantic as reducing some of the services provided by marine ecosystems to humans. Article in Journal/Newspaper atlantic cod Gadus morhua North Atlantic Copepods Plymouth Marine Science Electronic Archive (PlyMSEA - Plymouth Marine Laboratory, PML) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Plymouth Marine Science Electronic Archive (PlyMSEA - Plymouth Marine Laboratory, PML) |
op_collection_id |
ftplymouthml |
language |
unknown |
description |
Although recent studies suggest that climate change may substantially accelerate the rate of species loss in the biosphere, only a few studies have focused on the potential consequences of a spatial reorganization of biodiversity with global warming. Here, we show a pronounced latitudinal increase in phytoplanktonic and zooplanktonic biodiversity in the extratropical North Atlantic Ocean in recent decades. We also show that this rise in biodiversity paralleled a decrease in the mean size of zooplanktonic copepods and that the reorganization of the planktonic ecosystem toward dominance by smaller organisms may influence the networks in which carbon flows, with negative effects on the downward biological carbon pump and demersal Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Our study suggests that, contrary to the usual interpretation of increasing biodiversity being a positive emergent property promoting the stability/resilience of ecosystems, the parallel decrease in sizes of planktonic organisms could be viewed in the North Atlantic as reducing some of the services provided by marine ecosystems to humans. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Beaugrand, G Edwards, M Legendre, L |
spellingShingle |
Beaugrand, G Edwards, M Legendre, L Marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and carbon cycles |
author_facet |
Beaugrand, G Edwards, M Legendre, L |
author_sort |
Beaugrand, G |
title |
Marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and carbon cycles |
title_short |
Marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and carbon cycles |
title_full |
Marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and carbon cycles |
title_fullStr |
Marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and carbon cycles |
title_full_unstemmed |
Marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and carbon cycles |
title_sort |
marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and carbon cycles |
publishDate |
2010 |
url |
http://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/5668/ |
genre |
atlantic cod Gadus morhua North Atlantic Copepods |
genre_facet |
atlantic cod Gadus morhua North Atlantic Copepods |
op_relation |
Beaugrand, G; Edwards, M; Legendre, L. 2010 Marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and carbon cycles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107 (22). 10120-10124. |
_version_ |
1766357932139610112 |