Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Effects of global warming on marine zooplankton
Temperature is one of the most important physical variable structuring
marine ecosystems (Richardson 2008). Changes in temperature may
alter the physiological performance, behavior, and demography of
organisms, leading to shifts in the size structure, distributional range, and
seasonal abundance of planktonic populations (Doney et al. 2012) (Fig. 2).
Additionally, these shifts alter species interactions and trophic pathways
from primary producers to upper trophic levels (Doney et al. 2012). As
any environmental condition shift, organisms initially respond based on
physiological and behavioral plasticity (Somero 2012). The new condition
may be physiologically acceptable, allowing acclimatization (the process
by which an organism adjusts to a gradual change in its environment) or
adaptation (the evolutionary process whereby an organism becomes better
able to live in its habitat), or may be intolerable, promoting migration, changes
in phenology and local extinction (Parmesan 2006). Environmental change
may benefi t some organisms or populations due to greater availability of
food or nutrients, reduced physiological costs of maintenance (e.g.
,
energy
used for respiration, acid-base balance, calcifi cation), or reduced competition
or predation (Parmesan 2006). Such species may experience higher survival,
growth, and reproduction. In many cases, however, a shift can be stressful
for some organisms, causing suboptimal physiological performance, higher
mortality, reduced growth, and reduced reproduction (Parmesan 2006).
Fig. 2.
Summary of the main effects of climate-dependent changes on marine zooplankton.
