Journal
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
Volume 67, Issue -, Pages S378-S389Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/lno.12029
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- US Dept. of Energy Office of Science [OCE-1736891, 1848576, 1948842, OCE-1829916, OCE-1756054, ER65358, DE-SC0016329, OCE-1827948]
- Simons Foundation [395890, 549931, 329108]
- US Dept. of Commerce NOAA [NA18OAR4320123]
- U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) [DE-SC0016329] Funding Source: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The rising temperature, surface stratification, and decreasing nutrient inputs in the oceans are expected to cause the expansion of warm, nutrient-depleted ecosystems, negatively affecting phytoplankton biomass, primary productivity, and carbon export. However, diverse phytoplankton communities have adaptive potential that may render them resilient to global changes.
Are the oceans turning into deserts? Rising temperature, increasing surface stratification, and decreasing vertical inputs of nutrients are expected to cause an expansion of warm, nutrient deplete ecosystems. Such an expansion is predicted to negatively affect a trio of key ocean biogeochemical features: phytoplankton biomass, primary productivity, and carbon export. However, phytoplankton communities are complex adaptive systems with immense diversity that could render them at least partially resilient to global changes. This can be illustrated by the biology of the Prochlorococcus collective. Adaptations to counter stress, use of alternative nutrient sources, and frugal resource allocation can allow Prochlorococcus to buffer climate-driven changes in nutrient availability. In contrast, cell physiology is more sensitive to temperature changes. Here, we argue that biogeochemical models need to consider the adaptive potential of diverse phytoplankton communities. However, a full understanding of phytoplankton resilience to future ocean changes is hampered by a lack of global biogeographic observations to test theories. We propose that the resilience may in fact be greater in oligotrophic waters than currently considered with implications for future predictions of phytoplankton biomass, primary productivity, and carbon export.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available