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Meta-analysis reveals variance in tolerance to climate change across marine trophic levels

Hu, Nan LU ; Bourdeau, Paul E. ; Harlos, Christian LU ; Liu, Ying LU and Hollander, Johan LU (2022) In Science of the Total Environment 827.
Abstract

Marine ecosystems are currently facing a variety of anthropogenic perturbations, including climate change. Trophic differences in response to climate change may disrupt ecological interactions and thereby threaten marine ecosystem function. Yet, we still do not have a comprehensive understanding of how different trophic levels respond to climate change stressors in marine ecosystems. By including 1278 experiments, comprising 236 different marine species from 18 different phyla in a meta-analysis of studies measuring the direct effect of ocean acidification and ocean warming on marine organisms, we found that higher trophic level species display greater tolerance to ocean acidification but greater sensitivity to warming. In contrast,... (More)

Marine ecosystems are currently facing a variety of anthropogenic perturbations, including climate change. Trophic differences in response to climate change may disrupt ecological interactions and thereby threaten marine ecosystem function. Yet, we still do not have a comprehensive understanding of how different trophic levels respond to climate change stressors in marine ecosystems. By including 1278 experiments, comprising 236 different marine species from 18 different phyla in a meta-analysis of studies measuring the direct effect of ocean acidification and ocean warming on marine organisms, we found that higher trophic level species display greater tolerance to ocean acidification but greater sensitivity to warming. In contrast, marine herbivores were the most vulnerable trophic level to both acidification and warming. Such imbalances in the community and a general reduction of biodiversity and biomass in lower trophic levels can significantly disrupt the system and could drive negative bottom-up effects. In conclusion, with ocean acidification and elevated temperatures, there is an alarming risk that trophic disparity may disrupt species interactions, and thereby drive community destabilization under ocean climate change.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Food webs, Global climate change, meta-analysis, Ocean acidification, Ocean governance, Ocean temperature, Tolerance, Trophic levels
in
Science of the Total Environment
volume
827
article number
154244
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85125693775
  • pmid:35245550
ISSN
0048-9697
DOI
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154244
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c7d3f1af-9d17-4931-9e8c-b3eab925ed91
date added to LUP
2022-04-14 10:52:09
date last changed
2024-06-20 01:47:10
@article{c7d3f1af-9d17-4931-9e8c-b3eab925ed91,
  abstract     = {{<p>Marine ecosystems are currently facing a variety of anthropogenic perturbations, including climate change. Trophic differences in response to climate change may disrupt ecological interactions and thereby threaten marine ecosystem function. Yet, we still do not have a comprehensive understanding of how different trophic levels respond to climate change stressors in marine ecosystems. By including 1278 experiments, comprising 236 different marine species from 18 different phyla in a meta-analysis of studies measuring the direct effect of ocean acidification and ocean warming on marine organisms, we found that higher trophic level species display greater tolerance to ocean acidification but greater sensitivity to warming. In contrast, marine herbivores were the most vulnerable trophic level to both acidification and warming. Such imbalances in the community and a general reduction of biodiversity and biomass in lower trophic levels can significantly disrupt the system and could drive negative bottom-up effects. In conclusion, with ocean acidification and elevated temperatures, there is an alarming risk that trophic disparity may disrupt species interactions, and thereby drive community destabilization under ocean climate change.</p>}},
  author       = {{Hu, Nan and Bourdeau, Paul E. and Harlos, Christian and Liu, Ying and Hollander, Johan}},
  issn         = {{0048-9697}},
  keywords     = {{Food webs; Global climate change; meta-analysis; Ocean acidification; Ocean governance; Ocean temperature; Tolerance; Trophic levels}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Science of the Total Environment}},
  title        = {{Meta-analysis reveals variance in tolerance to climate change across marine trophic levels}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154244}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154244}},
  volume       = {{827}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}