Climate sensitivities and uncertainties in food-web pathways supporting larval bluefin tuna in subtropical oligotrophic oceans

Abstract Compared with high-latitude seas, the ecological implications of climate change for top consumers in subtropical regions are poorly understood. One critical area of knowledge deficiency is the nature of food-web connections to larvae during their vulnerable time in the plankton. Bluefin tuna (BFT) are highly migratory temperate species whose early life stages are spent in ultra-oligotrophic subtropical waters. Dietary studies of BFT larvae provide evidence of prey-limited growth coupled with strong selection for specific prey types—cladocerans and poecilostomatoid copepods—whose paradoxical or poorly resolved trophic characteristics do not fit the conventional understanding of open-ocean food-web structure and flows. Current knowledge consequently leaves many uncertainties in climate change effects, including the possibility that increased nitrogen fixation by Trichodesmium spp. might enhance resiliency of BFT larvae, despite a projected overall decline in system productivity. To advance understanding and future predictions, the complementary perspectives of oceanographers and fisheries researchers need to come together in studies that focus on the trophic pathways most relevant to fish larvae, the factors that drive variability in spawning regions, and their effects on larval feeding, growth, and survival.

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Climate change effects on phytoplankton depend on cell size and food web structure

Marine Biology ◽

10.1007/s00227-012-1904-y ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 159 (11) ◽

pp. 2455-2478 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Toni Klauschies ◽

Barbara Bauer ◽

Nicole Aberle-Malzahn ◽

Ulrich Sommer ◽

Ursula Gaedke

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Food Web ◽

Cell Size ◽

Food Web Structure ◽

Climate Change Effects ◽

Web Structure

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Trends in the effects of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems in the Republic of Korea

Journal of Ecology and Environment ◽

10.1186/s41610-021-00188-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 45 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sei-Woong Choi ◽

Woo-Seok Kong ◽

Ga-Young Hwang ◽

Kyung Ah Koo

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Community Ecology ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

High Elevation ◽

Plant Phenology ◽

Republic Of Korea ◽

Cold Adapted ◽

Climate Change Effects ◽

The Republic

AbstractIn this review, we aimed to synthesize the current knowledge on the observed and projected effects of climate change on the ecosystems of Korea (i.e., the Republic of Korea (ROK) or South Korea), as well as the main causes of vulnerability and options for adaptation in these ecosystems based on a range of ecological and biogeographical data. To this end, we compiled a set of peer-reviewed papers published since 2014. We found that publication of climate-related studies on plants has decreased in the field of plant phenology and physiology, whereas such publication has rapidly increased in plant and animal community ecology, reflecting the range shifts and abundance change that are occurring under climate change. Plant phenology studies showed that climate change has increased growing seasons by advancing the timing of flowering and budburst while delaying the timing of leafing out. Community ecology studies indicated that the future ranges of cold-adapted plants and animals could shrink or shift toward northern and high-elevation areas, whereas the ranges of warm-adapted organisms could expand and/or shift toward the areas that the aforementioned cold-adapted biota previously occupied. This review provides useful information and new insights that will improve understanding of climate change effects on the ecosystems of Korea. Moreover, it will serve as a reference for policy-makers seeking to establish future sectoral adaptation options for protection against climate change.

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Food web structure of the epibenthic community at the sea ice edge in Baffin Bay, Canada

10.7287/peerj.preprints.26673 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Gustavo Yunda-Guarin ◽

Philippe Archambault ◽

Guillaume Massé ◽

Christian Nozais

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sea Ice ◽

Food Web ◽

Trophic Levels ◽

The Arctic ◽

Feeding Guilds ◽

Food Web Structure ◽

Baffin Bay ◽

Ice Edge ◽

Sea Ice Edge

In polar areas, the pelagic-benthic coupling plays a fundamental role in ensuring organic matter flow across depths and trophic levels. Climate change impacts the Arctic’s physical environment and ecosystem functioning, affecting the sequestration of carbon, the structure and efficiency of the benthic food web and its resilience.In the Arctic Ocean, highest atmospheric warming tendencies (by ~0.5°C) occur in the east of Baffin Bay making this area an ideal site to study the effects of climate change on benthic communities. We sampled epibenthic organisms at 13 stations bordering the sea ice between June and July 2016. The epibenthic taxonomic composition was identified and grouped by feeding guilds. Isotopic signatures (δ13C - δ15N), trophic levels and trophic separation and redundancy were measured and quantified at each station. In the light of the results obtained, the stability of the benthic community in the Baffin Bay at the sea ice edge is discussed.

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Climate Change Implications for Tidal Marshes and Food Web Linkages to Estuarine and Coastal Nekton

Estuaries and Coasts ◽

10.1007/s12237-020-00891-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Denise D. Colombano ◽

Steven Y. Litvin ◽

Shelby L. Ziegler ◽

Scott B. Alford ◽

Ronald Baker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Food Web ◽

Tidal Marsh ◽

Tidal Marshes ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

Ecological Processes ◽

Sea Levels ◽

Climate Change Effects ◽

Multiple Stressor

AbstractClimate change is altering naturally fluctuating environmental conditions in coastal and estuarine ecosystems across the globe. Departures from long-term averages and ranges of environmental variables are increasingly being observed as directional changes [e.g., rising sea levels, sea surface temperatures (SST)] and less predictable periodic cycles (e.g., Atlantic or Pacific decadal oscillations) and extremes (e.g., coastal flooding, marine heatwaves). Quantifying the short- and long-term impacts of climate change on tidal marsh seascape structure and function for nekton is a critical step toward fisheries conservation and management. The multiple stressor framework provides a promising approach for advancing integrative, cross-disciplinary research on tidal marshes and food web dynamics. It can be used to quantify climate change effects on and interactions between coastal oceans (e.g., SST, ocean currents, waves) and watersheds (e.g., precipitation, river flows), tidal marsh geomorphology (e.g., vegetation structure, elevation capital, sedimentation), and estuarine and coastal nekton (e.g., species distributions, life history adaptations, predator-prey dynamics). However, disentangling the cumulative impacts of multiple interacting stressors on tidal marshes, whether the effects are additive, synergistic, or antagonistic, and the time scales at which they occur, poses a significant research challenge. This perspective highlights the key physical and ecological processes affecting tidal marshes, with an emphasis on the trophic linkages between marsh production and estuarine and coastal nekton, recommended for consideration in future climate change studies. Such studies are urgently needed to understand climate change effects on tidal marshes now and into the future.

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Climate change impacts on body size and food web structure on mountain ecosystems

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2012.0239 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 367 (1605) ◽

pp. 3050-3057 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Miguel Lurgi ◽

Bernat C. López ◽

José M. Montoya

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Food Web ◽

Size Structure ◽

Trophic Position ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Taxonomic Composition ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Community Size ◽

Food Web Structure ◽

Elevation Range

The current distribution of climatic conditions will be rearranged on the globe. To survive, species will have to keep pace with climates as they move. Mountains are among the most affected regions owing to both climate and land-use change. Here, we explore the effects of climate change in the vertebrate food web of the Pyrenees. We investigate elevation range expansions between two time-periods illustrative of warming conditions, to assess: (i) the taxonomic composition of range expanders; (ii) changes in food web properties such as the distribution of links per species and community size-structure; and (iii) what are the specific traits of range expanders that set them apart from the other species in the community—in particular, body mass, diet generalism, vulnerability and trophic position within the food web. We found an upward expansion of species at all elevations, which was not even for all taxonomic groups and trophic positions. At low and intermediate elevations, predator : prey mass ratios were significantly reduced. Expanders were larger, had fewer predators and were, in general, more specialists. Our study shows that elevation range expansions as climate warms have important and predictable impacts on the structure and size distribution of food webs across space.

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The impacts of climate change on plankton as live food: A review

IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science ◽

10.1088/1755-1315/869/1/012005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 869 (1) ◽

pp. 012005

Author(s):

N Azani ◽

M A Ghaffar ◽

H Suhaimi ◽

M N Azra ◽

M M Hassan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Food Web ◽

Food Source ◽

Vertical Mixing ◽

Zooplankton Community ◽

Nutrient Cycle ◽

Aquatic Food Web ◽

Food Web Structure ◽

Aquatic Food ◽

Critical Components

Abstract Climate change is expected to warm up the ocean surface where majority of life inhabits. Ocean warming influences vertical mixing and stratification patterns, which alter nutrient cycle, plankton production, and aquatic food web. Plankton serves as the first food source for all larval organisms and the base of aquatic ecosystem. Zooplankton community is a crucial component of the aquatic food web. They are critical components in an ecosystem of aquatic and worldwide biogeochemical cycles. Zooplankton contributes as food source to economically valuable fishes, primary-production grazers, and carbon and nutrient cycle drivers. Climate change contributes to dire consequences by altering the baseline of aquatic food web structure. However, the ocean biota itself can influence climate change, and the implications of this are evident from the increase and decrease of wild fisheries production. This review highlights the effect of climate change on phytoplankton and zooplankton production.

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Food web structure of the epibenthic community at the sea ice edge in Baffin Bay, Canada

10.7287/peerj.preprints.26673v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Gustavo Yunda-Guarin ◽

Philippe Archambault ◽

Guillaume Massé ◽

Christian Nozais

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sea Ice ◽

Food Web ◽

Trophic Levels ◽

The Arctic ◽

Feeding Guilds ◽

Food Web Structure ◽

Baffin Bay ◽

Ice Edge ◽

Sea Ice Edge

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Between a bog and a hard place: a global review of climate change effects on coastal freshwater wetlands

Climatic Change ◽

10.1007/s10584-020-02815-1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 163 (1) ◽

pp. 161-179

Author(s):

Rebekah Grieger ◽

Samantha J. Capon ◽

Wade L. Hadwen ◽

Brendan Mackey

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Coastal Wetlands ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Freshwater Wetlands ◽

Rainfall Regime ◽

Sediment Accretion ◽

Sea Levels ◽

Climate Change Effects ◽

Estuarine Coastal

AbstractCoastal wetlands are significant components of the coastal landscape with important roles in ecosystem service provision and mitigation of climate change. They are also likely to be the system most impacted by climate change, feeling the effects of sea levels rise, temperature increases and rainfall regime changes. Climate change impacts on estuarine coastal wetlands (mangroves, saltmarsh) have been thoroughly investigated; however, the impacts on coastal freshwater wetlands (CFWs) are relatively unknown. To explore the current knowledge of the impacts of climate change on CFWs globally, we undertook a systematic quantitative literature review of peer-reviewed published literature. We found surprisingly little research (110 papers of an initial 678), the majority of which was conducted in the USA, focusing on the effects of sea level rise (SLR) on CFW vegetation or sediment accretion processes. From this research, we know that SLR will lead to reduced productivity, reduced regeneration, and increased mortality in CFW vegetation but little is known regarding the effects of other climate change drivers. Sediment accretion is also not sufficient to keep pace with SLR in many CFWs and again the effects of other climate drivers have not been investigated. The combination of unhealthy vegetation communities and minimal gain in vertical elevation can result in a transition towards a vegetation community of salt-tolerant species but more research is required to understand this process.

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