A global pattern of thermal adaptation in marine phytoplankton
Thomas, M.K.; Kremer, C.T.; Klausmeier, C.A.; Litchman, E. (2012). A global pattern of thermal adaptation in marine phytoplankton. Science (Wash.) 338(6110): 1085-1088 + Supplementary Materials. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1224836
In: Science (Washington). American Association for the Advancement of Science: New York, N.Y. ISSN 0036-8075; e-ISSN 1095-9203, more
|  |
| Keywords |
Aquatic communities > Plankton > Phytoplankton
Cycles > Chemical cycles > Geochemical cycle > Biogeochemical cycle
Diseases > Plant diseases > Decline
Environmental effects > Temperature effects
Production (biological)
Species diversity
Marine/Coastal |
| Authors | | Top |
- Thomas, M.K.
- Kremer, C.T.
- Klausmeier, C.A.
- Litchman, E.
|
|
|
| Abstract |
Rising ocean temperatures will alter the productivity and composition of marine phytoplankton communities, thereby affecting global biogeochemical cycles. Predicting the effects of future ocean warming on biogeochemical cycles depends critically on understanding how existing global temperature variation affects phytoplankton. Here we show that variation in phytoplankton temperature optima over 150 degrees of latitude is well explained by a gradient in mean ocean temperature. An eco-evolutionary model predicts a similar relationship, suggesting that this pattern is the result of evolutionary adaptation. Using mechanistic species distribution models, we find that rising temperatures this century will cause poleward shifts in species’ thermal niches and a sharp decline in tropical phytoplankton diversity in the absence of an evolutionary response. |
|
