Global warming benefits the small in aquatic ecosystems
TLDR
This study provides evidence that reduced body size is the third universal ecological response to global warming in aquatic systems besides the shift of species ranges toward higher altitudes and latitudes and the seasonal shifts in life cycle events.Abstract:
Understanding the ecological impacts of climate change is a crucial challenge of the twenty-first century. There is a clear lack of general rules regarding the impacts of global warming on biota. Here, we present a metaanalysis of the effect of climate change on body size of ectothermic aquatic organisms (bacteria, phyto- and zooplankton, and fish) from the community to the individual level. Using long-term surveys, experimental data and published results, we show a significant increase in the proportion of small-sized species and young age classes and a decrease in size-at-age. These results are in accordance with the ecological rules dealing with the temperature–size relationships (i.e., Bergmann's rule, James' rule and Temperature–Size Rule). Our study provides evidence that reduced body size is the third universal ecological response to global warming in aquatic systems besides the shift of species ranges toward higher altitudes and latitudes and the seasonal shifts in life cycle events.read more
Citations
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Declining body size: a third universal response to warming?
TL;DR: A review of recent studies shows heterogeneity in the magnitude and direction of size responses, exposing a need for large-scale phylogenetically controlled comparative analyses of temporal size change as mentioned in this paper, which will increase both understanding of the underlying mechanisms and physiological consequences of size shifts and therefore, the ability to predict the sensitivities of species to climate change.
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The broad footprint of climate change from genes to biomes to people
Brett R. Scheffers,Luc De Meester,Tom C. L. Bridge,Tom C. L. Bridge,Ary A. Hoffmann,John M. Pandolfi,Richard T. Corlett,Stuart H. M. Butchart,Stuart H. M. Butchart,Paul Pearce-Kelly,Kit M. Kovacs,David Dudgeon,Michela Pacifici,Carlo Rondinini,Wendy Foden,Tara G. Martin,Camilo Mora,David Bickford,James E. M. Watson,James E. M. Watson +19 more
TL;DR: The full range and scale of climate change effects on global biodiversity that have been observed in natural systems are described, and a set of core ecological processes that underpin ecosystem functioning and support services to people are identified.
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Shrinking body size as an ecological response to climate change
TL;DR: This Perspective looks at the evidence for shrinking body size across endothermic and ectothermic organisms and proposes future research directions.
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Smallest algae thrive as the Arctic Ocean freshens.
TL;DR: In the Arctic Ocean, phytoplankton cell sizes have decreased with warming temperatures and fresher surface waters, and since 2004, there has been an increase in the smallest algae and bacteria along with a concomitant decrease in somewhat larger algae.
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Shrinking of fishes exacerbates impacts of global ocean changes on marine ecosystems
William W. L. Cheung,Jorge L. Sarmiento,John P. Dunne,Thomas L. Frölicher,Vicky W. Y. Lam,M.L. Deng Palomares,Reg Watson,Daniel Pauly +7 more
TL;DR: A modelling study into the integrated effects of these various changes on fish body size suggests that averaged maximum body weight could fall by 14–24% globally by 2050.
References
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