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Warming impairs trophic transfer efficiency in a long-term field experiment.

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Warming temperatures significantly reduce energy transfer efficiency in aquatic ecosystems. Experimental warming decreased trophic transfer efficiency by 56%, impacting food web biomass and ecosystem function.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Climate Change Biology
  • Ecosystem Science

Background:

  • Ecosystems rely on efficient energy transfer between trophic levels, typically around 10%.
  • Rising temperatures may increase metabolic costs, potentially limiting energy transfer, but experimental evidence from whole ecosystems is scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally quantify the impact of warming on nitrogen transfer efficiency, a proxy for energy transfer, in freshwater plankton communities.
  • To assess the effects of long-term experimental warming on ecosystem biomass and energy dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized artificial ponds subjected to seven years of experimental warming (4°C above ambient).
  • Quantified nitrogen transfer efficiency as a measure of energy transfer between trophic levels.
  • Measured biomass of phytoplankton and zooplankton in warmed and control ponds.

Main Results:

  • A 4°C increase in temperature decreased trophic transfer efficiency by up to 56%.
  • Warmed ponds exhibited lower biomass for both phytoplankton and zooplankton.
  • Warming led to significant shifts in energy uptake, transformation, and transfer within the ecosystem.

Conclusions:

  • Experimental warming significantly impairs energy transfer efficiency in freshwater plankton ecosystems.
  • Reduced energy transfer due to warming has implications for food web structure, carbon cycling, and overall ecosystem functioning.
  • A greater proportion of photosynthetically fixed carbon may be lost to the atmosphere under warming conditions, impacting higher trophic levels.