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Updated: Jun 19, 2025
07:16
Thermal Limits Determination for Zooplankton Using a Heat Block
Published on: November 18, 2022
1.3K
Large potential impacts of marine heatwaves on ecosystem functioning.
Vianney Guibourd de Luzinais1,2, Didier Gascuel1, Gabriel Reygondeau3
1UMR Dynamics and Sustainability of Ecosystems: From Source to Sea (DECOD), Institut Agro, Ifremer, INRAE, Rennes, France.
Global Change Biology
|July 26, 2024
Summary
Marine heatwaves (MHWs) significantly reduce consumer biomass, with higher trophic levels declining more. Recovery times vary by biome, highlighting the impact of extreme events on ocean ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Marine Ecology
- Climate Change Biology
- Ecosystem Modelling
Background:
- Ocean warming is altering marine ecosystems, affecting species distribution, phenology, and food web dynamics.
- Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are increasing in frequency and intensity, causing widespread ecological damage like coral bleaching and stock declines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cascading effects of MHWs on marine ecosystem functioning using a dynamic trophodynamic model.
- To explore how varying MHW intensities and species mortality assumptions impact food webs.
Main Methods:
- Development and application of a dynamic EcoTroph trophodynamic modelling approach.
- Simulation of theoretical ecosystems under different MHW scenarios and mortality rates.
- Analysis of biomass changes across trophic levels and biomes.
Main Results:
- MHWs cause significant biomass reduction in consumers, with greater impacts on higher trophic levels.
- Ecosystem structure is altered due to differential biomass declines across trophic levels.
- Tropical ecosystems are sensitive to low-intensity MHWs, while polar and temperate ecosystems require more intense events for significant impact.
Conclusions:
- MHW impacts on marine ecosystems are substantial and vary by trophic level and biome.
- Recovery from MHWs is prolonged in polar and temperate regions compared to tropical ones.
- Extreme weather events must be integrated into climate change assessments for marine ecosystem health.
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