The Effects of Ocean Warming and Acidification on Fatty Acid Contents of Marine Organisms: A Global Meta-Analysis

Ocean warming and acidification pose significant threats to marine biodiversity and human nutrition by fundamentally altering the biochemical composition of marine organisms. A primary concern is the potential decline in omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) that are essential to human health and primarily obtained through seafood consumption. The influence of these climate stressors on FA content across marine food webs remains poorly understood. To address this critical knowledge gap, we conducted a global meta-analysis of 489 experiments across 143 publications and 132 marine species, quantifying the effects of warming and acidification on nutritionally important FAs in marine primary producers, invertebrates and fishes. Under warmer conditions, we detected reductions of up to 34% and 50% in omega-3 FA proportions and concentrations, respectively, and up to 53% in omega-3: omega-6 ratios, together with increases of up to 22% and 17% in saturated FA proportions and concentrations, respectively across taxa groups. Critically, these effects were intensified as warming increased. The most severe reductions in omega-3 FAs were observed in primary producers, suggesting that climate-driven changes at the base of the food web could impair trophic transfer of these micronutrients, limiting nutrient availability for higher trophic levels and ultimately humans. Ocean acidification, conversely, demonstrated a minor overall effect on FA levels, although this result was based on substantially fewer studies. Furthermore, we identified species from environments with broader temperature ranges, diatoms, herbivorous invertebrates and low-resilience fish to display larger reductions in omega-3 FA proportions under warming. Our meta-analysis further highlighted the need for long-term studies under ecologically realistic conditions to improve predictions of nutritional responses to climate change. These findings are essential for understanding how the nutritional value of species change under climate change, and can inform fisheries management, aquaculture and public health policy aimed at securing the future availability of these vital micronutrients.