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Global pattern of phytoplankton diversity driven by temperature and environmental variability.

  • Righetti D Environmental Physics, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
  • Vogt M Environmental Physics, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
  • Gruber N Environmental Physics, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
  • Psomas A Dynamic Macroecology, Landscape Dynamics, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
  • Zimmermann NE Dynamic Macroecology, Landscape Dynamics, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
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  • 2019-05-21
Published in:
  • Science advances. - 2019
Algorithms
Biodiversity
Climate
Computer Simulation
Ecosystem
Geography
Linear Models
Monte Carlo Method
Phytoplankton
Probability
Seasons
Temperature
English Despite their importance to ocean productivity, global patterns of marine phytoplankton diversity remain poorly characterized. Although temperature is considered a key driver of general marine biodiversity, its specific role in phytoplankton diversity has remained unclear. We determined monthly phytoplankton species richness by using niche modeling and >540,000 global phytoplankton observations to predict biogeographic patterns of 536 phytoplankton species. Consistent with metabolic theory, phytoplankton richness in the tropics is about three times that in higher latitudes, with temperature being the most important driver. However, below 19°C, richness is lower than expected, with ~8°- 14°C waters (~35° to 60° latitude) showing the greatest divergence from theoretical predictions. Regions of reduced richness are characterized by maximal species turnover and environmental variability, suggesting that the latter reduces species richness directly, or through enhancing competitive exclusion. The nonmonotonic relationship between phytoplankton richness and temperature suggests unanticipated complexity in responses of marine biodiversity to ocean warming.
Language
  • English
Open access status
gold
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Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/global/documents/286510
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