Effects of High CO 2 on Marine Plants Leander Love-Anderegg Bio 433 4/8/2013
CO 2 = Plant food, right? CO 2 + Light CO 2 + Light CO 2 Fertilization (e.g. Cao & Woodward (1998) Nature )
CO 2 Fertilization in the Sea 1)Physiological response: Riebesell (2004) J. of Oceanography
The physiological flipside Ocean acidification Winners and losers, But effects still uncertain Rost et al. (2008) Marine Ecol. Prog. Series
2) Ecological effects CO 2 concentration can shift community structure Direct and indirect effects shift competitive balance of phytoplankton assemblages Shikano and Kawabato (2000) Hydrobiologia Riebesell (2004) J. of Oceanography
3) Evolutionary Effects Phytoplankton phase out use of CCMs over multiple generations (Bell et al. (2008) Evolutionary Applications ) Short generation time evolutionary potential reasonably large
The Forecast? Overall increase in phytoplankton NPP But not as large as might predict Evolutionary responses will likely dampen effects Phytoplankton community shifts (with possible ecological consequences)
Sources: 1.Bell, G. and S. Collins Adaptation, extinction and global change. Evolutionary Applications. 1: Riebesell, U Effects of CO(2) enrichment on marine phytoplankton. Journal of Oceanography. 60: Rost, B., I. Zondervan and D. Wolf-Gladrow Sensitivity of phytoplankton to future changes in ocean carbonate chemistry: current knowledge, contradictions and research directions. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 373: Shikano, S. and Z. Kawabata Effect at the ecosystem level of elevated atmospheric CO2 in an aquatic microcosm. Hydrobiologia. 436: Wolf-Gladrow, D.A., U. Riebesell, S. Burkhardt and J. Bijma Direct effects of CO2 concentration on growth and isotopic composition of marine plankton, pp Woodward, F.I. and M.R. Lomas Vegetation dynamics - simulating responses to climatic change. Biological Reviews. 79: Photo credits: rachelsussman.com, wikipedia.com/phytoplankton,