Global change and plankton ecology in the Southwestern Atlantic

BARBIERI, E.S.; MARCOVAL, M.A.; HERNÁNDEZ-MORESINO, RODRIGO; SPINELLI, MARIELA L.; GONÇALVES, R.J.

Plankton Ecology of the Southwestern Atlantic - From the subtropical to the subantarctic realm

Springer

Año: 2018;

In aquatic ecosystems, global change encompasses human-inducedvariations in the upper layer of the water column, where most of carbonfixation takes place. These changes include increments of exposure to solar UVradiation, mean temperature of surface seawater, ocean acidification andnutrient concentrations. These factors are well known to affect planktonecosystems, although not all organisms are equally affected. In addition, manytimes these factors interact and the final results are not always additive orsynergistic as expected. Finally, indirect effects (e.g., through trophicinteractions) are often more pronounced than direct ones (e.g., survival orgrowth), which tend in some cases to mask overall and long-term expectedecological shifts in plankton communities.We review the main contributions in this field from the Atlanticcoast of South America and discuss in a final section what have we learned andwhat is still unknown as global changes seems to be here to stay.