Vulnerabilidad de los ecosistemas bentónicos y pelágicos del Atlántico Sur al cambio climático

MELISA FERNANDEZ SEVERINI; NATALIA BUZZI; FLORENCIA BIANCALANA; SOFÍA DUTTO; ANABELLA BERASATUEGUI; ANA CAROLINA RONDA; JORGE MARCOVECCHIO

Vulnerabilidad de las zonas costeras de Latinoamérica al cambio climático

UJAT, UNAM, UAC

Año: 2017; p. 435 - 448

This chapter addresses the effects that climate change has on benthic and pelagic ecosystems in the south Atlantic. The Patagonian region in Argentina particularly stands out since most works are focused there thanks to its proximity to the Antarctic area. These works include studies on changesin physiology, phenology and reproduction, as well as changes in spatial distribution due to uv radiation, temperature, the combined effect of both, and acidification. In this context of climate change, diverse studies of plankton, benthos and fish have proven noticeable changes in cell size,and population distribution and density, in addition to the incorporation of strategies and physiological mechanisms to prevent and repair damage caused by uv rays. Temperature has proven to be another of the most influential factors on organisms. In this sense, noticeable changes related to composition and distribution have been observed in both phytoplankton and zooplankton, alongwith changes involved in reproductive strategies in the case of jellyfish, certain fishes, and benthic organisms. The joint effect of these parameters has also been mentioned in several works; particularly in planktonic organisms, effects upon cell size, photosynthetic rates and phenology have been observed. Additionally, several zooplanktonic species have presented modifications relatedto tolerance of uv rays, which increases when faced with high temperatures. Concerning oceanic acidification processes, several studies on gastropods show that there is a connection between spatial variation in body size and pH variation within the ocean. In conclusion, although studies do not abound in Argentina, noticeable changes visibly associated to the effects of regional and global climate change have been detected, and these place south Atlantic pelagic and benthic ecosystems into a vulnerable situation.