Global biogeochemical impacts of phytoplankton: a trait based perspective

LITCHMAN, ELENA; DE TEZANOS PINTO, PAULA; EDWARDS, KYLE; KLAUSMEIER, CHRISTOPHER; KREMER, COLIN; THOMAS, MRIDUL

JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY (PRINT)

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2015 vol. 103 p. 1384 - 1396

0022-0477

1. Phytoplankton are keyplayers in the global carbon cycle, contributing about half of global pri-maryproductivity. Within the phytoplankton, functional groups (characterized bydistinct traits) have impacts on other major biogeochemical cycles, such asnitrogen, phosphorus and silica. Changes in phytoplankton community structure,resulting from the unique environmental sensitivities of these groups, maysignificantly alter elementalcycling from local to global scales.2. We review key traitsthat distinguish major phytoplankton functional groups, how they affectbiogeochemistry and how the links between community structure andbiogeochemical cycles are modelled.3. Finally, we explorehow global environmental change will affect phytoplankton communities, from thetraits of individual species to the relative abundance of functional groups,and how that, in turn, may alter biogeochemical cycles.4. Synthesis. We can increase ourmechanistic understanding of the links between the community structure ofprimary producers and biogeochemistry by focusing on traits determiningfunctional group responses to the environment (response traits) and theirbiogeochemical functions (effect traits). Identifying trade-offs includingallometric and phylogenetic constraints among traits will help parameterizepredictive biogeochemical models, enhancing our ability to anticipate theconsequences of global change.