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Heneghan RF, Holloway-Brown J, Gasol JM, Herndl GJ, Morán XAG, Galbraith ED. The global distribution and climate resilience of marine heterotrophic prokaryotes. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6943. [PMID: 39138161 PMCID: PMC11322184 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50635-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Heterotrophic Bacteria and Archaea (prokaryotes) are a major component of marine food webs and global biogeochemical cycles. Yet, there is limited understanding about how prokaryotes vary across global environmental gradients, and how their global abundance and metabolic activity (production and respiration) may be affected by climate change. Using global datasets of prokaryotic abundance, cell carbon and metabolic activity we reveal that mean prokaryotic biomass varies by just under 3-fold across the global surface ocean, while total prokaryotic metabolic activity increases by more than one order of magnitude from polar to tropical coastal and upwelling regions. Under climate change, global prokaryotic biomass in surface waters is projected to decline ~1.5% per °C of warming, while prokaryotic respiration will increase ~3.5% ( ~ 0.85 Pg C yr-1). The rate of prokaryotic biomass decline is one-third that of zooplankton and fish, while the rate of increase in prokaryotic respiration is double. This suggests that future, warmer oceans could be increasingly dominated by prokaryotes, diverting a growing proportion of primary production into microbial food webs and away from higher trophic levels as well as reducing the capacity of the deep ocean to sequester carbon, all else being equal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan F Heneghan
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, 4111, Australia.
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay, QLD, Australia.
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| | - Jacinta Holloway-Brown
- School of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Kaurna Country, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Josep M Gasol
- Institut de Ciències del Mar-CSIC, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
| | - Gerhard J Herndl
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
- NIOZ, Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, 1790 AB, Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | - Xosé Anxelu G Morán
- Centro Oceanográfico de Gijón/Xixón (IEO, CSIC), Gijón/Xixón, Asturias, Spain
| | - Eric D Galbraith
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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2
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Manno C, Carlig E, Falco PP, Castagno P, Budillon G. Life strategy of Antarctic silverfish promote large carbon export in Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea. Commun Biol 2024; 7:450. [PMID: 38605093 PMCID: PMC11009349 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06122-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Antarctic silverfish Pleuragramma antarcticum is the most abundant pelagic fish in the High Antarctic shelf waters of the Southern Ocean, where it plays a pivotal role in the trophic web as the major link between lower and higher trophic levels. Despite the ecological importance of this species, knowledge about its role in the biogeochemical cycle is poor. We determine the seasonal contribution of Antarctic silverfish to carbon flux in terms of faeces and eggs, from samples collected in the Ross Sea. We find that eggs and faeces production generate a flux accounting for 41% of annual POC flux and that the variability of this flux is modulated by spawning strategy. This study shows the important role of this organism as a vector for carbon flux. Since Antarctic silverfish are strongly dependent on sea-ice, they might be especially sensitive to climatic changes. Our results suggest that a potential decrease in the biomass of this organism is likely to impact marine biogeochemical cycles, and this should be factored in when assessing Southern Ocean carbon budget.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Manno
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, NERC, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Erica Carlig
- National Research Council (CNR) of Italy, Institute for the study of the Anthropic impacts and the Sustainability of the marine environment (IAS), Genoa, Italy
| | - Pier Paolo Falco
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | - Pasquale Castagno
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Physical Sciences and Earth Sciences (MIFT), University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Giorgio Budillon
- Department of Science and Technology, University of Naples "Parthenope", Naples, Italy
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3
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Oehlert AM, Garza J, Nixon S, Frank L, Folkerts EJ, Stieglitz JD, Lu C, Heuer RM, Benetti DD, Del Campo J, Gomez FA, Grosell M. Implications of dietary carbon incorporation in fish carbonates for the global carbon cycle. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 916:169895. [PMID: 38215854 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.169895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Marine bony fish are important participants in Earth's carbon cycle through their contributions to the biological pump and the marine inorganic carbon cycle. However, uncertainties in the composition and magnitude of fish contributions preclude their integration into fully coupled carbon-climate models. Here, we consider recent upwards revisions to global fish biomass estimates (2.7-9.5×) and provide new stable carbon isotope measurements that show marine fish are prodigious producers of carbonate with unique composition. Assuming the median increase (4.17×) in fish biomass estimates is linearly reflected in fish carbonate (ichthyocarbonate) production rate, marine fish are estimated to produce between 1.43 and 3.99 Pg CaCO3 yr-1, but potentially as much as 9.03 Pg CaCO3 yr-1. Thus, marine fish carbonate production is equivalent to or potentially higher than contributions by coccolithophores or pelagic foraminifera. New stable carbon isotope analyses indicate that a significant proportion of ichthyocarbonate is derived from dietary carbon, rather than seawater dissolved inorganic carbon. Using a statistical mixing model to derive source contributions, we estimate ichthyocarbonate contains up to 81 % dietary carbon, with average compositions of 28-56 %, standing in contrast to contents <10 % in other biogenic carbonate minerals. Results also indicate ichthyocarbonate contains 5.5-40.4 % total organic carbon. When scaled to the median revised global production of ichthyocarbonate, an additional 0.08 to 1.61 Pg C yr-1 can potentially be added to estimates of fish contributions to the biological pump, significantly increasing marine fish contributions to total surface carbon export. Our integration of geochemical and physiological analyses identifies an overlooked link between carbonate production and the biological pump. Since ichthyocarbonate production is anticipated to increase with climate change scenarios, due to ocean warming and acidification, these results emphasize the importance of quantitative understanding of the multifaceted role of marine fish in the global carbon cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Oehlert
- Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America.
| | - Jazmin Garza
- Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Sandy Nixon
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - LeeAnn Frank
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Erik J Folkerts
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - John D Stieglitz
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Chaojin Lu
- Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Rachael M Heuer
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Daniel D Benetti
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Javier Del Campo
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America; Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC - Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Fabian A Gomez
- Northern Gulf Institute, Mississippi State University, MS, United States of America; NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Martin Grosell
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
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4
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Folkerts EJ, Oehlert AM, Heuer RM, Nixon S, Stieglitz JD, Grosell M. The role of marine fish-produced carbonates in the oceanic carbon cycle is determined by size, specific gravity, and dissolution rate. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 916:170044. [PMID: 38244625 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Rising CO2 emissions have heightened the necessity for increased understanding of Earth's carbon cycle to predict future climates. The involvement of marine planktonic species in the global carbon cycle has been extensively studied, but contributions by marine fish remain poorly characterized. Marine teleost fishes produce carbonate minerals ('ichthyocarbonates') within the lumen of their intestines which are excreted at significant rates on a global scale. However, we have limited understanding of the fate of excreted ichthyocarbonate. We analyzed ichthyocarbonate produced by three different marine teleosts for mol%MgCO3 content, size, specific gravity, and dissolution rate to gain a better understanding of ichthyocarbonate fate. Based on the species examined here, we report that 75 % of ichthyocarbonates are ≤0.91 mm in diameter. Analyses indicate high Mg2+ content across species (22.3 to 32.3 % mol%MgCO3), consistent with previous findings. Furthermore, ichthyocarbonate specific gravity ranged from 1.23 to 1.33 g/cm3, and ichthyocarbonate dissolution rates varied among species as a function of aragonite saturation state. Ichthyocarbonate sinking rates and dissolution depth were estimated for the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian ocean basins for the three species examined. In the North Atlantic, for example, ~33 % of examined ichthyocarbonates are expected to reach depths exceeding 200 m prior to complete dissolution. The remaining ~66 % of ichthyocarbonate is estimated to dissolve and contribute to shallow water alkalinity budgets. Considering fish biomass and ichthyocarbonate production rates, our results support that marine fishes are critical to the global carbon cycle, contributing to oceanic alkalinity budgets and thereby influencing the ability of the oceans to neutralize atmospheric CO2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik J Folkerts
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, United States of America.
| | - Amanda M Oehlert
- Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, United States of America
| | - Rachael M Heuer
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, United States of America
| | - Sandy Nixon
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, United States of America
| | - John D Stieglitz
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, United States of America
| | - Martin Grosell
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, United States of America
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5
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Bank MS, Ho QT, Ingvaldsen RB, Duinker A, Nilsen BM, Maage A, Frantzen S. Climate change dynamics and mercury temporal trends in Northeast Arctic cod (Gadus morhua) from the Barents Sea ecosystem. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 338:122706. [PMID: 37821039 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
The Northeast Arctic cod (Gadus morhua) is the world's northernmost stock of Atlantic cod and is of considerable ecological and economic importance. Northeast Arctic cod are widely distributed in the Barents Sea, an environment that supports a high degree of ecosystem resiliency and food web complexity. Here using 121 years of ocean temperature data (1900-2020), 41 years of sea ice extent information (1979-2020) and 27 years of total mercury (Hg) fillet concentration data (1994-2021, n = 1999, ≥71% Methyl Hg, n = 20) from the Barents Sea ecosystem, we evaluate the effects of climate change dynamics on Hg temporal trends in Northeast Arctic cod. We observed low and consistently stable, Hg concentrations (yearly, least-square means range = 0.022-0.037 mg/kg wet wt.) in length-normalized fish, with a slight decline in the most recent sampling periods despite a significant increase in Barents Sea temperature, and a sharp decline in regional sea ice extent. Overall, our data suggest that recent Arctic amplification of ocean temperature, "Atlantification," and other perturbations of the Barents Sea ecosystem, along with rapidly declining sea ice extent over the last ∼30 years did not translate into major increases or decreases in Hg bioaccumulation in Northeast Arctic cod. Our findings are consistent with similar long-term, temporal assessments of Atlantic cod inhabiting Oslofjord, Norway, and with recent investigations and empirical data for other marine apex predators. This demonstrates that Hg bioaccumulation is highly context specific, and some species may not be as sensitive to current climate change-contaminant interactions as currently thought. Fish Hg bioaccumulation-climate change relationships are highly complex and not uniform, and our data suggest that Hg temporal trends in marine apex predators can vary considerably within and among species, and geographically. Hg bioaccumulation regimes in biota are highly nuanced and likely driven by a suite of other factors such as local diets, sources of Hg, bioenergetics, toxicokinetic processing, and growth and metabolic rates of individuals and taxa, and inputs from anthropogenic activities at varying spatiotemporal scales. Collectively, these findings have important policy implications for global food security, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, and several relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Bank
- Institute of Marine Research, 5817, Bergen, Norway; University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.
| | - Quang Tri Ho
- Institute of Marine Research, 5817, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Arne Duinker
- Institute of Marine Research, 5817, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Amund Maage
- Institute of Marine Research, 5817, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, 5020, Bergen, Norway
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6
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Braun CD, Della Penna A, Arostegui MC, Afonso P, Berumen ML, Block BA, Brown CA, Fontes J, Furtado M, Gallagher AJ, Gaube P, Golet WJ, Kneebone J, Macena BCL, Mucientes G, Orbesen ES, Queiroz N, Shea BD, Schratwieser J, Sims DW, Skomal GB, Snodgrass D, Thorrold SR. Linking vertical movements of large pelagic predators with distribution patterns of biomass in the open ocean. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2306357120. [PMID: 38150462 PMCID: PMC10666118 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306357120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Many predator species make regular excursions from near-surface waters to the twilight (200 to 1,000 m) and midnight (1,000 to 3,000 m) zones of the deep pelagic ocean. While the occurrence of significant vertical movements into the deep ocean has evolved independently across taxonomic groups, the functional role(s) and ecological significance of these movements remain poorly understood. Here, we integrate results from satellite tagging efforts with model predictions of deep prey layers in the North Atlantic Ocean to determine whether prey distributions are correlated with vertical habitat use across 12 species of predators. Using 3D movement data for 344 individuals who traversed nearly 1.5 million km of pelagic ocean in [Formula: see text]42,000 d, we found that nearly every tagged predator frequented the twilight zone and many made regular trips to the midnight zone. Using a predictive model, we found clear alignment of predator depth use with the expected location of deep pelagic prey for at least half of the predator species. We compared high-resolution predator data with shipboard acoustics and selected representative matches that highlight the opportunities and challenges in the analysis and synthesis of these data. While not all observed behavior was consistent with estimated prey availability at depth, our results suggest that deep pelagic biomass likely has high ecological value for a suite of commercially important predators in the open ocean. Careful consideration of the disruption to ecosystem services provided by pelagic food webs is needed before the potential costs and benefits of proceeding with extractive activities in the deep ocean can be evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camrin D. Braun
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA02543
| | - Alice Della Penna
- Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Auckland1010, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland1010, New Zealand
| | - Martin C. Arostegui
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA02543
| | - Pedro Afonso
- Institute of Marine Sciences - OKEANOS, University of the Azores, Horta9901-862, Portugal
| | - Michael L. Berumen
- Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal23955, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Barbara A. Block
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA93950
| | - Craig A. Brown
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami, FL33149
| | - Jorge Fontes
- Institute of Marine Sciences - OKEANOS, University of the Azores, Horta9901-862, Portugal
| | - Miguel Furtado
- Institute of Marine Sciences - OKEANOS, University of the Azores, Horta9901-862, Portugal
| | | | - Peter Gaube
- Applied Physics Laboratory–University of Washington, Seattle, WA98105
| | - Walter J. Golet
- The School of Marine Sciences, The University of Maine, Orono, ME04469
- The Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Portland, ME04101
| | - Jeff Kneebone
- Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium, Boston, MA02110
| | - Bruno C. L. Macena
- Institute of Marine Sciences - OKEANOS, University of the Azores, Horta9901-862, Portugal
| | - Gonzalo Mucientes
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Vairão4485-661, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Vairão4485-661, Portugal
| | - Eric S. Orbesen
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami, FL33149
| | - Nuno Queiroz
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Vairão4485-661, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Vairão4485-661, Portugal
| | | | | | - David W. Sims
- Marine Biological Association, PlymouthPL1 2PB, United Kingdom
- Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, SouthamptonSO14 3ZH, United Kingdom
| | | | - Derke Snodgrass
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami, FL33149
| | - Simon R. Thorrold
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA02543
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Mouillot D, Derminon S, Mariani G, Senina I, Fromentin JM, Lehodey P, Troussellier M. Industrial fisheries have reversed the carbon sequestration by tuna carcasses into emissions. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:5062-5074. [PMID: 37401407 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
To limit climate warming to 2°C above preindustrial levels, most economic sectors will need a rapid transformation toward a net zero emission of CO2 . Tuna fisheries is a key food production sector that burns fossil fuel to operate but also reduces the deadfall of large-bodied fish so the capacity of this natural carbon pump to deep sea. Yet, the carbon balance of tuna populations, so the net difference between CO2 emission due to industrial exploitation and CO2 sequestration by fish deadfall after natural mortality, is still unknown. Here, by considering the dynamics of two main contrasting tuna species (Katsuwonus pelamis and Thunnus obesus) across the Pacific since the 1980s, we show that most tuna populations became CO2 sources instead of remaining natural sinks. Without considering the supply chain, the main factors associated with this shift are exploitation rate, transshipment intensity, fuel consumption, and climate change. Our study urges for a better global ocean stewardship, by curbing subsidies and limiting transshipment in remote international waters, to quickly rebuild most pelagic fish stocks above their target management reference points and reactivate a neglected carbon pump toward the deep sea as an additional Nature Climate Solution in our portfolio. Even if this potential carbon sequestration by surface unit may appear low compared to that of coastal ecosystems or tropical forests, the ocean covers a vast area and the sinking biomass of dead vertebrates can sequester carbon for around 1000 years in the deep sea. We also highlight the multiple co-benefits and trade-offs from engaging the industrial fisheries sector with carbon neutrality.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Mouillot
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, IUF, Paris, France
| | - Suzie Derminon
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Gaël Mariani
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Inna Senina
- Satellite Oceanography Division, CLS, Toulouse, France
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8
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Prellezo R, Da-Rocha JM, Palomares MLD, Sumaila UR, Villasante S. Building climate resilience, social sustainability and equity in global fisheries. NPJ OCEAN SUSTAINABILITY 2023; 2:10. [PMID: 38694134 PMCID: PMC11062296 DOI: 10.1038/s44183-023-00017-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
Although the Paris Agreement establishes targets to limit global warming-including carbon market mechanisms-little research has been done on developing operational tools to achieve them. To cover this gap, we use CO2 permit markets towards a market-based solutions (MBS) scheme to implement blue carbon climate targets for global fisheries. The scheme creates a scarcity value for the right to not sequester blue carbon, generating an asset of carbon sequestration allowances based on historical landings, which are considered initial allowances. We use the scheme to identify fishing activities that could be reduced because they are biologically negative, economically inefficient, and socially unequitable. We compute the annual willingness to sequester carbon considering the CO2e trading price for 2022 and the social cost of carbon dioxide (SC-CO2), for years 2025, 2030 and 2050. The application of the MBS scheme will result in 0.122 Gt CO2e sequestered or US$66 billion of potential benefits per year when considering 2050 SC-CO2. The latter also implies that if CO2e trading prices reach the 2050 social cost of carbon, around 75% of the landings worldwide would be more valuable as carbon than as foodstuff in the market. Our findings provide the global economy and policymakers with an alternative for the fisheries sector, which grapples with the complexity to find alternatives to reallocate invested capital. They also provide a potential solution to make climate resilience, social sustainability and equity of global fisheries real, scientific and practical for a wide range of social-ecological and political contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raul Prellezo
- AZTI, Marine Research, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA). Txatxarramendi Ugartea z/g, Sukarrieta - Bizkaia, Spain
| | - José María Da-Rocha
- ITAM. Centro de Investigación Económica (CIE), Av. Camino Santa Teresa 930 C.P. 10700, CDMx, Mexico; Universidade de Vigo. Facultade de Ciencias Empresariais e Turismo, As Lagoas, Campus Universitario, 32004 Ourense, Spain
- ECOSOT, Department of Economic Theory, Universidade de Vigo, 36200 Vigo, Spain
| | - Maria L. D. Palomares
- Sea Around Us Research Unit, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC Canada
| | - U. Rashid Sumaila
- Fisheries Economics Research Unit, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z4 Canada
| | - Sebastian Villasante
- EqualSea Lab-CRETUS, Department of Applied Economics, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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9
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Andskog MA, Layman C, Allgeier JE. Seagrass production around artificial reefs is resistant to human stressors. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230803. [PMID: 37491960 PMCID: PMC10369039 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary production underpins most ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration and fisheries. Artificial reefs (ARs) are widely used for fisheries management. Research has shown that a mechanism by which ARs in seagrass beds can support fisheries and carbon sequestration is through increasing primary production via fertilization from aggregating fish excretion. Seagrass beds are heavily affected by anthropogenic nutrient input and fishing that reduces nutrient input by consumers. The effect of these stressors is difficult to predict because impacts of simultaneous stressors are typically non-additive. We used a long-term experiment to identify the mechanisms by which simultaneous impacts of sewage enrichment and fishing alter seagrass production around ARs across non-orthogonal gradients in human-dominated and relatively unimpacted regions in Haiti and The Bahamas. Merging trait-based measures of seagrass and seagrass ecosystem processes, we found that ARs consistently enhanced per capita seagrass production and maintained ecosystem-scale production despite drastic shifts in controls on production from human stressors. Importantly, we also show that coupled human stressors on seagrass production around ARs were additive, contrasting expectations. These findings are encouraging for conservation because they indicate that seagrass ecosystems are highly resistant to coupled human stressors and that ARs promote ecosystem services even in human-dominated ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona A. Andskog
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia
| | - Craig Layman
- Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability, Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
| | - Jacob E. Allgeier
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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10
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Pörtner HO, Scholes RJ, Arneth A, Barnes DKA, Burrows MT, Diamond SE, Duarte CM, Kiessling W, Leadley P, Managi S, McElwee P, Midgley G, Ngo HT, Obura D, Pascual U, Sankaran M, Shin YJ, Val AL. Overcoming the coupled climate and biodiversity crises and their societal impacts. Science 2023; 380:eabl4881. [PMID: 37079687 DOI: 10.1126/science.abl4881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
Earth's biodiversity and human societies face pollution, overconsumption of natural resources, urbanization, demographic shifts, social and economic inequalities, and habitat loss, many of which are exacerbated by climate change. Here, we review links among climate, biodiversity, and society and develop a roadmap toward sustainability. These include limiting warming to 1.5°C and effectively conserving and restoring functional ecosystems on 30 to 50% of land, freshwater, and ocean "scapes." We envision a mosaic of interconnected protected and shared spaces, including intensively used spaces, to strengthen self-sustaining biodiversity, the capacity of people and nature to adapt to and mitigate climate change, and nature's contributions to people. Fostering interlinked human, ecosystem, and planetary health for a livable future urgently requires bold implementation of transformative policy interventions through interconnected institutions, governance, and social systems from local to global levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- H-O Pörtner
- Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - R J Scholes
- Global Change Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - A Arneth
- Atmospheric Environmental Research, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
| | - D K A Barnes
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge, UK
| | - M T Burrows
- Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, Argyll, UK
| | - S E Diamond
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - C M Duarte
- Red Sea Research Centre (RSRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- Computational Bioscience Research Centre (CBRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - W Kiessling
- Geozentrum Nordbayern, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Erlangen, Germany
| | - P Leadley
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, 91400 Orsay, France
| | - S Managi
- Urban Institute, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - P McElwee
- Department of Human Ecology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - G Midgley
- Global Change Biology Group, Botany and Zoology Department, University of Stellenbosch, 7600 Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - H T Ngo
- Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), Bonn, Germany
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome, Italy
| | - D Obura
- Coastal Oceans Research and Development-Indian Ocean (CORDIO) East Africa, Mombasa, Kenya
- Global Climate Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - U Pascual
- Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), Leioa, Spain
- Basque Foundation for Science (Ikerbasque), Bilbao, Spain
- Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - M Sankaran
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bellary Road, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Y J Shin
- Marine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation (MARBEC), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Université Montpellier, Insititut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), CNRS, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | - A L Val
- Brazilian National Institute for Research of the Amazon, 69080-971 Manaus, Brazil
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11
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Tekwa EW, Catalano KA, Bazzicalupo AL, O’Connor MI, Pinsky ML. The sizes of life. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0283020. [PMID: 36989258 PMCID: PMC10057745 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent research has revealed the diversity and biomass of life across ecosystems, but how that biomass is distributed across body sizes of all living things remains unclear. We compile the present-day global body size-biomass spectra for the terrestrial, marine, and subterranean realms. To achieve this compilation, we pair existing and updated biomass estimates with previously uncatalogued body size ranges across all free-living biological groups. These data show that many biological groups share similar ranges of body sizes, and no single group dominates size ranges where cumulative biomass is highest. We then propagate biomass and size uncertainties and provide statistical descriptions of body size-biomass spectra across and within major habitat realms. Power laws show exponentially decreasing abundance (exponent -0.9±0.02 S.D., R2 = 0.97) and nearly equal biomass (exponent 0.09±0.01, R2 = 0.56) across log size bins, which resemble previous aquatic size spectra results but with greater organismal inclusivity and global coverage. In contrast, a bimodal Gaussian mixture model describes the biomass pattern better (R2 = 0.86) and suggests small (~10-15 g) and large (~107 g) organisms outweigh other sizes by one order magnitude (15 and 65 Gt versus ~1 Gt per log size). The results suggest that the global body size-biomass relationships is bimodal, but substantial one-to-two orders-of-magnitude uncertainty mean that additional data will be needed to clarify whether global-scale universal constraints or local forces shape these patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eden W. Tekwa
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States of America
| | - Katrina A. Catalano
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States of America
| | - Anna L. Bazzicalupo
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Mary I. O’Connor
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Malin L. Pinsky
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States of America
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12
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Dupont L, Le Mézo P, Aumont O, Bopp L, Clerc C, Ethé C, Maury O. High trophic level feedbacks on global ocean carbon uptake and marine ecosystem dynamics under climate change. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:1545-1556. [PMID: 36516354 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Despite recurrent emphasis on their ecological and economic roles, the importance of high trophic levels (HTLs) on ocean carbon dynamics, through passive (fecal pellet production, carcasses) and active (vertical migration) processes, is still largely unexplored, notably under climate change scenarios. In addition, HTLs impact the ecosystem dynamics through top-down effects on lower trophic levels, which might change under anthropogenic influence. Here we compare two simulations of a global biogeochemical-ecosystem model with and without feedbacks from large marine animals. We show that these large marine animals affect the evolution of low trophic level biomasses, hence net primary production and most certainly ecosystem equilibrium, but seem to have little influence on the 21st-century anthropogenic carbon uptake under the RCP8.5 scenario. These results provide new insights regarding the expectations for trophic amplification of climate change through the marine trophic chain and regarding the necessity to explicitly represent marine animals in Earth System Models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léonard Dupont
- Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD), IPSL, École Normale Supérieure, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, France
| | - Priscilla Le Mézo
- Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD), IPSL, École Normale Supérieure, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Aumont
- Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat: Expérimentation et Approches Numériques (LOCEAN), IPSL, CNRS/UPMC/IRD/MNHN, Paris, France
| | - Laurent Bopp
- Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD), IPSL, École Normale Supérieure, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, France
| | - Corentin Clerc
- Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD), IPSL, École Normale Supérieure, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, France
| | | | - Olivier Maury
- IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement), UMR 248 MARBEC (IRD-IFREMER-CNRS-Université Montpellier), Montpellier, France
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13
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Ghilardi M, Salter MA, Parravicini V, Ferse SCA, Rixen T, Wild C, Birkicht M, Perry CT, Berry A, Wilson RW, Mouillot D, Bejarano S. Temperature, species identity and morphological traits predict carbonate excretion and mineralogy in tropical reef fishes. Nat Commun 2023; 14:985. [PMID: 36813767 PMCID: PMC9947118 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36617-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic pressures are restructuring coral reefs globally. Sound predictions of the expected changes in key reef functions require adequate knowledge of their drivers. Here we investigate the determinants of a poorly-studied yet relevant biogeochemical function sustained by marine bony fishes: the excretion of intestinal carbonates. Compiling carbonate excretion rates and mineralogical composition from 382 individual coral reef fishes (85 species and 35 families), we identify the environmental factors and fish traits that predict them. We find that body mass and relative intestinal length (RIL) are the strongest predictors of carbonate excretion. Larger fishes and those with longer intestines excrete disproportionately less carbonate per unit mass than smaller fishes and those with shorter intestines. The mineralogical composition of excreted carbonates is highly conserved within families, but also controlled by RIL and temperature. These results fundamentally advance our understanding of the role of fishes in inorganic carbon cycling and how this contribution will change as community composition shifts under increasing anthropogenic pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Ghilardi
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Fahrenheitstraße 6, 28359, Bremen, Germany.
- Department of Marine Ecology, Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Leobener Straße UFT, 28359, Bremen, Germany.
| | | | - Valeriano Parravicini
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR3278 CRIOBE, University of Perpignan, 66860, Perpignan, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - Sebastian C A Ferse
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Fahrenheitstraße 6, 28359, Bremen, Germany
- Department of Marine Ecology, Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Leobener Straße UFT, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Tim Rixen
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Fahrenheitstraße 6, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Christian Wild
- Department of Marine Ecology, Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Leobener Straße UFT, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Matthias Birkicht
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Fahrenheitstraße 6, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Chris T Perry
- Geography, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4RJ, UK
| | - Alex Berry
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Rod W Wilson
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK
| | - David Mouillot
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, 34095, Montpellier, France
| | - Sonia Bejarano
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Fahrenheitstraße 6, 28359, Bremen, Germany
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14
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Siegel DA, DeVries T, Cetinić I, Bisson KM. Quantifying the Ocean's Biological Pump and Its Carbon Cycle Impacts on Global Scales. ANNUAL REVIEW OF MARINE SCIENCE 2023; 15:329-356. [PMID: 36070554 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-marine-040722-115226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The biological pump transports organic matter, created by phytoplankton productivity in the well-lit surface ocean, to the ocean's dark interior, where it is consumed by animals and heterotrophic microbes and remineralized back to inorganic forms. This downward transport of organic matter sequesters carbon dioxide from exchange with the atmosphere on timescales of months to millennia, depending on where in the water column the respiration occurs. There are three primary export pathways that link the upper ocean to the interior: the gravitational, migrant, and mixing pumps. These pathways are regulated by vastly different mechanisms, making it challenging to quantify the impacts of the biological pump on the global carbon cycle. In this review, we assess progress toward creating a global accounting of carbon export and sequestration via the biological pump and suggest a path toward achieving this goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Siegel
- Earth Research Institute and Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA;
| | - Timothy DeVries
- Earth Research Institute and Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA;
| | - Ivona Cetinić
- Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
- Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research (GESTAR) II, Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kelsey M Bisson
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
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15
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Implications of plastic pollution on global marine carbon cycling and climate. Emerg Top Life Sci 2022; 6:359-369. [PMID: 36218383 DOI: 10.1042/etls20220013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Plastic pollution can both chemically and physically impede marine biota. But it can also provide novel substrates for colonization, and its leachate might stimulate phytoplankton growth. Plastic contains carbon, which is released into the environment upon breakdown. All of these mechanisms have been proposed to contribute global impacts on open ocean carbon cycling and climate from ubiquitous plastic pollution. Laboratory studies produce compelling data showing both stimulation and inhibition of primary producers and disruption of predatory lifecycles at individual scale, but global carbon cycle impacts remain mostly unquantified. Preliminary modelling estimates ecosystem alterations and direct carbon release due to plastic pollution will remain vastly less disruptive to global carbon cycling than the direct damage wrought by fossil fuel carbon emissions. But when considered by mass, carbon in the form of bulky, persistent plastic particles may be disproportionally more influential on biogeochemical cycling than carbon as a gas in the atmosphere or as a dissolved component of seawater. Thus, future research should pay particular attention to the optical and other physical effects of marine plastic pollution on Earth system and ecological function, and resulting impacts on oxygen and nutrient cycling. Improved understanding of the breakdown of plastics in the marine environment should also be considered high-priority, as any potential perturbation of biological carbon cycling by plastic pollution is climate-relevant on centennial timescales and longer.
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16
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Durfort A, Mariani G, Tulloch V, Savoca MS, Troussellier M, Mouillot D. Recovery of carbon benefits by overharvested baleen whale populations is threatened by climate change. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220375. [PMID: 36321488 PMCID: PMC9627705 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the importance of marine megafauna on ecosystem functioning, their contribution to the oceanic carbon cycle is still poorly known. Here, we explored the role of baleen whales in the biological carbon pump across the southern hemisphere based on the historical and forecasted abundance of five baleen whale species. We modelled whale-mediated carbon sequestration through the sinking of their carcasses after natural death. We provide the first temporal dynamics of this carbon pump from 1890 to 2100, considering both the effects of exploitation and climate change on whale populations. We reveal that at their pre-exploitation abundance, the five species of southern whales could sequester 4.0 × 105 tonnes of carbon per year (tC yr-1). This estimate dropped to 0.6 × 105 tC yr-1 by 1972 following commercial whaling. However, with the projected restoration of whale populations under a RCP8.5 climate scenario, the sequestration would reach 1.7 × 105 tC yr-1 by 2100, while without climate change, recovered whale populations could sequester nearly twice as much (3.2 × 105 tC yr-1) by 2100. This highlights the persistence of whaling damages on whale populations and associated services as well as the predicted harmful impacts of climate change on whale ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaëlle Durfort
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Gaël Mariani
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Vivitskaia Tulloch
- Department of Forest and Conservation Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | | | - David Mouillot
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 75231, Paris, France
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17
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Bank MS, Swarzenski PW, Tolosa I. Seafood safety and environmental pollution in a changing environment. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 306:119475. [PMID: 35580712 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Bank
- Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway; University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.
| | - Peter W Swarzenski
- IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine 1er, 98000, Monaco
| | - Imma Tolosa
- IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine 1er, 98000, Monaco
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18
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Bank MS, Duarte CM, Sonne C. Intergovernmental Panel on Blue Foods in Support of Sustainable Development and Nutritional Security. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:5302-5305. [PMID: 35416646 PMCID: PMC9069694 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c00119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael S. Bank
- Institute
of Marine Research, Bergen 5005, Norway
- University
of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
- Phone: +47 453 93 078;
| | - Carlos M. Duarte
- Red
Sea Research Centre (RSRC) and Computational Bioscience Research Center
(CBRC), King Abdullah University of Science
and Technology, Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
- Aarhus
University, Department of Biology, Ole Worms Allé 1, 8000 Århus C, Denmark
| | - Christian Sonne
- Aarhus
University, Frederiksborgvej
399 Roskilde, DK-4000, Denmark
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19
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Epstein G, Middelburg JJ, Hawkins JP, Norris CR, Roberts CM. The impact of mobile demersal fishing on carbon storage in seabed sediments. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:2875-2894. [PMID: 35174577 PMCID: PMC9307015 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Subtidal marine sediments are one of the planet's primary carbon stores and strongly influence the oceanic sink for atmospheric CO2 . By far the most widespread human activity occurring on the seabed is bottom trawling/dredging for fish and shellfish. A global first-order estimate suggested mobile demersal fishing activities may cause 0.16-0.4 Gt of organic carbon (OC) to be remineralized annually from seabed sediment carbon stores (Sala et al., 2021). There are, however, many uncertainties in this calculation. Here, we discuss the potential drivers of change in seabed sediment OC stores due to mobile demersal fishing activities and conduct a literature review, synthesizing studies where this interaction has been directly investigated. Under certain environmental settings, we hypothesize that mobile demersal fishing would reduce OC in seabed stores due to lower production of flora and fauna, the loss of fine flocculent material, increased sediment resuspension, mixing and transport and increased oxygen exposure. Reductions would be offset to varying extents by reduced faunal bioturbation and community respiration, increased off-shelf transport and increases in primary production from the resuspension of nutrients. Studies which directly investigated the impact of demersal fishing on OC stocks had mixed results. A finding of no significant effect was reported in 61% of 49 investigations; 29% reported lower OC due to fishing activities, with 10% reporting higher OC. In relation to remineralization rates within the seabed, four investigations reported that demersal fishing activities decreased remineralization, with three reporting higher remineralization rates. Patterns in the environmental and experimental characteristics between different outcomes were largely indistinct. More evidence is urgently needed to accurately quantify the impact of anthropogenic physical disturbance on seabed carbon in different environmental settings and to incorporate full evidence-based carbon considerations into global seabed management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham Epstein
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of ExeterCornwallUK
| | | | - Julie P. Hawkins
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of ExeterCornwallUK
| | - Catrin R. Norris
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of ExeterCornwallUK
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20
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Hunter P. Fish faeces and ocean life: Better understanding marine carbon cycles could inform sustainable fishing policies: Better understanding marine carbon cycles could inform sustainable fishing policies. EMBO Rep 2022; 23:e54514. [PMID: 34962707 PMCID: PMC8811624 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202154514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Better knowledge of marine carbon cycles, their effect on global warming, and the important role of fish in both, can convince politics to establish more sustainable fishery policies.
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21
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Cavan EL, Hill SL. Commercial fishery disturbance of the global ocean biological carbon sink. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:1212-1221. [PMID: 34921472 PMCID: PMC9300016 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Plankton drive a major sink of carbon across the global oceans. Dead plankton, their faeces and the faeces of plankton feeders, form a huge rain of carbon sinking to the seabed and deep ocean, reducing atmospheric CO2 levels and thus helping to regulate the climate. Any change in plankton communities, ecosystems or habitats will perturb this carbon sink, potentially increasing atmospheric CO2 . Fishing is a major cause of ocean ecosystem disturbance affecting all trophic levels including plankton, but its potential impact on the carbon sink is unknown. As both fisheries and the carbon sink depend on plankton, there is spatial overlap of these fundamental ecosystem services. Here, we provide the first global maps of this spatial overlap. Using an upper quartile analysis, we show that 21% of the total upper ocean carbon sink (export) and 39% of fishing effort globally are concentrated in zones of intensive overlap, representing 9% of the ocean surface area. This overlap is particularly evident in the Northeast Atlantic suggesting this region should be prioritized in terms of research and conservation measures to preserve the high levels of sinking carbon. Small pelagic fish dominate catches here and globally, and their exploitation could reduce important faecal pellet carbon sinks and cause trophic cascades affecting plankton communities. There is an urgent need to recognize that, alongside climate change, fishing might be a critical influence on the ability of the ocean to sequester atmospheric CO2 . Improved understanding of this influence, and how it will change with the climate, will be important for realizing a sustainable balance of the twin needs for productive fisheries and strong carbon sinks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L. Cavan
- Department of Life SciencesImperial College LondonAscotBerkshireUK
| | - Simeon L. Hill
- British Antarctic SurveyNatural Environment Research CouncilCambridgeUK
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22
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Hatton IA, Heneghan RF, Bar-On YM, Galbraith ED. The global ocean size spectrum from bacteria to whales. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabh3732. [PMID: 34757796 PMCID: PMC8580314 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abh3732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
It has long been hypothesized that aquatic biomass is evenly distributed among logarithmic body mass size classes. Although this community structure has been observed regionally, mostly among plankton groups, its generality has never been formally tested across all marine life over the global ocean, nor have the impacts of humans on it been globally assessed. Here, we bring together data at the global scale to test the hypothesis from bacteria to whales. We find that biomass within most order of magnitude size classes is indeed remarkably constant, near 1 gigatonne (Gt) wet weight (1015 g), but bacteria and large marine mammals are markedly above and below this value, respectively. Furthermore, human impacts appear to have significantly truncated the upper one-third of the spectrum. This dramatic alteration to what is possibly life’s largest-scale regularity underscores the global extent of human activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian A. Hatton
- Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ryan F. Heneghan
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QD 4000, Australia
| | - Yinon M. Bar-On
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Eric D. Galbraith
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0E8, Canada
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23
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Our enormous fish catches have skewed ocean chemistry. Nature 2021. [DOI: 10.1038/d41586-021-02801-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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