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Dai Y, Yang S, Zhao D, Hu C, Xu W, Anderson DM, Li Y, Song XP, Boyce DG, Gibson L, Zheng C, Feng L. Coastal phytoplankton blooms expand and intensify in the 21st century. Nature 2023; 615:280-284. [PMID: 36859547 PMCID: PMC9995273 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05760-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Phytoplankton blooms in coastal oceans can be beneficial to coastal fisheries production and ecosystem function, but can also cause major environmental problems1,2-yet detailed characterizations of bloom incidence and distribution are not available worldwide. Here we map daily marine coastal algal blooms between 2003 and 2020 using global satellite observations at 1-km spatial resolution. We found that algal blooms occurred in 126 out of the 153 coastal countries examined. Globally, the spatial extent (+13.2%) and frequency (+59.2%) of blooms increased significantly (P < 0.05) over the study period, whereas blooms weakened in tropical and subtropical areas of the Northern Hemisphere. We documented the relationship between the bloom trends and ocean circulation, and identified the stimulatory effects of recent increases in sea surface temperature. Our compilation of daily mapped coastal phytoplankton blooms provides the basis for global assessments of bloom risks and benefits, and for the formulation or evaluation of management or policy actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanhui Dai
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Shangbo Yang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Dan Zhao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chuanmin Hu
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
| | - Wang Xu
- Shenzhen Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center of Guangdong Province, Shenzhen, China
| | | | - Yun Li
- School of Marine Science and Policy, College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, University of Delaware, Lewes, DE, USA
| | - Xiao-Peng Song
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Daniel G Boyce
- Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Luke Gibson
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chunmiao Zheng
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- EIT Institute for Advanced Study, Ningbo, China
| | - Lian Feng
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
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2
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Boyce DG, Petrie B, Frank KT. Fishing, predation, and temperature drive herring decline in a large marine ecosystem. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:18136-18150. [PMID: 35003663 PMCID: PMC8717267 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Since 1960, landings of Atlantic herring have been the greatest of any marine species in Canada, surpassing Atlantic cod and accounting for 24% of the total seafood harvested in Atlantic Canada. The Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy herring fisheries (NAFO Division 4VWX) is among Canada's oldest and drives this productivity, accounting for up to 75% of the total herring catch in some years. The stocks' productivity and overall health have declined since 1965. Despite management measures to promote recovery implemented since 2003, biomass remains low and is declining. The factors that drive the productivity of 4VWX herring are primarily unresolved, likely impeding the effectiveness of management actions on this stock. We evaluated potential drivers of herring variability by analyzing 52 time-series that describe the temporal and spatial evolution of the 4VWX herring population and the physical, ecological, and anthropogenic factors that could affect them using structural equation models. Variation in herring biomass was best accounted for by the exploitation rate's negative effect and the geographic distribution of fishing and recruitment. Thermal phenology and temperature adversely and egg predation positively impacted the early life stage mortality rate and, ultimately, adult biomass. These findings are broadly relevant to fisheries management, but particularly for 4VWX herring, where the current management approach does not consider their early life stage dynamics or assess them within the ecosystem or climate change contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G. Boyce
- Ocean Sciences DivisionBedford Institute of OceanographyDartmouthNSCanada
- Biology DepartmentDalhousie UniversityHalifaxNSCanada
| | - Brian Petrie
- Ocean Sciences DivisionBedford Institute of OceanographyDartmouthNSCanada
| | - Kenneth T. Frank
- Ocean Sciences DivisionBedford Institute of OceanographyDartmouthNSCanada
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Tittensor DP, Beger M, Boerder K, Boyce DG, Cavanagh RD, Cosandey-Godin A, Crespo GO, Dunn DC, Ghiffary W, Grant SM, Hannah L, Halpin PN, Harfoot M, Heaslip SG, Jeffery NW, Kingston N, Lotze HK, McGowan J, McLeod E, McOwen CJ, O’Leary BC, Schiller L, Stanley RRE, Westhead M, Wilson KL, Worm B. Integrating climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation in the global ocean. Sci Adv 2019; 5:eaay9969. [PMID: 31807711 PMCID: PMC6881166 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay9969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The impacts of climate change and the socioecological challenges they present are ubiquitous and increasingly severe. Practical efforts to operationalize climate-responsive design and management in the global network of marine protected areas (MPAs) are required to ensure long-term effectiveness for safeguarding marine biodiversity and ecosystem services. Here, we review progress in integrating climate change adaptation into MPA design and management and provide eight recommendations to expedite this process. Climate-smart management objectives should become the default for all protected areas, and made into an explicit international policy target. Furthermore, incentives to use more dynamic management tools would increase the climate change responsiveness of the MPA network as a whole. Given ongoing negotiations on international conservation targets, now is the ideal time to proactively reform management of the global seascape for the dynamic climate-biodiversity reality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek P. Tittensor
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK
- Corresponding author.
| | - Maria Beger
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Kristina Boerder
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Daniel G. Boyce
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | | | | | - Guillermo Ortuño Crespo
- Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Daniel C. Dunn
- Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | | | | | - Lee Hannah
- The Moore Center for Science, Conservation International, Arlington, VA, USA
| | - Patrick N. Halpin
- Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Mike Harfoot
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - Susan G. Heaslip
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada
| | - Nicholas W. Jeffery
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada
| | - Naomi Kingston
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - Heike K. Lotze
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | | | | | - Chris J. McOwen
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - Bethan C. O’Leary
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Manchester, UK
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, UK
| | - Laurenne Schiller
- Marine Affairs Program, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Ocean Wise, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Ryan R. E. Stanley
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada
| | - Maxine Westhead
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada
| | | | - Boris Worm
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
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Boyce DG, Frank KT, Worm B, Leggett WC. Spatial patterns and predictors of trophic control in marine ecosystems. Ecol Lett 2015; 18:1001-11. [PMID: 26252155 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2015] [Revised: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 06/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A key question in ecology is under which conditions ecosystem structure tends to be controlled by resource availability vs. consumer pressure. Several hypotheses derived from theory, experiments and observational field studies have been advanced, yet a unified explanation remains elusive. Here, we identify common predictors of trophic control in a synthetic analysis of 52 observational field studies conducted within marine ecosystems across the Northern Hemisphere and published between 1951 and 2014. Spatial regression analysis of 45 candidate variables revealed temperature to be the dominant predictor, with unimodal effects on trophic control operating both directly (r(2) = 0.32; P < 0.0001) and indirectly through influences on turnover rate and quality of primary production, biodiversity and omnivory. These findings indicate that temperature is an overarching determinant of the trophic dynamics of marine ecosystems, and that variation in ocean temperature will affect the trophic structure of marine ecosystems through both direct and indirect mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G Boyce
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada, K7L 3N6.,Ocean Sciences Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, PO Box 1006, Dartmouth, NS, Canada, B2Y 4A2
| | - Kenneth T Frank
- Ocean Sciences Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, PO Box 1006, Dartmouth, NS, Canada, B2Y 4A2
| | - Boris Worm
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada, B3H 4J1
| | - William C Leggett
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada, K7L 3N6
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Boyce DG, Frank KT, Leggett WC. From mice to elephants: overturning the 'one size fits all' paradigm in marine plankton food chains. Ecol Lett 2015; 18:504-15. [PMID: 25919397 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2015] [Revised: 03/02/2015] [Accepted: 03/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
It is widely believed that consumer control is a weak regulator of marine phytoplankton communities. It remains unclear, however, why this should be the case when marine consumers routinely regulate their prey at higher trophic levels. One possibility is that the weak consumer control of phytoplankton communities results from the inability of field researchers to effectively account for consumer-prey trophic relationships operating at the scale of the plankton. We explored this issue by reviewing studies of trophic control in marine plankton. Experimental studies indicate that size is a critical determinant of feeding relationships among plankton. In sharp contrast, of the 51 field studies reviewed, 78% did not distinguish among the sizes or species of phytoplankton and their consumers, but instead assumed a general bulk phytoplankton-zooplankton trophic connection. Such an approach neglects the possibility that several trophic connections may separate the smallest phytoplankton (0.2 μm) from the larger zooplankton (~ 1000 μm), a remarkable size differential exceeding that between a mouse (~10 cm) and an elephant (~2500 cm). The size-based approach we propose integrates theory, experiments and field observations and has the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of the causes and consequences of recently documented restructuring of plankton communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G Boyce
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada, K7L 3N6.,Ocean Sciences Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, PO Box 1006, Dartmouth, NS, Canada, B2Y 4A2
| | - Kenneth T Frank
- Ocean Sciences Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, PO Box 1006, Dartmouth, NS, Canada, B2Y 4A2
| | - William C Leggett
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada, K7L 3N6
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Lewandowska AM, Boyce DG, Hofmann M, Matthiessen B, Sommer U, Worm B. Effects of sea surface warming on marine plankton. Ecol Lett 2014; 17:614-23. [PMID: 24575918 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2013] [Revised: 12/14/2013] [Accepted: 02/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Ocean warming has been implicated in the observed decline of oceanic phytoplankton biomass. Some studies suggest a physical pathway of warming via stratification and nutrient flux, and others a biological effect on plankton metabolic rates; yet the relative strength and possible interaction of these mechanisms remains unknown. Here, we implement projections from a global circulation model in a mesocosm experiment to examine both mechanisms in a multi-trophic plankton community. Warming treatments had positive direct effects on phytoplankton biomass, but these were overcompensated by the negative effects of decreased nutrient flux. Zooplankton switched from phytoplankton to grazing on ciliates. These results contrast with previous experiments under nutrient-replete conditions, where warming indirectly reduced phytoplankton biomass via increased zooplankton grazing. We conclude that the effect of ocean warming on marine plankton depends on the nutrient regime, and provide a mechanistic basis for understanding global change in marine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra M Lewandowska
- Marine Ecology, GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105, Kiel, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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Abstract
In the oceans, ubiquitous microscopic phototrophs (phytoplankton) account for approximately half the production of organic matter on Earth. Analyses of satellite-derived phytoplankton concentration (available since 1979) have suggested decadal-scale fluctuations linked to climate forcing, but the length of this record is insufficient to resolve longer-term trends. Here we combine available ocean transparency measurements and in situ chlorophyll observations to estimate the time dependence of phytoplankton biomass at local, regional and global scales since 1899. We observe declines in eight out of ten ocean regions, and estimate a global rate of decline of approximately 1% of the global median per year. Our analyses further reveal interannual to decadal phytoplankton fluctuations superimposed on long-term trends. These fluctuations are strongly correlated with basin-scale climate indices, whereas long-term declining trends are related to increasing sea surface temperatures. We conclude that global phytoplankton concentration has declined over the past century; this decline will need to be considered in future studies of marine ecosystems, geochemical cycling, ocean circulation and fisheries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G Boyce
- Biology Department, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3H 4J1.
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