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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Global gradients in species richness of marine plankton functional groups
ClearGlobal gradients in species richness of marine plankton functional groups
Researchers modeled global species richness patterns for marine plankton functional groups, finding that diversity peaks in temperate rather than tropical zones for many groups. Plankton are a key part of marine food webs and are sensitive to microplastic contamination, making baseline diversity data important for monitoring ecosystem health.
Global biogeography of the smallest plankton across ocean depths
Researchers analysed 451 ocean samples spanning epipelagic, mesopelagic, and bathypelagic zones to determine how ecological processes structure picoplankton communities across depths, finding that environmental selection decreases with depth while dispersal limitation increases, driven by water mass boundaries and bottom topography that restrict microbial mixing.
Spatiotemporal Distributionof Marine Viral FunctionsAssociated with Microplastics
Researchers synthesized 262 metagenomes to resolve the spatiotemporal distribution of microplastic-associated marine viral functional genes globally, finding significant regional divergence between 2000 and 2020 with increases in the North and southeastern Atlantic and decreases across 61% of the northwestern Atlantic, co-varying with microplastic accumulation and physicochemical variables.
Spatiotemporal Distribution of Marine Viral Functions Associated with Microplastics
Researchers synthesized 262 marine metagenomes to map spatiotemporal shifts in microplastic-associated viral functional gene abundance from 2000 to 2020, finding that over 20% of the North and southeastern Atlantic showed significant increases in viral functional gene abundance that co-varied with microplastic accumulation and nutrient dynamics.
Responses to environmentally relevant microplastics are species-specific with dietary habit as a potential sensitivity indicator
Species-specific responses to environmentally relevant microplastic concentrations were assessed across multiple marine organisms within a functional group study. Results showed that responses differed substantially between species, indicating that single-species tests cannot reliably predict community-level effects of microplastic contamination.
Seasonal Dynamics of Zooplankton Functional Groups in Relation to Environmental Factors in Genheyuan Wetland of Northeast China
Researchers examined seasonal dynamics of zooplankton functional groups across nine sites in a cold temperate wetland in northeastern China, identifying seven functional groups and correlating their temporal shifts with environmental water quality variables throughout 2020.
Biogeographic gradients of picoplankton diversity indicate increasing dominance of prokaryotes in warmer Arctic fjords
Researchers sampling 21 Arctic and subarctic fjords found that warmer waters favor simple bacterial communities over more diverse microalgae-based communities, suggesting that as climate change heats Arctic seas, the microscopic food web at the base of the ecosystem will shift in ways that could reduce overall productivity.
Zooplankton exposure to microplastics at global scale: Influence of vertical distribution and seasonality
Researchers used a global ocean model to assess zooplankton exposure to microplastics, finding that exposure varies significantly with depth, season, and zooplankton vertical migration patterns, with highest concentrations in subtropical gyres and near coastal pollution sources.
The response of trophic interaction networks to multiple stressors in a marine latitudinal gradient of the Southern Hemisphere
Researchers analyzed how trophic interaction networks respond to multiple environmental and anthropogenic stressors across a marine latitudinal gradient, using ecological network analysis to identify key species and assess community resilience. The study found that stressor combinations altered network structure in ways that varied with latitude, with implications for marine biodiversity conservation.
A Global Plankton Diversity Monitoring Program
This paper describes the global Continuous Plankton Recorder program, which has monitored plankton diversity across ocean basins for decades, and argues for its expansion as a critical tool for detecting long-term changes in marine biodiversity driven by climate change and pollution.
A global biogeography analysis reveals vulnerability of surface marine zooplankton to anthropogenic stressors
Researchers used global ocean models to track multiple threats to zooplankton — tiny marine animals that support ocean food webs — and found that their combined vulnerability has doubled over the past 50 years due to warming, acidification, contaminants (including microplastics), and reduced food quality.
Exploring the Microdiversity Within Marine Bacterial Taxa: Toward an Integrated Biogeography in the Southern Ocean
Researchers used advanced sequencing techniques to study the fine-scale diversity and geographic distribution of bacteria in the Southern Ocean. Understanding ocean microbial communities is relevant to microplastic research because plastics in the ocean host distinct microbial communities that can alter local ecology.
Zooplankton exposure to microplastics at the global scale: Influence of vertical distribution and seasonality
Researchers compiled a global dataset of variables used to model zooplankton exposure to microplastics, incorporating vertical distribution and seasonality factors to better characterize how different zooplankton depth preferences and seasonal migration patterns influence the degree of microplastic contact across ocean regions.
Phylogeny and biogeography of the algal DMS-releasing enzyme in the global ocean
Not relevant to microplastics — this study maps the evolutionary distribution of an algal enzyme that releases dimethyl sulfide, a climate-relevant gas, across ocean ecosystems.
Partitioning fish communities into guilds for ecological analyses: an overview of current approaches and future directions
This review examined approaches to partitioning fish communities into functional guilds for ecological analyses, evaluating how guild-based groupings can simplify community analysis and help study functional diversity and community responses to environmental disturbances including pollution.
Non-traditional species sensitivity distribution approaches to analyze hazardous concentrations of microplastics in marine water
Researchers analyzed species sensitivity distribution curves for microplastic toxicity in marine water using non-traditional approaches, determining hazardous concentration thresholds across multiple toxicity endpoints to support environmental risk assessment.
Do microplastics dramatically shape the homogeneity of protozoan colonization in marine environments?
Researchers exposed protozoan assemblages to a gradient of microplastic concentrations in marine environments to investigate whether MPs shape the homogeneity of protozoan colonization patterns. The results provide insights into how MP pollution alters microbial community structure and the energy transfer roles of protozoa across trophic levels in marine ecosystems.
Changes in Phytoplankton Communities Along the Northern Antarctic Peninsula: Causes, Impacts and Research Priorities
This review examined changes in phytoplankton communities along the Northern Antarctic Peninsula in the context of climate change, identifying key drivers and knowledge gaps. The authors argue that predicting future phytoplankton shifts requires robust collaboration across Antarctic research programmes under a common framework, with microplastic contamination among the stressors affecting community composition.
Multiple stressors affect function rather than taxonomic structure of freshwater microbial communities
Researchers exposed freshwater pond communities to nutrient pollution and salt stress and found that while the types of bacteria present barely changed, how those communities functioned — specifically how they processed carbon — declined sharply and did not recover. This means standard species surveys may miss serious ecological damage happening at the functional level.
Functional trait‐based approaches as a common framework for aquatic ecologists
This paper proposes a functional trait-based framework to unify aquatic ecology research across freshwater, marine, benthic, and pelagic systems. By using organism traits rather than taxonomic identity as the common currency, the framework aims to enable knowledge sharing and the discovery of general ecological rules across ecosystems.
A trait‐based framework for assessing the vulnerability of marine species to human impacts
Researchers developed a trait-based framework to assess the vulnerability of over 44,000 marine species across 12 taxonomic groups to 22 anthropogenic stressors including pollution and climate change. They found that mollusks, corals, and echinoderms had the highest overall vulnerability, while biomass removal from fishing posed the greatest threat across species. The framework provides a systematic approach for predicting how marine biodiversity will respond to human pressures, which can help guide conservation priorities.
The combined effects of ocean warming and microplastic pollution on marine phytoplankton community dynamics
Researchers studied the combined effects of microplastic pollution and rising ocean temperatures on tiny marine plants called phytoplankton. While microplastics alone had minimal impact at current temperatures, when combined with warmer water conditions, phytoplankton biomass dropped by 41% and diversity fell by nearly 39%. The study suggests that climate change may dramatically amplify the harmful effects of microplastic pollution on the ocean organisms responsible for a significant portion of global carbon capture.
Ecological implications beyond the ecotoxicity of plastic debris on marine phytoplankton assemblage structure and functioning
PVC, polystyrene, and polyethylene microplastics and nanoplastics significantly reduced phytoplankton cell density, with polymer type being a key factor; given phytoplankton's role in atmospheric CO2 fixation, plastic pollution could potentially impact the marine carbon pump.
Microplastics drive community dynamics of periphytic protozoan fauna in marine environments
Researchers exposed marine protozoan communities to varying concentrations of microplastics and tracked how the communities changed over time. They found that higher microplastic concentrations reduced species diversity and shifted community composition toward more pollution-tolerant species. The study demonstrates that microplastic pollution can reshape the structure of microscopic marine communities, with potential cascading effects up the food web.