Paradigm of Climate Change and its Influence on Zooplankton

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 423-438
Author(s):  
Mohammad Yasir Arafat ◽  
Yahya Bakhtiyar ◽  
Zahoor Ahmad Mir ◽  
Hamid Iqbal Tak
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystem ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Aquatic Biota ◽  
Scientific Policy ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Aquatic Food

Zooplankton are the precious elements of aquatic ecosphere playing a significant role in some ecological phenomena viz., biomonitoring, ecological indication, link between primary producers and higher trophic levels, aquaculture,and maintenance of balance in aquatic food webs.The climate,being a dynamic abiotic entity, changed many times during the history of earth particularly before and after the industrial revolution.The unending materialistic benefits of human beings have been increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases since the last few decades that is enough to raise the global temperature. It is a fact that both biotic and abiotic factors affect the dynamics of aquatic biota due to which the aquatic ecosystems and the organisms inhabiting them such as zooplankton are becoming the worst targets of the climate change phenomenon. Some of the significant consequences of climate change posing threats for the zooplankton community include increased temperature, acidification, nutrient enrichment,and increasing ultraviolet (UV) environment of the aquatic ecosystem that significantly affect theirsurvival, behaviour, nutritional procurement, reproduction,and their overall population dynamics.Due to the profound effects of climate change on the zooplankton community, the entire aquatic food web gets crushed away leading to more severe concerns about the higher trophic levels and overall dynamics of the aquatic biota. Thus,unending loss in the dynamics of the aquatic ecosystem could prevailand will go on expanding if the causal factors of climate change continue to operate beyond their limits unless a strong scientific policy and framework in contrary to climate change are reinforced with the key focus on aquatic biota especially zooplankton.

scholarly journals Elevated temperature and browning increase dietary methylmercury, but decrease essential fatty acids at the base of lake food webs

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pianpian Wu ◽  
Martin J. Kainz ◽  
Fernando Valdés ◽  
Siwen Zheng ◽  
Katharina Winter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
Essential Fatty Acids ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Essential Nutrients ◽  
Aquatic Food Webs ◽  
Aquatic Food

AbstractClimate change scenarios predict increases in temperature and organic matter supply from land to water, which affect trophic transfer of nutrients and contaminants in aquatic food webs. How essential nutrients, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and potentially toxic contaminants, such as methylmercury (MeHg), at the base of aquatic food webs will be affected under climate change scenarios, remains unclear. The objective of this outdoor mesocosm study was to examine how increased water temperature and terrestrially-derived dissolved organic matter supply (tDOM; i.e., lake browning), and the interaction of both, will influence MeHg and PUFA in organisms at the base of food webs (i.e. seston; the most edible plankton size for zooplankton) in subalpine lake ecosystems. The interaction of higher temperature and tDOM increased the burden of MeHg in seston (< 40 μm) and larger sized plankton (microplankton; 40–200 μm), while the MeHg content per unit biomass remained stable. However, PUFA decreased in seston, but increased in microplankton, consisting mainly of filamentous algae, which are less readily bioavailable to zooplankton. We revealed elevated dietary exposure to MeHg, yet decreased supply of dietary PUFA to aquatic consumers with increasing temperature and tDOM supply. This experimental study provides evidence that the overall food quality at the base of aquatic food webs deteriorates during ongoing climate change scenarios by increasing the supply of toxic MeHg and lowering the dietary access to essential nutrients of consumers at higher trophic levels.

Food of the Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) in Lake Ontario before and after the Establishment of Bythotrephes cederstroemi

1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (10) ◽  
pp. 2009-2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward L. Mills ◽  
Robert O'Gorman ◽  
Joe DeGisi ◽  
Roy F. Heberger ◽  
Robert A. House
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Structure ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Crustacean Zooplankton ◽  
Alosa Pseudoharengus ◽  
Fish Feeding ◽  
Niagara River ◽  
Bythotrephes Cederstroemi ◽  
Before And After

Diets and length–weight relationships of Lake Ontario alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) in 1972 differed from those in 1988; the large cladoceran Bythotrephes cederstroemi colonized the lake during the mid-1980's. Micro-crustacean zooplankton were the dominant prey of alewife during April–October in 1972 and 1988. Although Bythotrephes was not found in 1988 net samples, it replaced other zooplankters in the alewife's diet. Typically, tailspines were the only part of Bythotrephes in alewife stomachs; their frequency was high in April–May, diminished rapidly in summer and was very low by fall. In spring 1988, alewife [Formula: see text] were in better condition than in spring 1972 and this may have been due to larger fish feeding more heavily on Bythotrephes. Variation in diet among widely separated sampling sites was due to differences in alewife abundance, stability of thermal structure, progress of zooplankton community development and distance to the mouth of the Niagara River (through which Bythotrephes probably enter the lake in summer and fall). In the Great Lakes, inter- and intralake differences in diet clearly exist, and these must be incorporated into models of alewife planktivory to gain an accurate understanding of energy flow between trophic levels.

scholarly journals The impacts of climate change on plankton as live food: A review

2021 ◽  
Vol 869 (1) ◽  
pp. 012005
Author(s):  
N Azani ◽  
M A Ghaffar ◽  
H Suhaimi ◽  
M N Azra ◽  
M M Hassan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Vertical Mixing ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Nutrient Cycle ◽  
Aquatic Food Web ◽  
Food Web Structure ◽  
Aquatic Food ◽  
Critical Components

Abstract Climate change is expected to warm up the ocean surface where majority of life inhabits. Ocean warming influences vertical mixing and stratification patterns, which alter nutrient cycle, plankton production, and aquatic food web. Plankton serves as the first food source for all larval organisms and the base of aquatic ecosystem. Zooplankton community is a crucial component of the aquatic food web. They are critical components in an ecosystem of aquatic and worldwide biogeochemical cycles. Zooplankton contributes as food source to economically valuable fishes, primary-production grazers, and carbon and nutrient cycle drivers. Climate change contributes to dire consequences by altering the baseline of aquatic food web structure. However, the ocean biota itself can influence climate change, and the implications of this are evident from the increase and decrease of wild fisheries production. This review highlights the effect of climate change on phytoplankton and zooplankton production.

scholarly journals Acute toxicity of crude oil from NNPC and artisanal refineries in Niger Delta on selected aquatic biota

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 016-024
Author(s):  
Mobene Eneriene Luke ◽  
Lucky Obukowho Odokuma
Keyword(s):  
Acute Toxicity ◽  
Physicochemical Properties ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystem ◽  
Niger Delta ◽  
Toxicity Assessment ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Aquatic Biota ◽  
Oil Spillage ◽  
Test Organisms

The spill of Crude oil from artisanal refineries and government owned pipelines has become recurrent situation in the Niger Delta, leading to devastating effects on the aquatic ecosystem. The toxicity of Crude oil from NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) refinery and selected artisanal refineries in Bolo, Twon-Brass and Ekpemu of the Niger Delta were investigated. The physicochemical properties of the products from the artisanal refineries short fall of the standards of Crude oil for refineries, as they contained impurities. The toxicity of the Crude oil was tested using three representatives of different trophic levels in the aquatic habitat; Fish (Tilapia guineensis), Crusteceans (Paleamonetes africanus), and Moluscs (Tympanotomus fuscatus). The LC50, NOEC, LOEC, and TUa were the indices used for toxicity assessment of the crude oil on the test organisms. The study revealed that all the Crude oil samples were toxic to the organisms. The degree of toxicity of crude oil showed the following trend; Ekpemu (LC50 – 0.02ppt)> Twon-Brass (LC50 – 0.06ppt)> Bolo (LC50 – 0.11ppt)> NNPC (LC50 – 4.63ppt), while the degree of sensitivity was; Tilapia guineensis > Paleamonetes africanus > Tympanotonus fuscatus. The findings further emphasize the need to control Crude oil spillage into the aquatic ecosystem.

Religion in the Age of the Anthropocene

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arianne F. Conty
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Risks And Benefits ◽  
Human Exceptionalism ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Contemporary Christian ◽  
Genesis 1 ◽  
Forms Of Life

Though responses to the Anthropocene have largely come from the natural and social sciences, religious responses to the Anthropocene have also been gaining momentum and many scholars have been calling for a religious response to complement scientific responses to climate change. Yet because Genesis 1:28 does indeed tell human beings to ‘subdue the earth’ monotheistic religions have often been understood as complicit in the human exceptionalism that is thought to have created the conditions for the Anthropocene. In distinction to such Biblical traditions, indigenous animistic cultures have typically respected all forms of life as ‘persons’ and such traditions have thus become a source of inspiration for ecological movements. After discussing contemporary Christian efforts to integrate the natural sciences and the environment into their responses to the Anthropocene, this article will turn to animism and seek to evaluate the risks and benefits that could ensue from a postmodern form of animism that could provide a necessary postsecular response to the Anthropocene.

scholarly journals Impacts of Climate Change Interacting Abiotic Factors on Growth, aflD and aflR Gene Expression and Aflatoxin B1 Production by Aspergillus flavus Strains In Vitro and on Pistachio Nuts

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 385
Author(s):  
Alaa Baazeem ◽  
Alicia Rodriguez ◽  
Angel Medina ◽  
Naresh Magan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Gene Expression ◽  
Water Stress ◽  
Aspergillus Flavus ◽  
Aflatoxin B1 ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Pistachio Nuts ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Spoilage Fungi

Pistachio nuts are an important economic tree nut crop which is used directly or processed for many food-related activities. They can become colonized by mycotoxigenic spoilage fungi, especially Aspergillus flavus, mainly resulting in contamination with aflatoxins (AFs), especially aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). The prevailing climate in which these crops are grown changes as temperature and atmospheric CO2 levels increase, and episodes of extreme wet/dry cycles occur due to human industrial activity. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of interacting Climate Change (CC)-related abiotic factors of temperature (35 vs. 37 °C), CO2 (400 vs. 1000 ppm), and water stress (0.98–0.93 water activity, aw) on (a) growth (b) aflD and aflR biosynthetic gene expression and (c) AFB1 production by two strains A. flavus (AB3, AB10) in vitro on milled pistachio-based media and when colonizing layers of shelled raw pistachio nuts. The A. flavus strains were resilient in terms of growth on pistachio-based media and the colonisation of pistachio nuts with no significant difference when exposed to the interacting three-way climate-related abiotic factors. However, in vitro studies showed that AFB1 production was significantly stimulated (p < 0.05), especially when exposed to 1000 ppm CO2 at 0.98–0.95 aw and 35 °C, and sometimes in the 37 °C treatment group at 0.98 aw. The relative expression of the structural aflD gene involved in AFB1 biosynthesis was decreased or only slightly increased, relative to the control conditions at elevated CO, regardless of the aw level examined. For the regulatory aflR gene expression, there was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in 1000 ppm CO2 and 37 °C for both strains, especially at 0.95 aw. The in situ colonization of pistachio nuts resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) stimulation of AFB1 production at 35 °C and 1000 ppm CO2 for both strains, especially at 0.98 aw. At 37 °C, AFB1 production was either decreased, in strain AB3, or remained similar, as in strain AB10, when exposed to 1000 ppm CO2. This suggests that CC factors may have a differential effect, depending on the interacting conditions of temperature, exposure to CO2 and the level of water stress on AFB1 production.

scholarly journals Repeated surveying over 6 years reveals that fine-scale habitat variables are key to tropical mountain ant assemblage composition and functional diversity

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mulalo M. Muluvhahothe ◽  
Grant S. Joseph ◽  
Colleen L. Seymour ◽  
Thinandavha C. Munyai ◽  
Stefan H. Foord
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Composition Analysis ◽  
Fine Scale

AbstractHigh-altitude-adapted ectotherms can escape competition from dominant species by tolerating low temperatures at cooler elevations, but climate change is eroding such advantages. Studies evaluating broad-scale impacts of global change for high-altitude organisms often overlook the mitigating role of biotic factors. Yet, at fine spatial-scales, vegetation-associated microclimates provide refuges from climatic extremes. Using one of the largest standardised data sets collected to date, we tested how ant species composition and functional diversity (i.e., the range and value of species traits found within assemblages) respond to large-scale abiotic factors (altitude, aspect), and fine-scale factors (vegetation, soil structure) along an elevational gradient in tropical Africa. Altitude emerged as the principal factor explaining species composition. Analysis of nestedness and turnover components of beta diversity indicated that ant assemblages are specific to each elevation, so species are not filtered out but replaced with new species as elevation increases. Similarity of assemblages over time (assessed using beta decay) did not change significantly at low and mid elevations but declined at the highest elevations. Assemblages also differed between northern and southern mountain aspects, although at highest elevations, composition was restricted to a set of species found on both aspects. Functional diversity was not explained by large scale variables like elevation, but by factors associated with elevation that operate at fine scales (i.e., temperature and habitat structure). Our findings highlight the significance of fine-scale variables in predicting organisms’ responses to changing temperature, offering management possibilities that might dilute climate change impacts, and caution when predicting assemblage responses using climate models, alone.

scholarly journals The Effects of Biotic and Abiotic Factors on the Community Dynamics in a Mountain Subtropical Forest

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 427
Author(s):  
Tianyang Zhou ◽  
Jiaxin Zhang ◽  
Yunzhi Qin ◽  
Mingxi Jiang ◽  
Xiujuan Qiao
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Forest Dynamics ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Subtropical Forest ◽  
Above Ground Biomass ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Forest Ecosystem Services ◽  
Number Of Individuals

From supporting wood production to mitigating climate change, forest ecosystem services are crucial to the well-being of humans. Understanding the mechanisms that drive forest dynamics can help us infer how to maintain forest ecosystem services and how to improve predictions of forest dynamics under climate change. Despite the growing number of studies exploring above ground biomass (AGB) dynamics, questions of dynamics in biodiversity and in number of individuals still remain unclear. Here, we first explored the patterns of community dynamics in different aspects (i.e., AGB, density and biodiversity) based on short-term (five years) data from a 25-ha permanent plot in a subtropical forest in central China. Second, we examined the relationships between community dynamics and biodiversity and functional traits. Third, we identified the key factors affecting different aspects of community dynamics and quantified their relative contributions. We found that in the short term (five years), net above ground biomass change (ΔAGB) and biodiversity increased, while the number of individuals decreased. Resource-conservation traits enhanced the ΔAGB and reduced the loss in individuals, while the resource-acquisition traits had the opposite effect. Furthermore, the community structure contributed the most to ΔAGB; topographic variables and soil nutrients contributed the most to the number of individuals; demographic process contributed the most to biodiversity. Our results indicate that biotic factors mostly affected the community dynamics of ΔAGB and biodiversity, while the number of individuals was mainly shaped by abiotic factors. Our work highlighted that the factors influencing different aspects of community dynamics vary. Therefore, forest management practices should be formulated according to a specific protective purpose.

scholarly journals The importance of species interactions in eco-evolutionary community dynamics under climate change

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Åkesson ◽  
Alva Curtsdotter ◽  
Anna Eklöf ◽  
Bo Ebenman ◽  
Jon Norberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
The Impact

AbstractEco-evolutionary dynamics are essential in shaping the biological response of communities to ongoing climate change. Here we develop a spatially explicit eco-evolutionary framework which features more detailed species interactions, integrating evolution and dispersal. We include species interactions within and between trophic levels, and additionally, we incorporate the feature that species’ interspecific competition might change due to increasing temperatures and affect the impact of climate change on ecological communities. Our modeling framework captures previously reported ecological responses to climate change, and also reveals two key results. First, interactions between trophic levels as well as temperature-dependent competition within a trophic level mitigate the negative impact of climate change on biodiversity, emphasizing the importance of understanding biotic interactions in shaping climate change impact. Second, our trait-based perspective reveals a strong positive relationship between the within-community variation in preferred temperatures and the capacity to respond to climate change. Temperature-dependent competition consistently results both in higher trait variation and more responsive communities to altered climatic conditions. Our study demonstrates the importance of species interactions in an eco-evolutionary setting, further expanding our knowledge of the interplay between ecological and evolutionary processes.

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