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Marine pollution, ecotoxicology and sustainability
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Fast adaptation of tropical phytoplankton to increased warming
Monday 7th @ 1050-1110, Conference Room 7
Peng Jin* , College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University
Susana Agusti, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center
Presenter Email: pengjin@gzhu.edu.cn |
| Ocean warming with climate change is forcing marine organisms to shift their distributions polewards and phenology. In warm tropical seas where no organism replacement is expected, evolutionary adaptation by local species to warming will be crucial to avoid predicted desertification and reduction in diversity. However, uncertainties in the capacity for organisms to adapt to warming prevail among scientists and policy makers. Across the global oceanic system, diatomic microalgae are the main primary producers in cold waters; they also contribute to tropical communities where they play a necessary role in the biological pump. Here we show that four species of diatoms isolated from the tropical Red Sea adapted to warming conditions (+ 4oC) by using various thermal strategies. Two of the species shifted their optimal growth temperature (Topt) above the ambient Topt. The other two diatoms shifted their maximum critical thermal limit. Our data show that tropical diatoms can adapt to increased warming, although trade offs from thermal adaptation could alter their competitive fitness. Our findings suggest that adaptive responses to warming among phytoplankton could help to arrest the sharp decline in diversity resulting from climate change that is predicted for tropical waters. |
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