Comparison of biological and ecological long-term trends related to northern hemisphere climate in different marine ecosystems

By

Kröncke, Ingrid
Neumann, Hermann
Dippner, Joachim W
Holbrook, Sally J.
Lamy, Thomas, 1984-
Miller, Robert
Padedda, Bachisio Mario
Pulina, Silvia
Reed, Daniel C
Reinikainen, Marko
Satta, Cecilia
Sechi, Nicola
Soltwedel, Thomas
Suikkanen, Sanna
Lugliè, Antonella

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2019

Original Publication

Nature conservation

Volume

34

Pages

311-341

Subjects

biological shifts , Climate changes , climate indices , ILTER network , marine communities , multiannual trends , Northern Hemisphere

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers 2012-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.34.30209

 

Abstract

Data from five sites of the International Long Term Ecological Research (ILTER) network in the North-Eastern Pacific, Western Arctic Ocean, Northern Baltic Sea, South-Eastern North Sea and in the Western Mediterranean Sea were analyzed by dynamic factor analysis (DFA) to trace common multi-year trends in abundance and composition of phytoplankton, benthic fauna and temperate reef fish. Multiannual trends were related to climate and environmental variables to study interactions. Two common trends in biological responses were detected, with temperature and climate indices as explanatory variables in four of the five LTER sites considered. Only one trend was observed at the fifth site, the Northern Baltic Sea, where no explanatory variables were identified. Our findings revealed quasi-synchronous biological shifts in the different marine ecosystems coincident with the 2000 climatic regime shift and provided evidence on a possible further biological shift around 2010. The observed biological modifications were coupled with abrupt or continuous increase in sea water and air temperature confirming the key-role of temperature in structuring marine communities.