Under global change, populations have four possible responses: 'migrate, acclimate, adapt or die' (Gienapp et al. 2008 Climate change and evolution: disentangling environmental genetic response. Mol. Ecol. 17, 167-178. (doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03413.x)). The challenge is to predict how much migration, acclimatization adaptation are capable of. We previously shown that from more variable environments plastic (Schaum 2013 Variation in responses of a globally distributed picoplankton...

Diatoms contribute roughly 20% of global primary production, but the factors determining their ability to adapt warming are unknown. Here we quantify capacity for adaptation in marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana. We find that evolutionary rescue under severe (32 °C) is slow, more realistic scenarios where temperature increases moderate (26 or fluctuate between benign and conditions rapid linked phenotypic changes metabolic traits elemental composition. Whole-genome re-sequencing...

Phytoplankton are usually considered autotrophs, but an increasing number of studies show that many taxa able also to use organic carbon. Acquiring nutrients and energy from different sources might enable efficient uptake required substances provide a strategy deal with varying resource availability, especially in highly dynamic ecosystems such as estuaries. In our study, we investigated the effects 31 carbon on growth (proxied by differences cell counts after 24 h exposure) 17 phytoplankton...

Abstract Thermal tolerance can depend critically on environmental context (e.g., resource availability and biotic interactions), yet it is often measured only under idealized conditions. Here, we investigated how the concentration of phosphate (a limiting for algal growth in freshwater ecosystems) influences thermal optimum rate five species phytoplankton. We found that low‐phosphate concentrations led to a sharp decline species’ optima, by up 15°C relative replete conditions, with magnitude...

Abstract Trophic interactions are important determinants of the structure and functioning ecosystems. Because metabolism consumption rates ectotherms increase sharply with temperature, there major concerns that global warming will strength trophic interactions, destabilizing food webs, altering ecosystem function. We used geothermally warmed streams span an 11°C temperature gradient to investigate interplay between temperature‐driven selection on traits related resource acquisition,...

Relating the temperature dependence of photosynthetic biomass production to underlying metabolic rates in autotrophs is crucial for predicting effects climatic fluctuations on carbon balance ecosystems. We present a mathematical model that links thermal performance curves (TPCs) photosynthesis, respiration, and allocation efficiency exponential growth rate population autotroph cells. Using experiments with green alga, Chlorella vulgaris, we apply show key understanding responses warming at...

Global warming is associated with an increase in sea surface temperature and its variability. The consequences of evolving variable, fluctuating environments are explored by a large body theory: when populations evolve the frequency fluctuations determines shapes tolerance curves (indicative habitats that organisms can inhabit) trait reaction norms (the phenotypes display across these environments). Despite this well-established theoretical backbone, predicting how will at foundation marine...

In estuaries, phytoplankton are faced with strong environmental forcing (e.g. high turbidity, salinity gradients). Taxa that appear under such conditions may play a critical role in maintaining food webs and biological carbon pumping, but knowledge about estuarine biota remains limited. This is also the case Elbe estuary where lower 70 km of water body largely unexplored. present study, we investigated composition via metabarcoding. Our aim was to identify key taxa unmonitored reaches this...

Picophytoplankton are important primary producers, but not always adequately recognized, for example, due to methodological limitations. In this study, we combined flow cytometry and metabarcoding investigate seasonal spatial patterns of picophytoplankton abundance community composition in the Elbe estuary. Due mixing freshwater seawater tidal currents ecosystem is characterized by typical estuarine features such as salinity gradients high turbidity. (mostly picoeukaryotes

The harbour ragworm, Nereis (Hediste) diversicolor is a common intertidal marine polychaete that lives in burrows from which it has to partially emerge order forage. In doing so, exposed variety of predators. One way predation risk can be minimised through chemical detection within the relative safety burrows. Using CCTV and motion capture software, we show H. able detect cues associated with presence juvenile flounder (Platichthys flesus). Number emergences, emergence duration distance...

Abstract Recent studies have highlighted the capacity of marine diatoms at foundation ocean food webs and biogeochemical cycles to respond environmental change. These responses are a combination physiological acclimation evolutionary responses. The latter occur rapidly within few hundred generations (translating scale months years), due large standing genetic variation short generation times diatom populations. Studies usually carried out on species in their planktonic state, but this may...

Biodiversity affects ecosystem function, and how this relationship will change in a warming world is major well-examined question ecology. Yet, it remains understudied for pico-phytoplankton communities, which contribute to carbon cycles aquatic food webs year-round. Observational studies show link between phytoplankton community diversity stability, but there only scarce causal or empirical evidence. Here, we sampled communities from two geographically related regions with distinct thermal...

Phytoplankton exist in genetically diverse populations, but are often studied as single lineages (single strains), so that interpreting single-lineage studies relies critically on understanding how microbial growth differs with social milieu, defined the presence or absence of conspecifics. The properties grown alone fail to predict these same conspecifics, and this discrepancy points towards an opportunity improve our factors affect lineage rates. We demonstrate different a marine...

Abstract Predicting anthropogenic impacts on benthic marine ecosystems is of great importance for conservation. Climate change models have indicated that increasing seawater temperatures will drive shifts in the distribution organisms due to species‐specific thermal tolerances. When combined with other stressors such as pollutants, interactive effects may lead even greater impacts. Microplastics (MP), a pollutant, been shown elicit responses but often at concentrations far than experienced...

Abstract Marine phytoplankton are responsible for over 45% of annual global net primary production. Ocean warming is expected to drive massive reorganisation communities, resulting in pole-ward range shifts and sharp declines species diversity, particularly the tropics. The impacts on depend critically their physiological sensitivity temperature change, characterised by thermal tolerance curves. Local extinctions arise when temperatures exceed species’ limits. mechanisms that determine...

Abstract Aquatic microbial primary producers exist in genetically variable populations, but are often studied as single lineages. However, the properties of lineages grown alone fail to predict composition assemblages. We demonstrate that different a marine picoplankter have unique growth strategies, and they modulate their lineage rate presence other This explains why rates isolation do not reliably The diversity strategies observed consistent with lineage-specific energy-allocation depends...

Diatoms contribute roughly 20% of global primary production, but the factors determining their ability to adapt warming are unknown. Here we quantify capacity for adaptation in marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana . We found that evolutionary rescue under severe was slow more realistic scenarios, where temperature increases were moderate or they fluctuated between benign and conditions, rapid. Adaption linked major phenotypic changes metabolism elemental composition. Whole genome...

Abstract Phytoplankton are usually considered autotrophs by default, but an increasing number of studies shows that many taxa able to also utilise organic carbon. Acquiring nutrients and energy from different sources might enable efficient uptake required substances provide a strategy deal with varying resource availability, especially in highly dynamic ecosystems such as estuaries. In our study we investigated the effects 31 carbon on growth 17 phytoplankton strains Elbe estuary spanning...

We suggest rethinking ecology as a set of continuous, interconnected dynamics and spatial networks that would represent an alternative framework to the traditional organizational levels—cell, organism, population, community, ecosystem. draw on unifying biological theories—information theory, cell metabolic theories—to propose continuous space for living systems avoids epistemological constraints imposed by priori assumptions discrete levels organization. The organization ecologists have...

Summary (1) Picophytoplankton are important primary producers, but not always adequately recognized, e.g. due to methodological limitations. (2) In this study, we combined flow cytometry and metabarcoding investigate seasonal spatial patterns of picophytoplankton abundance community composition in the Elbe estuary. (3) (mostly picoeukaryotes such as Mychonastes Minidiscus) contributed on average 70 % (SD = 14 %) total phytoplankton counts. summer picocyanobacteria (e.g. Synechococcus )...

Pico-phytoplankton have ample scope to react environmental change. Nevertheless, we know little about the underlying physiological mechanisms that govern how evolutionary history may affect short-term responses We investigated growth rates and carbon uptake related traits at 15° 22°C different times during microbial curve (lag phase, mid late exponential) of eight novel strains Ostreococcus sp. (ca. 1 μm). The were isolated from two distinct regions Baltic Sea differing in salinity...