Impact of oceanic warming on the distribution of seaweeds in polar and cold-temperate waters
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Ruth Müller
Abstract
Temperature is one of the most important factors controlling the biogeographic distribution of seaweeds and is expected to increase due to the rise in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations, especially in polar and cold-temperate regions. To estimate prospective distributional shifts in cold-water key structural seaweeds from both hemispheres, we related temperature requirements and recent distributions of seaweeds to observed mean sea surface temperature (SST) isotherms for the periods 1980–1999 (Meteorological Office Hadley Centre's SST data set; HadISST) and to modelled temperatures for 2080–2099 [Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 3 (CMIP3) database prepared for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report (IPCC AR4) report] based on moderate greenhouse gas emissions Special Report on Emission Scenarios – Scenario B1 (SRESA1B). Under this scenario, North Atlantic polar to cold-temperate seaweeds investigated will extend their distribution into the High Arctic until the end of the 21st century, but retreat along the northeastern Atlantic coastline. In contrast, selected Antarctic seaweeds will probably not significantly alter their latitudinal distributions, as deduced from our presently incomplete knowledge of their temperature requirements. We identified several cold-temperate regions where seaweed composition and abundance will certainly change with elevated temperatures. The results are discussed in the context of local temperature conditions, effects of multifactorial abiotic and biotic interactions and expected ecological consequences for seaweed-dominated ecosystems.
©2009 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York
Articles in the same Issue
- Guest introduction
- Biology of polar benthic algae
- Environment, biogeography and biodiversity
- The abiotic environment of polar marine benthic algae
- Biodiversity, biogeography and zonation of marine benthic micro- and macroalgae in the Arctic and Antarctic
- Notes on the systematics and biogeographical relationships of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic Rhodophyta with descriptions of four new genera and five new species
- Chemical ecology
- Defenses of polar macroalgae against herbivores and biofoulers
- Field studies on deterrent properties of phlorotannins in Antarctic brown algae
- Primary production and ecophysiology
- Benthic microalgal production in the Arctic: applied methods and status of the current database
- Microphytobenthic biomass along gradients of physical conditions in Arctic Kongsfjorden, Svalbard
- Phenology and seasonal physiological performance of polar seaweeds
- Light and temperature demands of marine benthic microalgae and seaweeds in polar regions
- Freezing tolerance and photosynthetic performance of polar seaweeds at low temperatures
- Polar benthic algae in a changing world
- Impact of oceanic warming on the distribution of seaweeds in polar and cold-temperate waters
- Physiological responses of polar benthic algae to ultraviolet radiation
- Drivers of colonization and succession in polar benthic macro- and microalgal communities
- Conclusion and outlook
- Future perspectives on the investigation of polar benthic algae
- Meetings
- Meetings
- Reviewer acknowledgement Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
- Reviewer acknowledgement Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
- Contents index Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
- Contents index Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
- Author index Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
- Author index Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
- Genus/Species index Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
- Genus/Species index Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
Articles in the same Issue
- Guest introduction
- Biology of polar benthic algae
- Environment, biogeography and biodiversity
- The abiotic environment of polar marine benthic algae
- Biodiversity, biogeography and zonation of marine benthic micro- and macroalgae in the Arctic and Antarctic
- Notes on the systematics and biogeographical relationships of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic Rhodophyta with descriptions of four new genera and five new species
- Chemical ecology
- Defenses of polar macroalgae against herbivores and biofoulers
- Field studies on deterrent properties of phlorotannins in Antarctic brown algae
- Primary production and ecophysiology
- Benthic microalgal production in the Arctic: applied methods and status of the current database
- Microphytobenthic biomass along gradients of physical conditions in Arctic Kongsfjorden, Svalbard
- Phenology and seasonal physiological performance of polar seaweeds
- Light and temperature demands of marine benthic microalgae and seaweeds in polar regions
- Freezing tolerance and photosynthetic performance of polar seaweeds at low temperatures
- Polar benthic algae in a changing world
- Impact of oceanic warming on the distribution of seaweeds in polar and cold-temperate waters
- Physiological responses of polar benthic algae to ultraviolet radiation
- Drivers of colonization and succession in polar benthic macro- and microalgal communities
- Conclusion and outlook
- Future perspectives on the investigation of polar benthic algae
- Meetings
- Meetings
- Reviewer acknowledgement Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
- Reviewer acknowledgement Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
- Contents index Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
- Contents index Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
- Author index Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
- Author index Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
- Genus/Species index Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
- Genus/Species index Bot. Mar. volume 52 (2009)
