Dr Matthew Holland1,2, Dr Abigail McQuatters-Gollop1, Dr Arnaud Louchart3, Dr Luis Felipe Artigas3
1University Of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom, 2University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia, 3Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale, Wimereux, France
Temperate reef and pelagic ecosystems are inextricably linked through two fundamental processes. Benthic fish and invertebrates capture energy from zooplankton produced over large areas of ocean surface and delivered by currents. In turn, these fish and invertebrates grow, spawn and release eggs and larvae which re-enter the pelagic ecosystem and recruit to new benthic habitats. Thus, large-scale shifts in copepod abundance stand to impact temperate reefs and the ecosystem services they provide. Further, variation detected in the planktonic larvae of benthic organisms can indicate changes impacting reef communities. We studied 23 long-term plankton monitoring datasets across the North-East Atlantic to understand how the abundances of copepods, meroplankton, and fish larvae have changed from 1960 to present. We used random forest regression to link changes in plankton functional groups to 15 environmental and anthropogenic pressures, including nutrients, rising temperatures and ocean acidification. We observed long-term downward shifts in copepod abundance over coastal and shelf areas alongside increases in larval fish and meroplankton. Increases in meroplankton were linked to rising sea surface temperatures, while changes in fish larvae were also associated with changes in hydrodynamic processes. We suggest that rising temperatures have impacted the reproductive output of benthic invertebrates, particularly echinoderms and decapods, and facilitating range shifts in warm water taxa. Further, increases in fish larvae are likely driven by northward range expansions and reductions in fishing pressure. It is important to understand how these changes in plankton communities are reflected in adult populations comprising benthic food webs.
Presentation Files – Matthew Holland
Biography:
Matthew is a marine biologist who studies the distribution and abundance of marine organisms and uses long-term datasets to understand how marine communities are changing in response to climate change and anthropogenic pressures. His current work is focused on contributing to a large-scale environmental assessment of North-East Atlantic biodiversity to support ecosystem-based management. He completed his undergraduate degree at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, and completed his Master’s and PhD at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
