Climate change may produce 'fast-food' phytoplankton in Arctic regions with more carbohydrates and less protein
Posted by Portalrules123@reddit | collapse | View on Reddit | 4 comments
ChromaticStrike@reddit
The problem of that shift theory is that shifts in species requires time and if the changes happen to quick then it's just pulling the plug on it. I don't think we know the exact threshold for the plankton.
Konradleijon@reddit
Fudge
StatementBot@reddit
The following submission statement was provided by /u/Portalrules123:
SS: Related to climate and ecological collapse because phytoplankton serve as the base of the entire marine food web, directly feeding zooplankton and some fish and indirectly shuttling energy upwards through all the higher tropic levels so any reduction in their nutritional value is likely to have cascading ecological effects. Warming oceans from climate change will cause this reduction, especially in Arctic regions that are already warming faster than the global average. Phytoplankton are expected to shift to consisting of more carbohydrates and less protein, hence the “fast-food” analogy in the title. Expect the entire marine food web to either collapse or at least be highly reduced in efficiency in the near future as the overall levels of vital protein are reduced. And that’s not even considering things like overfishing, direct thermal stress, and invasive species that will move north as the oceans warm. All in all, the oceans are dying and humanity is to blame.
Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/1scnauj/climate_change_may_produce_fastfood_phytoplankton/oec7osx/
Portalrules123@reddit (OP)
SS: Related to climate and ecological collapse because phytoplankton serve as the base of the entire marine food web, directly feeding zooplankton and some fish and indirectly shuttling energy upwards through all the higher tropic levels so any reduction in their nutritional value is likely to have cascading ecological effects. Warming oceans from climate change will cause this reduction, especially in Arctic regions that are already warming faster than the global average. Phytoplankton are expected to shift to consisting of more carbohydrates and less protein, hence the “fast-food” analogy in the title. Expect the entire marine food web to either collapse or at least be highly reduced in efficiency in the near future as the overall levels of vital protein are reduced. And that’s not even considering things like overfishing, direct thermal stress, and invasive species that will move north as the oceans warm. All in all, the oceans are dying and humanity is to blame.