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- Pilotto, Francesca, et al.
(author)
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Meta-analysis of multidecadal biodiversity trends in Europe
- 2020
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 11:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Local biodiversity trends over time are likely to be decoupled from global trends, as local processes may compensate or counteract global change. We analyze 161 long-term biological time series (15-91 years) collected across Europe, using a comprehensive dataset comprising ~6,200 marine, freshwater and terrestrial taxa. We test whether (i) local long-term biodiversity trends are consistent among biogeoregions, realms and taxonomic groups, and (ii) changes in biodiversity correlate with regional climate and local conditions. Our results reveal that local trends of abundance, richness and diversity differ among biogeoregions, realms and taxonomic groups, demonstrating that biodiversity changes at local scale are often complex and cannot be easily generalized. However, we find increases in richness and abundance with increasing temperature and naturalness as well as a clear spatial pattern in changes in community composition (i.e. temporal taxonomic turnover) in most biogeoregions of Northern and Eastern Europe. The global biodiversity decline might conceal complex local and group-specific trends. Here the authors report a quantitative synthesis of longterm biodiversity trends across Europe, showing how, despite overall increase in biodiversity metric and stability in abundance, trends differ between regions, ecosystem types, and taxa.
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2. |
- Pulina, Silvia, et al.
(author)
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Responses of a Mediterranean coastal lagoon plankton community to experimental warming
- 2020
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In: Marine Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0025-3162 .- 1432-1793. ; 167:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Coastal lagoons are extremely sensitive to increasing temperature, especially in the Mediterranean basin, which has been identified as a hotspot for global warming. The warming effects on the abundance and size structure of a Mediterranean coastal lagoon plankton community were investigated in this study. Water from Cabras Lagoon (Italy) was incubated in laboratory for 16 days in winter, excluding mesozooplankton. Three temperature treatments were applied: (i) the in situ winter mean water temperature; (ii) + 3 °C, as forecasted for the Mediterranean region by the next century; (iii) + 6 °C, as forecasted for the Mediterranean region by the next two centuries. A direct and positive effect of warming on ciliate density was observed in absence of their predators, as well as a taxonomic composition shift from Oligotrichs to Scuticociliatida. In turn, a decrease in heterotrophic nanoflagellate density was detected under warming. Phytoplankton (autotrophic cell size > 2 µm) density increased significantly, while their mean cell size decreased strongly throughout the experiment at the highest temperature. A significant change in phytoplankton class composition, consisting of the increase of smaller Chlorophyceae which replaced larger Bacillariophyceae, was observed under heating. Considering picoplankton (cell size < 2 µm), a decrease in larger autotrophic cell density was contemporary to an increase in smaller heterotrophic cell density, especially at the highest temperature. This work adds novel information to the predictions about plankton community responses on warming considering several trophic levels, which has been little studied in shallow coastal lagoons and in the Mediterranean basin.
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