Ghent University, Marine Biology Lab, Krijgslaan 281/S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Biology Department, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Ghent University, Marine Biology Lab, Krijgslaan 281/S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
Mar Environ Res. 2018 Nov;142:163-177. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.10.005. Epub 2018 Oct 15.
Global climate change and the related temperature rise strongly impact marine life and have long been in the center of scientific attention. This experimental work investigates thermal-stress effects on intertidal meiofauna from tropical and temperate coasts, focusing on community responses. Natural communities were exposed for a month to ambient, elevated constant temperatures and diurnal fluctuating temperature regimes with elevated peak maxima, to mimic realistic future climate conditions. Abundance, biodiversity, community composition and functional diversity were assessed. Differential responses between a tropical and a temperate community were revealed. The tropical nematode assemblage was more tolerant to the elevated constant than to the fluctuating temperature regime, whereas the temperate assemblage was equally affected by both. Shifts in dominance of temperature-tolerant species in elevated constant and fluctuating temperature treatments (due to temperature variations) were observed and explained by a combination of differential tolerances and shifts in species interactions. Overall, global warming-induced temperature was found to alter species dynamics within meiobenthic communities, which may have further implications for the ecosystem.
全球气候变化和相关的温度上升强烈影响海洋生物，长期以来一直是科学关注的焦点。这项实验研究了热带和温带沿海地区的潮汐带小型生物在热胁迫下的反应，重点关注群落的响应。自然群落被暴露在环境温度、升高的恒定温度和具有升高的峰值的昼夜波动温度条件下一个月，以模拟未来的实际气候条件。评估了丰度、生物多样性、群落组成和功能多样性。揭示了热带和温带群落之间的差异反应。热带线虫组合对升高的恒定温度比波动温度更耐受，而温带组合则受到两者的同等影响。在升高的恒定和波动温度处理中（由于温度变化）观察到并解释了温度耐受物种优势的变化，这是由于差异耐受性和物种相互作用的变化所致。总的来说，发现由全球变暖引起的温度变化会改变小型底栖生物群落中的物种动态，这可能对生态系统产生进一步的影响。
