Attaining Operational Marine Biodiversity ObservationsAttaining Operational Marine Biodiversity Observations2424--27 May 2010, Washington, DC27 May 2010, Washington, DC

Overview of Overview of Pelagic HabitatsPelagic Habitats

Pelagic HabitatsPelagic Habitats

•• Extreme size, challenging to accessExtreme size, challenging to access•• Wide range of relevant space / time scalesWide range of relevant space / time scales•• Extraordinary phylogenetic diversityExtraordinary phylogenetic diversity

Synergistic application of varied observing Synergistic application of varied observing approaches essentialapproaches essential

How can we best achieve this?How can we best achieve this?

• The pelagic: 1.3 million km3  (99% of living space on planet)– Euphotic zone – relatively small volume but where bulk of production takes place

– “Dark” ocean  ‐ largest habitat in biosphere

• Know most about coastal, shallow water, small to medium sized organisms. – know least about blue‐water, very small or large, fast moving species. 

– most information still comes from nets or filtering organisms through sieves.

– neither can effectively collect very small or fragile organisms

Census of Marine Life

epipelagic100 m

Arístegui et al. 2009Stedmon 2004

PelagicDepth Ranges

Reflect extreme environmental gradients

Associated changes in planktonic community structure

Many scales of spatial and temporal variability

Dissolved oxygen

Surface

750 m

3000 m

Wide variation in pelagic

Reflecting balance of photosynthesis respiration atmospheric exchangecirculation and mixing

Gradients in   TemperaturePressure    NutrientsLightpH….

Annual surface PO4

Many scales of spatial and temporal variability

Color scale blue-red = 0 - 2 µM

Global scale variation in photosynthetic biomass

SeaWiFS Biosphere

Smaller scale variability in pelagic habitat

MODIS Aqua

Continental shelves, banks, semi-enclosed basins

Boundary current rings & meanders

MODIS Aqua (Gulf Stream)

Watersheds & Estuaries

Chesapeake Bayhttp://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/

SST Chl

Scales important for biodiversity regulation?

Pelagic biodiversity encompasses universal tree of life

http://hermes.mbl.edu/labs/Sogin/Pages/univ.html

Size range ~8 orders of magnitude

Abundance range> 10 orders of magnitude

Phylogenetic diversity of photoautotrophs in aquatic systems higher than terrestrial.  Bulk of diversity in the pelagic.

Falkowski et al. 2004

Big challenge, but also

Opportunity to learn about fundamentals of life on Earth

Diversity not homogenously distributed over time or space

Temporal variationSeasonal variations in bacterial biodiversity

Discriminant function and time series analyses 

annual, repeatable cycles  in bacterial biodiversity

Fuhrman et al, 2006

California coastal surface watersBacterial diversity over 5 years

San Pedro Ocean Time Series (SPOTS)

Potential for bias or aliasing with less observational resolution

Worm et al 2003

Spatial variation in top predator diversity in NW Atlantic tunas, sharks, billfishes, turtles, mammals, etc.

From longline logbooks~ 10 years

Diversity not homogenously distributed over time or space

Hotspots of diversityshelf breaksseamountsreefs…

Color codes indicate # species

per 50 individuals

Is more biodiversity better?Changes in biodiversity with climate change

First occurrence in late 1990s(diatom Neodenticula seminae)

Event‐scale shiftIncoming pulse of N. Pacific water

First N. Atlantic record in >800,000 yrs

Can be abundant component of plankton

More trans‐Arctic migrations expectedWill change biodiversity

May influence biological pump and carbon cycling

Reid et al. 2007

Occurrence of Pacific Diatom species in NW Atlantic

~50 year Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) dataset

More diversity? Continued…

Changes in N. Atlantic copepod assemblages, 1958‐2005Shift northward in warm‐temperate 

and temperate sp.

Reduced number of cold‐temperate and subarctic species

Changes correlate with sea surface temperate changes

Rate of biogeographic changes far exceeds what is observed in terrestrial environmentsCopepods may better reflect 

current impact of climate change on ecosystems

Is the pelagic particularly sensitive to climate change?

Beaugrand et al, 2009~50 year Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) dataset

PDO and its open ocean impacts influence nearshore ecosystem shifts

> 50 years of fishery landings data

Chavez et al. 2003

Status and Trends Examples Status and Trends Examples

Increased prevalence and extent of Harmful Algal Blooms in US waters

http://www.whoi.edu/redtide/Cell images from Imaging FlowCytobot

(Sosik and Olson)

Species level identity essential

Local-regional habit scalese.g., inner shelf, bays, estuaries

Pelagic HabitatsPelagic Habitats

•• Extreme size, challenging to accessExtreme size, challenging to access•• Wide range of relevant space / time scalesWide range of relevant space / time scales•• Extraordinary phylogenetic diversityExtraordinary phylogenetic diversity

Synergistic application of varied observing Synergistic application of varied observing approaches essentialapproaches essential

How can we best achieve this?How can we best achieve this?

Breakout Group QuestionsBreakout Group QuestionsWhat major habitat divisions should guide effort?What major habitat divisions should guide effort?

What level of habitat resolution is needed to answer our What level of habitat resolution is needed to answer our questions?questions?

What taxa should be observed?What taxa should be observed?

What taxa, spatial and temporal scales are missing What taxa, spatial and temporal scales are missing but required, e.g., for modeling C budgets / but required, e.g., for modeling C budgets / dynamics, documenting global change?dynamics, documenting global change?