Marine Biodiversity, Climate Change and Human Impacts

Contributors: C Smith, K. Weng, R. Waller, G. Steward, J. Drazen, G.Wang, others in spirit

Why care about marine biodiversity and climate change?

- Ocean ecosystems contain remarkable, but still very poorly

known, levels of biodiversity & evolutionary novelty

- Ecosystem functions (& services) are modulated by biodiversity

-Humans are altering marine biodiversity at an accelerating rate on a global scale

Abyssal sea cucumber

Bacterioplankton

Whale-fall community

- Field program of - Field program of Census of Marine LifeCensus of Marine Life

- PI’s Craig R. Smith and Pedro Martinez (Germ.)- PI’s Craig R. Smith and Pedro Martinez (Germ.)

- Funded by A. P. Sloan Foundation ($2.6 - Funded by A. P. Sloan Foundation ($2.6 million for 2004 – 2010) and million for 2004 – 2010) and $500,000 co-funding (Pew, etc.)$500,000 co-funding (Pew, etc.)

Evaluating patterns & causes of biodiversity in the global abyssEvaluating patterns & causes of biodiversity in the global abyss

Why care about the abyssal seafloor (3000 – 6000 m)?Why care about the abyssal seafloor (3000 – 6000 m)?

- >50% of Earth’ surface (the “Big Blue”)- >50% of Earth’ surface (the “Big Blue”)- Biodiversity and ecosystem function poorly evaluated - Biodiversity and ecosystem function poorly evaluated - May be Earth’s largest reservoir of biodiversity- May be Earth’s largest reservoir of biodiversity- Hawaii sits in middle of it- Hawaii sits in middle of it

Key CeDAMar questions include:Key CeDAMar questions include: 1)1) Is the abyss a major reservoir of biodiversity?Is the abyss a major reservoir of biodiversity?

2)2) How How will abyssal biodiversity and ecosystem function respond to climate warming?will abyssal biodiversity and ecosystem function respond to climate warming?

Coordinated Field Efforts Include: • Latitudinal gradients Latitudinal gradients (DIVA, BIOZAIRE)(DIVA, BIOZAIRE)

• Antarctic Diversity and Antarctic Diversity and Biogeography (ANDEEP)Biogeography (ANDEEP)

• Biodiveristy and species Biodiveristy and species ranges in Pacific (KAPLAN, ranges in Pacific (KAPLAN, NODINAUT)NODINAUT)

• Diversity in a warm abyss Diversity in a warm abyss (LEVAR)(LEVAR)

• Diversity versus primary Diversity versus primary production (CROZEX)production (CROZEX)

• Decadal changes in abyssal Decadal changes in abyssal fauna: (PAP)fauna: (PAP)Beyond 2010 - focus on still unstudied Beyond 2010 - focus on still unstudied

regions – e.g., South Pacificregions – e.g., South Pacific

PAPPAP

Another aspect of biodiversity studies - delineating the large marine Another aspect of biodiversity studies - delineating the large marine ecosystems of the open oceanecosystems of the open ocean

Using The Original OceanographersUsing The Original OceanographersKevin WengKevin Weng

Billfishes

Lamnid sharks

Thresher sharks

Tunas

Pelagic fishes ply the oceans with advanced sensor packages (movement, image recognition, light, sound, real-time chemical recognition etc.).

They help us to discover and understand important bioregions of the ocean.

Pelagic Fishes can be Tracked with Recently Developed Tools

SPOT fin-mounted transmitter - Argos position

Adult white shark

PAT Tag - Temperature, Pressure, Light

Juvenile white shark

Salmon shark

Seasonal Distribution:White Sharks (n = 15)

Weng et al. Accepted

Salmon Shark

White shark

Identify regions of productivity

Region of low productivity: mysterious biological function

Antarctic Marine Ecosystems are fundamentally structured by sea ice and Antarctic Marine Ecosystems are fundamentally structured by sea ice and ice shelvesice shelves

Antarctic Peninsula region is Antarctic Peninsula region is undergoing extremely rapid warming undergoing extremely rapid warming (2.5(2.5ooC since 1940) C since 1940) and ice lossand ice loss

Ice Shelf

Sea Ice

Two NSF funded projects studying climate warming on Antarctic Ecosystem function

HOWEVER!

Ice Ice freefree most of year (8 mo) most of year (8 mo)

Ice Ice boundbound most of year (8 mo) most of year (8 mo)

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE ANDGLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE ANDBENTHO-PELAGIC COUPLING ON THE ANTARCTIC BENTHO-PELAGIC COUPLING ON THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA PENINSULA - - NSF 2007-2010NSF 2007-2010

C. Smith, R. Waller, UH students and postoc

UH Collaborators – Steward, Wang, Rappe

Co-PIs DeMaster & Thomas – NCSU

GOALS:

1) Evaluate seafloor ecosystem change along sea-ice gradient from 63o - 68o S

2) Predict response of Antarctic ecosystemS to loss of sea ice from global warming

A

B

C

D

E

Cruises: Feb 08, July 08, Feb 09

Abrupt Environmental Change in the Larsen Ice Shelf EcsystemAbrupt Environmental Change in the Larsen Ice Shelf Ecsystem

C. Smith, UH postdoc , student C. Smith, UH postdoc , student Maria Vernet (SIO) , Cindy Van Dover (Duke) , Mike McCormick (Hamilton College)

NSF – IPY Project (2007 -2011)

Multi-disciplinary field program

Goals: Goals:

- Evaluate ecosystem response (sea surface to Evaluate ecosystem response (sea surface to seafloor) of ice-shelf lossseafloor) of ice-shelf loss

- Predict the consequences of ice-shelf collapse in other Predict the consequences of ice-shelf collapse in other regionsregions

Major cruises: Major cruises: 2010 (62 d), 20112010 (62 d), 2011

Larsen B Larsen B collapse – collapse – Area the size Area the size of Rhode of Rhode Island Island disintegrated disintegrated in 5 wk in 2002 in 5 wk in 2002

Deep-sea corals: ecology, genetics, larval Deep-sea corals: ecology, genetics, larval biology, and anthropogenic impactsbiology, and anthropogenic impacts

Rhian Waller & collaboratorsRhian Waller & collaborators

–Biodiversity• Who is where and why? - Not known in most areas

–Population Connectivity• modern techniques to link present populations• Reproductive ecology and larval dispersal• ancient DNA techniques to link past populations to present

–Responses to climate change – acidification and warming• Using ancient and modern DNA techniques to investigate seamount population flux in the past

30,000 years - making models for climate future• Acidification/temp. experiments on deep-water corals/larvae skeletogenesis

–Anthropogenic Impacts• Fisheries Impacts• Oil Rig Impacts• Precious Coral Harvest• Using Reproductive/Genetic techniques to examine both

Major opportunity in biodiversity and climate change research –

Climate change impacts on coral reef ecosystems -

- field studies - modeling - interdisciplinary integration

Midway Island Midway Island

Pearl & Pearl & Hermes AtollHermes Atoll Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Papahānaumokuākea Marine National

Monument Monument – largest most pristine reefs in – largest most pristine reefs in USAUSA

Questions ?

Structure & function of abyssal communities strongly shaped by the Biological Pump indicators of the export of carbon from large areas of surface ocean, through water

column, to seafloor

National Oceanography Center

Statistical Funnel of export flux 200-500 km diameter (>30,000 km2)

Benthic Community Structure and Function

Abyssal benthos = indicator of strength of “Biological Pump”

Carbon Sequestration

CO2

CO2

Abyss

One broad finding – One broad finding – abyssal ecosystem abyssal ecosystem structure/function tightly structure/function tightly coupled to export coupled to export producion producion

Increased SST and reduced upwelling Increased SST and reduced upwelling resulting from global warmingresulting from global warming

Large reductions in export flux and dramatic Large reductions in export flux and dramatic changes in abyssal ecosystems changes in abyssal ecosystems

Smith et al in review in Trends in Ecology and EvolutionSmith et al in review in Trends in Ecology and Evolution

Figure 4.19. Rates of surface elevation change (dS/dt) derived from ERS radar-altimeter measurements between 1992 and 2003 over the Antarctic Ice Sheet (Davis et al., 2005). Locations of

ice shelves estimated to be thickening or thinning by more than 30 cm yr–1 (Zwally et al., 2006) are shown by red triangles (thickening) and purple triangles (thinning).