Diatom-mediated food web functioning under ocean artificial upwelling
Abstract Enhancing ocean productivity by artificial upwelling is evaluated as a nature-based solution for food security and climate change mitigation. Fish production is intended through diatom-based plankton food webs as these are assumed to be short and efficient. However, our findings from mesoco...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54345-w |
| _version_ | 1797275198607589376 |
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| author | Silvan Urs Goldenberg Carsten Spisla Nicolás Sánchez Jan Taucher Kristian Spilling Michael Sswat Anna Fiesinger Mar Fernández-Méndez Bernd Krock Helena Hauss Jacqueline Haussmann Ulf Riebesell |
| author_facet | Silvan Urs Goldenberg Carsten Spisla Nicolás Sánchez Jan Taucher Kristian Spilling Michael Sswat Anna Fiesinger Mar Fernández-Méndez Bernd Krock Helena Hauss Jacqueline Haussmann Ulf Riebesell |
| author_sort | Silvan Urs Goldenberg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Enhancing ocean productivity by artificial upwelling is evaluated as a nature-based solution for food security and climate change mitigation. Fish production is intended through diatom-based plankton food webs as these are assumed to be short and efficient. However, our findings from mesocosm experiments on artificial upwelling in the oligotrophic ocean disagree with this classical food web model. Here, diatoms did not reduce trophic length and instead impaired the transfer of primary production to crustacean grazers and small pelagic fish. The diatom-driven decrease in trophic efficiency was likely mediated by changes in nutritional value for the copepod grazers. Whilst diatoms benefitted the availability of essential fatty acids, they also caused unfavorable elemental compositions via high carbon-to-nitrogen ratios (i.e. low protein content) to which the grazers were unable to adapt. This nutritional imbalance for grazers was most pronounced in systems optimized for CO2 uptake through carbon-to-nitrogen ratios well beyond Redfield. A simultaneous enhancement of fisheries production and carbon sequestration via artificial upwelling may thus be difficult to achieve given their opposing stoichiometric constraints. Our study suggest that food quality can be more critical than quantity to maximize food web productivity during shorter-term fertilization of the oligotrophic ocean. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:09:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-32915e984862492da00725d82260f546 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:09:56Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-32915e984862492da00725d82260f5462024-03-05T18:40:55ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-02-0114111010.1038/s41598-024-54345-wDiatom-mediated food web functioning under ocean artificial upwellingSilvan Urs Goldenberg0Carsten Spisla1Nicolás Sánchez2Jan Taucher3Kristian Spilling4Michael Sswat5Anna Fiesinger6Mar Fernández-Méndez7Bernd Krock8Helena Hauss9Jacqueline Haussmann10Ulf Riebesell11Biological Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research KielBiological Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research KielBiological Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research KielBiological Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research KielMarine and Freshwater Solutions, Finnish Environment InstituteBiological Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research KielBiological Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research KielBiological Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research KielAlfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine ResearchBiological Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research KielBiological Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research KielBiological Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research KielAbstract Enhancing ocean productivity by artificial upwelling is evaluated as a nature-based solution for food security and climate change mitigation. Fish production is intended through diatom-based plankton food webs as these are assumed to be short and efficient. However, our findings from mesocosm experiments on artificial upwelling in the oligotrophic ocean disagree with this classical food web model. Here, diatoms did not reduce trophic length and instead impaired the transfer of primary production to crustacean grazers and small pelagic fish. The diatom-driven decrease in trophic efficiency was likely mediated by changes in nutritional value for the copepod grazers. Whilst diatoms benefitted the availability of essential fatty acids, they also caused unfavorable elemental compositions via high carbon-to-nitrogen ratios (i.e. low protein content) to which the grazers were unable to adapt. This nutritional imbalance for grazers was most pronounced in systems optimized for CO2 uptake through carbon-to-nitrogen ratios well beyond Redfield. A simultaneous enhancement of fisheries production and carbon sequestration via artificial upwelling may thus be difficult to achieve given their opposing stoichiometric constraints. Our study suggest that food quality can be more critical than quantity to maximize food web productivity during shorter-term fertilization of the oligotrophic ocean.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54345-w |
| spellingShingle | Silvan Urs Goldenberg Carsten Spisla Nicolás Sánchez Jan Taucher Kristian Spilling Michael Sswat Anna Fiesinger Mar Fernández-Méndez Bernd Krock Helena Hauss Jacqueline Haussmann Ulf Riebesell Diatom-mediated food web functioning under ocean artificial upwelling Scientific Reports |
| title | Diatom-mediated food web functioning under ocean artificial upwelling |
| title_full | Diatom-mediated food web functioning under ocean artificial upwelling |
| title_fullStr | Diatom-mediated food web functioning under ocean artificial upwelling |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diatom-mediated food web functioning under ocean artificial upwelling |
| title_short | Diatom-mediated food web functioning under ocean artificial upwelling |
| title_sort | diatom mediated food web functioning under ocean artificial upwelling |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54345-w |
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