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A triple trophic boost: How carbon emissions indirectly change a marine food chain
Author(s) -
Doubleday Zoë A.,
Nagelkerken Ivan,
Coutts Madeleine D.,
Goldenberg Silvan U.,
Connell Sean D.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
global change biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.146
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1365-2486
pISSN - 1354-1013
DOI - 10.1111/gcb.14536
Subject(s) - trophic level , trophic cascade , food chain , biomass (ecology) , primary producers , ecology , herbivore , predation , environmental science , apex predator , algae , biology , food web , phytoplankton , nutrient
The pervasive enrichment of CO 2 in our oceans is a well‐documented stressor to marine life. Yet, there is little understanding about how CO 2 affects species indirectly in naturally complex communities. Using natural CO 2 vents, we investigated the indirect effects of CO 2 enrichment through a marine food chain. We show how CO 2 boosted the biomass of three trophic levels: from the primary producers (algae), through to their grazers (gastropods), and finally through to their predators (fish). We also found that consumption by both grazers and predators intensified under CO 2 enrichment, but, ultimately, this top‐down control failed to compensate for the boosted biomass of both primary producers and herbivores (bottom‐up control). Our study suggests that indirect effects can buffer the ubiquitous and direct, negative effects of CO 2 enrichment by allowing the upward propagation of resources through the food chain. Maintaining the natural complexity of food webs in our ocean communities could, therefore, help minimize the future impacts of CO 2 enrichment.