Global biodiversity patterns of marine phytoplankton and zooplankton (original) (raw)

Nature volume 429, pages 863–867 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Although the oceans cover 70% of the Earth's surface, our knowledge of biodiversity patterns in marine phytoplankton and zooplankton is very limited compared to that of the biodiversity of plants and herbivores in the terrestrial world. Here, we present biodiversity data for marine plankton assemblages from different areas of the world ocean. Similar to terrestrial vegetation1,2,3, marine phytoplankton diversity is a unimodal function of phytoplankton biomass, with maximum diversity at intermediate levels of phytoplankton biomass and minimum diversity during massive blooms. Contrary to expectation, we did not find a relation between phytoplankton diversity and zooplankton diversity. Zooplankton diversity is a unimodal function of zooplankton biomass. Most strikingly, these marine biodiversity patterns show a worldwide consistency, despite obvious differences in environmental conditions of the various oceanographic regions. These findings may serve as a new benchmark in the search for global biodiversity patterns of plants and herbivores.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 51 print issues and online access

$199.00 per year

only $3.90 per issue

Buy this article

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Additional access options:

Figure 1: General characteristics of the data sets.

The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

Figure 2: Biodiversity patterns of marine phytoplankton (global data set).

The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

Figure 3: Specific patterns along the productivity gradient.

The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

Figure 4: Biodiversity patterns of marine microzooplankton.

The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Grime, J. P. Competitive exclusion in herbaceous vegetation. Nature 242, 344–347 (1973)
    Article ADS Google Scholar
  2. Tilman, D. Resource Competition and Community Structure (Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, 1982)
    Google Scholar
  3. Rosenzweig, M. L. Species Diversity in Space and Time (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1995)
    Book Google Scholar
  4. Waide, R. B. et al. The relationship between productivity and species richness. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 30, 257–300 (1999)
    Article Google Scholar
  5. Mittelbach, G. G. et al. What is the observed relationship between species richness and productivity? Ecology 82, 2381–2396 (2001)
    Article Google Scholar
  6. Chase, J. M. & Leibold, M. A. Spatial scale dictates the productivity–biodiversity relationship. Nature 416, 427–430 (2002)
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  7. Fukami, T. & Morin, P. J. Productivity-biodiversity relationships depend on the history of community assembly. Nature 424, 423–426 (2003)
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  8. Williams, L. Possible relationships between plankton-diatom species numbers and water-quality estimates. Ecology 45, 809–823 (1964)
    Article Google Scholar
  9. Dodson, S. I., Arnott, S. E. & Cottingham, K. L. The relationship in lake communities between primary productivity and species richness. Ecology 81, 2662–2679 (2000)
    Article Google Scholar
  10. Kassen, R., Buckling, A., Bell, G. & Rainey, P. B. Diversity peaks at intermediate productivity in a laboratory microcosm. Nature 406, 508–512 (2000)
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  11. Interlandi, S. J. & Kilham, S. S. Limiting resources and the regulation of diversity in phytoplankton communities. Ecology 82, 1270–1282 (2001)
    Article Google Scholar
  12. Li, W. K. W. Macroecological patterns of phytoplankton in the northwestern North Atlantic Ocean. Nature 419, 154–157 (2002)
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  13. Calbet, A. & Landry, M. R. Phytoplankton growth, microzooplankton grazing, and carbon cycling in marine systems. Limnol. Oceanogr. 49, 51–57 (2004)
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  14. Agawin, N. S. R., Duarte, C. M. & Agustí, S. Nutrient and temperature control of the contribution of picoplankton to phytoplankton biomass and production. Limnol. Oceanogr. 45, 591–600 (2000)
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  15. Joint, I. & Groom, S. B. Estimation of phytoplankton production from space: current status and future potential of satellite remote sensing. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 250, 233–255 (2000)
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  16. Margalef, R. Life-forms of phytoplankton as survival alternatives in an unstable environment. Oceanol. Acta 1, 493–509 (1978)
    Google Scholar
  17. Raven, J. A. Small is beautiful: the picophytoplankton. Funct. Ecol. 12, 503–513 (1998)
    Article Google Scholar
  18. Strom, S. et al. Chemical defense in the microplankton. I. Feeding and growth rates of the heterotrophic protists on the DMS-producing phytoplankter E. huxleyi. Limnol. Oceanogr. 48, 217–229 (2003)
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  19. Hamm, C. E. et al. Architecture and material properties of diatom shells provide effective mechanical protection. Nature 421, 841–843 (2003)
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  20. Huisman, J., Jonker, R. R., Zonneveld, C. & Weissing, F. J. Competition for light between phytoplankton species: experimental tests of mechanistic theory. Ecology 80, 211–222 (1999)
    Article Google Scholar
  21. Huisman, J., van Oostveen, P. & Weissing, F. J. Species dynamics in phytoplankton blooms: incomplete mixing and competition for light. Am. Nat. 154, 46–68 (1999)
    Article Google Scholar
  22. Kirk, J. T. O. Light and Photosynthesis in Aquatic Ecosystems, 2nd edn (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1994)
    Book Google Scholar
  23. Collins, S. L., Knapp, A. K., Briggs, J. M., Blair, J. M. & Steinauer, E. M. Modulation of diversity by grazing and mowing in native tallgrass prairie. Science 280, 745–747 (1998)
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  24. Worm, B., Lotze, H. K., Hillebrand, H. & Sommer, U. Consumer versus resource control of species diversity and ecosystem functioning. Nature 417, 848–851 (2002)
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  25. Hillebrand, H. Opposing effects of grazing and nutrients on diversity. Oikos 100, 592–600 (2003)
    Article Google Scholar
  26. Longhurst, A. R. Ecological Geography of the Sea (Academic, London, 1998)
    Google Scholar
  27. Holligan, P. M. & Harbour, D. S. The vertical distribution and succession of phytoplankton in the western English Channel in 1975 and 1976 (1977). J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. UK 57, 1075–1093 (1977)
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  28. Strathmann, R. R. Estimating the organic carbon content of phytoplankton from cell volume or plasma volume. Limnol. Oceanogr. 12, 411–418 (1967)
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  29. Ohman, M. D. & Runge, J. A. Sustained fecundity when phytoplankton resources are in short supply: omnivory by Calanus finmarchicus in the Gulf of St Lawrence. Limnol. Oceanogr. 39, 21–36 (1994)
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  30. Mauchline, J. The Biology of Calanoid Copepods (Academic, San Diego, 1998)
    Google Scholar

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank all who contributed to collecting the samples on the different cruises. Special thanks go to D. Harbour, who counted most of the samples to the species level and to M. Zubkov for the picoplankton data. X.I. was supported by a Ramon y Cajal grant from the Spanish Ministry for Science and Technology and the Departments of Agriculture, Fisheries and Education, and Universities and Research of the Basque Country Government. The research of J.H. was supported by the Earth and Life Sciences Foundation (ALW), which is subsidized by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). The research of R.P.H. is a contribution to the Plymouth Marine Laboratory Core Strategic Research Programme. This study was supported by the UK Natural Environment Research Council through the Atlantic Meridional Transect consortium (this is contribution number 87 of the AMT programme).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. AZTI, Arrantza eta Elikaigintzarako Institutu Teknologikoa, Herrera Kaia portualdea, 20110, Pasaia, Spain
    Xabier Irigoien
  2. Aquatic Microbiology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 127, 1018 WS, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
    Jef Huisman
  3. Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, Plymouth, PL1 3DH, UK
    Roger P. Harris

Authors

  1. Xabier Irigoien
  2. Jef Huisman
  3. Roger P. Harris

Corresponding author

Correspondence toXabier Irigoien.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information (download PDF )

Includes information on: geographic locations of the sampling stations; biodiversity patterns in the English Channel; picophytoplankton; metrics of diversity; Supplementary Figure 1: Map showing the sampled stations; Supplementary Figure 2: Biodiversity patterns of phytoplankton in the English Channel; Supplementary Figure 3: Biodiversity patterns of zooplankton in the English Channel; Supplementary Figure 4: Picophytoplankton patterns; Supplementary Figure 5: Species richness of phytoplankton, plotted as a function ofphytoplankton biomass and zooplankton biomass; Supplementary Table 1 showing sampling information. (PDF 9580 kb)

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Irigoien, X., Huisman, J. & Harris, R. Global biodiversity patterns of marine phytoplankton and zooplankton.Nature 429, 863–867 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02593

Download citation

This article is cited by

Associated content