Ocean warming and acidification adjust inter- and intra-specific variability in the functional trait expression of polar invertebrates.

ABSTRACT: Climate change is known to affect the distribution and composition of species, but concomitant alterations to functionally important aspects of behaviour and species-environment relations are poorly constrained. Here, we examine the ecosystem ramifications of changes in sediment-dwelling invertebrate bioturbation behaviour-a key process mediating nutrient cycling-associated with near-future environmental conditions (+ 1.5 °C, 550 ppm [pCO₂]) for species from polar regions experiencing rapid rates of climate change. We find that responses to warming and acidification vary between species and lead to a reduction in intra-specific variability in behavioural trait expression that adjusts the magnitude and direction of nutrient concentrations. Our analyses also indicate that species

SUBMITTER: Williams TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11217501 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature