Food web trophic control modulates tropical Atlantic reef ecosystems response to marine heat wave intensity and duration.

ABSTRACT: Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are episodes of anomalous warming in the ocean that can last from a few days to years. MHWs have different characteristics in terms of intensity, duration and frequency and generate thermal stress in marine ecosystems. In reef ecosystems, they are one of the main causes of the decreased presence and abundance of corals, invertebrates and fish. The deleterious capacity of thermal stress often depends on biotic factors, such as the trophic control of predators on prey. Despite the evidence of thermal stress and biotic factors affecting individual species, the combined effects of both stressors on entire reef ecosystems are much less studied. Here, using a food web modelling approach, we estimated the rate of change in species' biomass due to different MHW characterist

SUBMITTER: Artana C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12326064 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature