[OANNES Foro] Diversity of deep-water cetaceans in relation to temperature: implications for ocean warming

[Mario Cabrejos]

Ecology Letters
Volume 11 Issue 11, Pages 1198 - 1207
Published Online: 12 Sep 2008

Diversity of deep-water cetaceans in relation to temperature: implications for ocean warming
Hal Whitehead hwhitehe en dal.ca, Brian McGill and Boris Worm 
Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford St, Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 4J1


ABSTRACT

Understanding the effects of natural environmental variation on biodiversity can help predict response to future anthropogenic change. Here we analyse a large, long-term data set of sightings of deep-water cetaceans from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Seasonal and geographic changes in the diversity of these genera are well predicted by a convex function of sea-surface temperature peaking at c. 21 °C. Thus, diversity is highest at intermediate latitudes - an emerging general pattern for the pelagic ocean. When applied to a range of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change global change scenarios, the predicted response is a decline of cetacean diversity across the tropics and increases at higher latitudes. This suggests that deep-water oceanic communities that dominate > 60% of the planet's surface may reorganize in response to ocean warming, with low-latitude losses of diversity and resilience.


__________ Información de ESET NOD32 Antivirus, versión de la base de firmas de virus 3515 (20081011) __________

ESET NOD32 Antivirus ha comprobado este mensaje.
http://www.eset.com