Researching the Interactions between Climate Change and Plankton Communities

The considered study assesses the prerequisites and consequences of an imbalance between phytoplankton and zooplankton in a German lake. Climate change is viewed as one of the key causes of impact on the local ecosystem, particularly the increase in water temperature. Along with climate impact, anthropogenic activity is also evaluated as a risk factor that causes the imbalance.

The main reason that prompted the researchers to conduct such a study is the biochemical change that has occurred in the lake over the past 20 years and caused an imbalance in microorganisms. The authors identify several hypotheses that they prove in the course of the study. Identifying differences between the abundance of phyto- and zooplankton colonies, proving an increase in cyanobacterial biomass, and drawing a parallel with climatic processes are the key tasks.

Several research mechanisms are utilized in the study to prove the set hypotheses. These include the analysis of phytoplankton through a functional approach, Sugihara’s convergent cross-mapping method, a maxima detection method, and basic statistical procedures to calculate the outcomes. The compiled graphs demonstrate the decrease in plankton biomass in the lake with reference to specific years and reflect the correlation between this phenomenon and the increase in average temperature. Habitat characteristics make it possible to describe the corresponding conditions for the existence of microorganisms in the lake and identify a tendency to the imbalance caused by the studied environmental and anthropogenic impacts.

The results prove the hypotheses originally put forward and confirm the negative impact of climate change on the balance of phyto- and zooplankton in the lake. In addition, anthropogenic activities, particularly the long-term operation of a nuclear power plant, also appear to affect the biochemical composition of the lake.

This research is aimed at identifying a positive correlation between high CO2 concentration and the food web of the plankton population in the Baltic Sea. Decreased pH and ocean acidification are seen as risk factors associated with negative impacts on aquatic microorganisms, while the latter phenomenon is seen as positive from the perspective of impacting phytoplankton groups. Global warming is mentioned as an additional factor associated with the change in the biochemical structure of the sea.

One of the main prerequisites for conducting this study, which the authors emphasize, is a weak experimental base that does not allow identifying the corresponding correlations. A hypothesis is proposed about warming as a stimulus that increases the growth of phyto- and zooplankton. In addition, a CO2 concentration increase is seen as a significant stimulus, and the combination of both impacts is estimated to be a driver of changes in plankton composition in favor of phytoplankton.

An experimental design is used as a method for testing thermal effects. Special tools are utilized to change temperature readings and CO2 concentrations in collected samples. The impact on the two groups of plankton is estimated based on the same impacts. Statistical analysis allows the researchers to identify specific effects of exposure and evaluate the changes based on the experiments.

The obtained results of the study emphasize the importance of assessing temperature changes with regard to the plankton population. A change in CO2 concentration has a potentially smaller effect than warming. Maintaining balanced plankton biomass depends on the nutrient status and temperature and, to a lesser extent, is determined by a pH level.

Based on the methodologies and results of the two studies, one can note that, despite proven correlations and impacts, additional criteria are worth evaluating. For instance, according to Selmeczy et al. (2019), climate change affects the shift in the plankton population in the lake, but this is essential to clarify which category (phyto- or zooplankton) is more affected. Horn et al. (2020) compare the differential effects, but the question arises as to whether the findings apply to shallow water bodies because this study focuses on analyzing the biochemical composition of the Baltic Sea.

To answer the questions above, large-scale experimental research may be performed in different locations. Individual measurements can be made for two categories of plankton while taking into account the effects of different stimuli. This approach will help obtain a more accurate and credible picture reflecting the impact of the considered variables, particularly warming, anthropogenic activity, and CO2 concentration, on the biochemical composition of water bodies of different sizes.