Data from: Warming alters food web-driven changes in the CO2 flux of experimental pond ecosystems

Evidence shows the important role biota play in the carbon cycle, and
strategic management of plant and animal populations could enhance CO2
uptake in aquatic ecosystems. However, it is currently unknown how
management-driven changes to community structure may interact with climate
warming and other anthropogenic perturbations to alter CO2 fluxes. Here we
showed that under ambient water temperatures, predators (three-spined
stickleback) and nutrient enrichment synergistically increased primary
producer biomass, resulting in increased CO2 uptake by mesocosms in early
dawn. However, a 3°C increase in water temperatures counteracted positive
effects of predators and nutrients, leading to reduced primary producer
biomass and a switch from CO2 influx to efflux. This confounding effect of
temperature demonstrates that climate scenarios must be accounted for when
undertaking ecosystem management actions to increase biosequestration.