Coastal Ocean Microbial Plankton and Temperature

Temperature is a major driver of microbial plankton metabolism and ecosystem function although its interactions with other variables such as nutrient availability or predation pressure have precluded a comprehensive assessment of its role in the coastal ocean. Ecological theories linking temperature to metabolism, body size and abundance have been successfully applied to many groups of organisms including phytoplankton, with heterotrophic bacteria being frequently left aside. For instance, the growing consensus that bacterial biomass will increase in a warmer ocean likely characterized by lower phytoplankton biomass contradicts the predictions of the metabolic theory of ecology. Unraveling the reasons for this apparent departure underlies the objectives of this project. Both the biodiversity and functioning of pelagic ecosystems will likely be affected by temperature changes.