Scientists measured the transfer of energy from single-celled algae (phytoplankton) to small animals that eat them (zooplankton).
Scientists measured the transfer of energy from single-celled algae (phytoplankton) to small animals that eat them (zooplankton).
The study – by the University of Exeter and Queen Mary University of London, and published in the journal Nature – found that 4°C of warming reduced energy transfer in the plankton food webs by up to 56%.
Warmer conditions increase the metabolic cost of growth, leading to less efficient energy flow through the food chain and ultimately to a reduction in overall biomass.
"These findings shine a light on an under-appreciated consequence of global warming," said Professor Gabriel Yvon-Durocher, of the Environment and Sustainability Institute on Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall.
Read more at: University of Exeter
The study examined plankton in freshwater ponds exposed to seven years of experimental warming (Photo Credit: University of Exeter)
