Spain: Climate Change Global Warming Increases the Consumption Rates of Marine Plants
Editor: Alexander Stark
At the University of Cadiz, scientists from the Department of Biology and belonging to the EDEA group, have published a study in the prestigious journal Plos One, in which they assess the effects produced by factors related to global change on a wide range of properties of Cymodocea nodosa marine angiosperm leaves, including structural, nutritional, biomechanical and chemical traits.
The most significant results of this work show how climate change increases the consumption rates of marine plants by modifying the properties of their leaves.
(Source: Universidad de Cádiz)
Cádiz/Spain — Marine angiospermas are a unique group of flowering plants that have adapted to live completely submerged in the sea for 40 million years. They form dense, productive grasslands and provide a wide range of ecosystem functions and services such as nutrient regeneration, improved water quality, coastal protection, breeding habitats (including economically relevant species) and CO2 burial. But as beneficial as they are to our environment, marine phanerogams are also among the world's most threatened ecosystems as a result of human pressure, with an annual global decline rate of 7 % and nearly 14 % of all species at risk of extinction.
Concern for these ecosystems has been growing over the years among the research community.
In addition, throughout this work, the identification of new phenolic compounds for this species has been presented, becoming one of the most recent contributions to the chemical study of marine angiospermas.
The most significant results of this work show how climate change increases the consumption rates of marine plants by modifying the properties of their leaves. This finding suggests that a future scenario of global change could trigger major transformations in herbivorous* processes in communities of marine angiospermas, with important implications for the resilience of the ecosystems formed by these plants.
This process is increasingly evidencing "the indirect effects that climate change can have on ecological processes. Our work brings new findings about the effect of this global change in the factors that regulate interactions between plants and their consumers,"explains the first author of this article and researcher at the UCA Rocía Jiménez-Ramos, which is very important to bear in mind for the future of these marine plants.
Unfold for details of your consent
Stand vom 23.03.2021
Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.
Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes
I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planckstr. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here
Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.
In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here.
Right of revocation
I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://support.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.