Metabolism Predicts Ecological Response to Warming

Liza Gross

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000180

Abstract

Metabolism Predicts Ecological Response to Warming

Highlights

While politicians like United States Representative Michele Bachmann (RMinn.) rail against efforts to curb human contributions to global warming—she thinks carbon dioxide, a ‘‘natural byproduct of nature,’’ could not possibly be harmful—scientists are documenting the damage
Selected PLoS Biology research articles are accompanied by a synopsis written for a general audience to provide non-experts with insight into the significance of the published work
To test the effects of temperature on food web structure and productivity, Mary O’Connor and colleagues placed five microcosms of food webs in eight independent water tables, each filled with a temperature-conditioned water bath. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000180.g001

Summary

Introduction

While politicians like United States Representative Michele Bachmann (RMinn.) rail against efforts to curb human contributions to global warming—she thinks carbon dioxide, a ‘‘natural byproduct of nature,’’ could not possibly be harmful—scientists are documenting the damage. As they catalog the ecological casualties of a rapidly warming world, researchers are searching for general effects of climate change to help them predict and mitigate its consequences. Mary O’Connor and colleagues tested the effects of temperature on an experimental marine food web in a new study in this issue of PLoS Biology.

Results

Conclusion