Abstract
Abstract Ocean warming and the loss of larger (often predatory) fauna are major threats to seabed (benthic) ecosystem functioning. Yet, we know little about the combined effects of warming and faunal species loss upon the marine carbon cycle. Using stable isotope pulse‐chase experiments, we tested how faunal species loss affects microbial carbon sequestration and retention in intertidal sediments, under both ambient and predicted future warming conditions (ambient +2°C), using the shore crab Carcinus maenas as a model predator. We traced the fixation and retention of a fixed dose of 13C‐labelled sodium bicarbonate within sediment organic matter and microbial biomass. Carcinus presence was associated with higher total organic carbon concentration within the mesocosm sediments. Temperature had no significant effect upon sediment total organic carbon concentrations. Temperature and Carcinus presence had no significant effect on polar lipid fatty acid (PLFA) concentrations within the sediment, which is a proxy for microbial biomass. Carcinus presence increased retention of 13C‐labelled carbon within the sediment organic matter pool under future warming conditions. Retention of the 13C‐label within the microbial PLFAs decreased significantly under future warming conditions. Changes in the relative abundance of PLFAs revealed increased contribution of microeukaryotes to the microbial community under ambient conditions, in the absence of Carcinus. PLFA profiles revealed significant changes in 13C‐label retention within the bacteria and microeukaryotes, driven by interactions between Carcinus presence and temperature. Given that temperature is a fundamental control on the metabolic activity of marine organisms (from bacteria to metazoans), we propose that interactions between faunal species loss and ocean warming will have a pronounced effect upon marine carbon budgets. A plain language summary is available for this article.
Highlights
Present estimates indicate that global temperatures will rise by at least 2°C by the end of the twenty-first century (IPCC 2014)
Given that temperature is a fundamental control on the metabolic activity of marine organisms, we propose that interactions between faunal species loss and ocean warming will have a pronounced effect upon marine carbon budgets
Through its effects upon the metabolic demands of organisms, ocean warming will alter the strength of interactions between autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms and affect the rates and pathways for carbon and nutrient cycling (Daufresne, Lengfellner & Sommer 2009; López-Urrutia et al 2009; O'Connor et al 2009)
Summary
Present estimates indicate that global temperatures will rise by at least 2°C by the end of the twenty-first century (IPCC 2014). Current rates of marine species loss are comparable with past mass extinctions, the present situation is unique in disproportionately affecting larger organisms living at the seabed (Payne et al 2016). These benthic fauna are functionally important as predators and ecosystem engineers (Jones, Lawton & Shachak 1994; O'Connor et al 2009; van Nugteren, Herman et al 2009; Atwood et al 2013; O’Connor et al 2013). Experimental manipulations provide a robust methodology to test how the loss of consumers affects ecosystem functioning under different environmental contexts (Canuel et al 2007; Spivak et al 2007; O’Connor et al 2013; O’Connor & Donohue 2013)
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