Barton AD, Pershing AJ, Litchman E, Record NR, Edwards KF, Finkel ZV, Kiørboe T, and Ward BA. The biogeography of marine plankton traits. Ecology Letters. Doi:10.1111/ele.1260
We normally ask how species are distributed. This paper asks how ‘traits’ of plankton organisms are distributed in the world’s oceans. Where do we find phtyoplankton that can fix atmospheric nitrogen, how is ‘mixotrophy’ distributed, and what is the ocean-wide distribution of zooplankton with ‘dormancy’ as a strategy to survive harsh periods? How are these and other traits distributed along environmental gradients?
Click here to read the full article