Invited speakers:
Erica Head (Fisheries and Oceans Canada)
Anthony Richardson (CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research and University of Queensland, Australia)
Climate-related changes in the physical and chemical oceanic environment have been considered as major drivers of significant fluctuations in zooplankton production, community structure, and phenology. These changes propagate up the foodweb and potentially have large implications for ocean ecosystem functioning. In order to manage and mitigate the effects of climate change on marine resources, a more thorough understanding and prediction of its potential impacts on zooplankton communities is needed.
In this session, we invite presentations examining observed and projected responses of zooplankton communities to climate variability and change. We welcome presentations with a broad range of approaches, reflecting the significant studies that have been made in this area, as well as identifying crucial gaps in our knowledge. Topics may include, but are not limited to:
climate effects on zooplankton distribution, abundance, phenology, community structure, trophic interactions, population growth rates, and production.
We especially welcome studies on the sensitivity and resilience of zooplankton communities to climate change, including evolutionary responses of plankton to environmental changes. We also seek submissions addressing synergistic effects of climate change together with other anthropogenic stressors. We hope to receive contributions from many different ecosystems (polar, shelf, open ocean, inland seas), and a diverse range of taxonomical groups (micro- through macro-), to facilitate comparisons of the ways in which zooplankton respond to physical forcing at longer time scales.
