Studies of coastal ecosystems in the Humboldt current system off South America traditionally have been rather descriptive.

Data acquisition on macrobenthic communities and/or the pelagic regime over time revealed changes in e.g. abundance,

biomass and biotic composition related to ENSO. However, the pattern underlying ecophysiological processes, which allow to

explain diversity and biogeographic shifts, changes in growth patterns and reproductive traits related to ENSO, principally remain

undefined. One of the parameters usually indicating changing climate is decreasing or increasing temperature.

Temperature changes can affect, directly or indirectly, marine populations during all life stages. We will study the influence of changing temperature regimes on the adult stages of key species, including invaders during EN (such as shrimp, Xiphopenaeus riveti) and those species which suffer from mass mortality during EN events (e.g., Mesodesma donacium, Aulacomya ater, Cancer spp., Platycanthus orbignyi). Towards this goal, synthesized knowledge of ecological and physiological processes is required that can only be gained by combining ecology, physiology, genetics, and modelling.

This workpackage is a strong complementary tool to the workpackage 1 and workpackage 2, which is based on laboratory experiments and focuses on ecophysiological adaptations in life history of key and indicator species. The outcome will help to:

1) facilitate ecological work in the field by providing identification keys to early life history stages,

2) explain biogeography and diversity shifts related to ENSO based on ecophysiological modelling,

3) provide advice to and basis for aquaculture regarding food quality, optimising rearing conditions and the potential use of alternative aquaculture species not yet considered,

4) predict shifts in biogeographic distribution and availability of key species related to ENSO,

5) early prediction of EN by using bio-indicators, such as changes in growth performance or life history patterns (e.g. reproduction, growth performance).

Contact

Workpackage Leader: Marcelo Oliva