Warming Affects Ecosystems Not Just Biodiversity Ecosystems
perform important tasks – like nutrient cycling, breakdown of
waste and carbon storage – on which humans depend, so it's
important we understand how climate change might affect them.
Researchers measured the effect of a 4-degree rise in
temperature on communities of benthic organisms in fresh-water
bodies – creatures that live at the 'bottom' of the ecosystem.
They found that the number of species in the community didn't
change, but the balance of small and large organisms shifted
significantly, and this in turn affected how efficiently organic
material broke down in the water. Lots of studies have looked
into the potential ecological effects of global warming, but the
relationship between community structure and ecosystem
functioning in the context of climate change is not so well
understood. A team of researchers, led by Dr. Gabriel Yvon-
Durocher of Queen Mary, University of London, wanted to see how
warming might affect the structure of benthic co