In a paper published in the latest issue of Nature Communications a group of international researchers, Dr. Jose A Cuesta from ICMAN-CSIC between them, shows that the size of marine plankton is key to its global dispersal and distribution. It is an important discovery because plankton form the base of the trophic web in the sea, produce 50% of the oxygen we breathe and also remove CO2 from the atmosphere. These functions depend on the distribution of the different plankton species and on their body size.
The data for the study was collected during the Malaspina 2010 circumnavigation expedition, a Consolider project led by CSIC and with the participation of ICMAN´s researchers. The study that has just been published contributes to the understanding of how marine biodiversity is maintained locally and structured spatially.
Reference:
Villarino, E., Watson, JR., Jönsson, B., Gasol, JM., Salazar, G., Acinas, SG., Estrada, M., Massana, R., Logares, R., Giner, CR., Pernice, MC., Olivar, MP., Citores, L., Corell, J., Rodriguez-Ezpeleta, N., Acuña, JL, Molina-Ramirez, A., González-Gordillo, JI., Cozar, A., Martí, E., Cuesta, JA., Agustí, S., Fraile-Nuez, E., Duarte, CM., Irigoien, X. and Chust, G. Large-scale ocean connectivity and planktonic body size. Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017- 02535-8.
Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-02535-8
