Sack Lunch Seminar (SLS)

Zoe V. Finkel, Mount Allison University, presents "Eco-physiological bases for macroecological and macroevolutionary patterns in phytoplankton communities."

Ecophysiological traits have a profound influence on the ecological interactions and large-scale macroecological patterns and macroevolutionary trajectories of phytoplankton. Cell size and elemental stoichiometry often respond predictably to abiotic conditions and follow biophysical rules that link environmental conditions to growth rates, and growth rates to food web interactions, and consequently to the biogeochemical cycling of elements. This suggests that cell size and elemental stoichiometry are promising ecophysiological traits for modelling and tracking changes in phytoplankton community structure in response to climate change.