A decade-long Pacific survey finds Prochlorococcus—Earth’s most abundant phytoplankton—drops sharply once sea surface temperatures exceed ~82°F (27.8°C). The study projects up to a 50% decline in tropical regions over 75 years, contradicting lab-based expectations that warming would boost these microbes. Other phytoplankton may partly fill in, but they are not perfect substitutes for this keystone species.
— If a warming threshold collapses a foundational ocean microbe, climate risk assessments, fisheries, and biogeochemical models must adjust from generic 'productivity' assumptions to species‑specific thermal limits with cascading ecological effects.
msmash
2025.10.13
60% relevant
Both pieces identify ecosystem-scale thermal thresholds; this report’s claim about coral reefs complements evidence that key oceanic biota (e.g., phytoplankton) hit temperature limits, reinforcing a broader threshold narrative.
Sara Kiley Watson
2025.09.11
55% relevant
Both pieces highlight species‑specific physiological thresholds from climate change: the earlier work showed tropical Prochlorococcus collapse beyond ~82°F SST, while this article reports shark teeth crumbling under lower pH, together reframing climate impacts as concrete, mechanism‑level limits across the food web.
BeauHD
2025.09.09
100% relevant
Nature Microbiology paper (Ribalet et al., University of Washington): 'populations could shrink by as much as half' when SSTs exceed ~82°F, with many tropical waters projected to surpass 86°F.