Regional restructuring in planktic foraminifera communities through Pliocene-early Pleistocene climate variability

Ekaterina Larina (), Adam Woodhouse, Anshuman Swain, Christopher M. Lowery, Rowan C. Martindale and Corinne E. Myers
Additional contact information
Ekaterina Larina: University of Texas at Austin
Adam Woodhouse: University of Texas at Austin
Anshuman Swain: University of Michigan
Christopher M. Lowery: University of Texas at Austin
Rowan C. Martindale: University of Texas at Austin
Corinne E. Myers: University of New Mexico

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Recent studies highlight asymmetrical range shifts within plankton due to spatial variability in climate change, impacting marine ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical cycling. The Pliocene—early Pleistocene interval, characterized by significant climatic fluctuations, provides a framework to study regional responses of marine organisms, such as planktic foraminifera. Using bipartite network analysis of the Triton database, we investigate biogeographic shifts in macroperforate planktic foraminifera ecogroups, tracking taxonomic diversity and distribution. Here we show high turnover between symbiont-bearing warm-water and high-latitude dwellers, isolated to the North Atlantic, and an expansion of cold-water subthermocline taxa across basins, particularly in the South Pacific. Enhanced water column stratification and nutrient export to mesopelagic depths, associated with the intensification of the Northern Hemisphere Glaciation, likely drove shifts in species diversity and ecogroup latitudinal gradients toward modern patterns. This localized community restructuring emphasizes the importance of regional to hemispheric heterogeneity in understanding biodiversity responses to future climate change.

Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60362-8 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-60362-8

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60362-8

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().