Migrating is not enough for modern planktonic foraminifera in a changing ocean

Sonia Chaabane (), Thibault Garidel-Thoron, Julie Meilland, Olivier Sulpis, Thomas B. Chalk, Geert-Jan A. Brummer, P. Graham Mortyn, Xavier Giraud, Hélène Howa, Nicolas Casajus, Azumi Kuroyanagi, Gregory Beaugrand and Ralf Schiebel
Additional contact information
Sonia Chaabane: CEREGE
Thibault Garidel-Thoron: CEREGE
Julie Meilland: University of Bremen
Olivier Sulpis: CEREGE
Thomas B. Chalk: CEREGE
Geert-Jan A. Brummer: Department of Ocean Systems
P. Graham Mortyn: ICTA and Dept. of Geography
Xavier Giraud: CEREGE
Hélène Howa: University of Angers
Nicolas Casajus: Fondation pour la recherche sur la biodiversité (FRB-CESAB)
Azumi Kuroyanagi: Tohoku University
Gregory Beaugrand: Laboratoire d’Océanologie et de Géosciences (LOG)
Ralf Schiebel: Max Planck Institute for Chemistry

Nature, 2024, vol. 636, issue 8042, 390-396

Abstract: Abstract Rising carbon dioxide emissions are provoking ocean warming and acidification1,2, altering plankton habitats and threatening calcifying organisms3, such as the planktonic foraminifera (PF). Whether the PF can cope with these unprecedented rates of environmental change, through lateral migrations and vertical displacements, is unresolved. Here we show, using data collected over the course of a century as FORCIS4 global census counts, that the PF are displaying evident poleward migratory behaviours, increasing their diversity at mid- to high latitudes and, for some species, descending in the water column. Overall foraminiferal abundances have decreased by 24.2 ± 0.1% over the past eight decades. Beyond lateral migrations5, our study has uncovered intricate vertical migration patterns among foraminiferal species, presenting a nuanced understanding of their adaptive strategies. In the temperature and calcite saturation states projected for 2050 and 2100, low-latitude foraminiferal species will face physicochemical environments that surpass their current ecological tolerances. These species may replace higher-latitude species through poleward shifts, which would reduce low-latitude foraminiferal diversity. Our insights into the adaptation of foraminifera during the Anthropocene suggest that migration will not be enough to ensure survival. This underscores the urgent need for us to understand how the interplay of climate change, ocean acidification and other stressors will impact the survivability of large parts of the marine realm.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08191-5

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