Global biodiversity patterns of marine phytoplankton

Abstract

One of the most pressing tasks faced by environmental scientists and society is to predict how climate and other environmental factors shape the distribution of biological species at the global scale. Whether a region houses many or few species affects ecosystem functions, including productivity and stability, through complementarity in species’ niches. Phytoplankton have evolved ecological niches that fill the entire near-surface global ocean. Despite being some of the tiniest organisms on Earth, they drive as much as half of global primary production. However, the functional and ecological consequences of phytoplankton species diversity have been poorly known, as global diversity patterns of these microbes have been among the least characterized throughout the history of ecology. To determine global patterns and drivers of phytoplankton diversity, this thesis combines ocean-sourced data with statistical models, developed specifically to address data sparseness.