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Dryad

Temperature as a likely driver shaping global patterns in mineralogical composition in bryozoans: Implications for marine calcifiers under Global Change

Cite this dataset

Figuerola, Blanca et al. (2022). Temperature as a likely driver shaping global patterns in mineralogical composition in bryozoans: Implications for marine calcifiers under Global Change [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bvq83bkbm

Abstract

The Southern Ocean is showing one of the most rapid responses to human-induced global change, thus acting as a sentinel of the effects on marine species and ecosystems. Ocean warming and acidification are already impacting benthic species with carbonate skeletons, but the magnitude of these changes to species and ecosystems remains largely unknown. Here we provide the largest carbonate mineralogical dataset to date for Southern Ocean bryozoans, which are diverse, abundant and important as carbonate producers, thus making them excellent for monitoring the effects of ocean warming and acidification. To improve our understanding of how bryozoans might respond to ocean warming and acidification, we assess latitudinal and seafloor temperature patterns of skeletal mineralogy using bryozoan species occurrences together with temperature data for the first time. Our findings, combining new mineralogical data with published data from warmer regions, show that the proportions of high-Mg calcite and bimineralic species increase significantly towards lower latitudes and with increasing seawater temperature. These patterns are consistent with the hypothesis that seawater temperature is likely a significant driver of variations in bryozoan mineralogy at a global scale.

Methods

We compiled a global dataset of 549 bryozoan species using integrated new data from the current study with older mineralogy data from bryozoans worldwide. Calcite composition was classified as low Mg-calcite (LMC), intermediate Mg-calcite (IMC) and high Mg-calcite (HMC). To produce the mineral type and skeletal Mg-calcite distribution maps and graphs, we downloaded occurrence data for all living bryozoan species from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Temperatures were extracted for each bryozoan occurrence record (latitude and longitude) to assign a temperature value using a seafloor temperature dataset produced by Clarke et al. (2009). Coefficients of determination for the regressions and p-values were calculated to examine relationships between latitude and temperature and mineralogical composition.

Funding

MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe”, Award: MedCalRes project Grant PID2021-125323OA-I00

National Science Center, Award: 2016/23/B/ST10/01936

National Science Center, Award: 2021/40/C/ST10/00225

European Commission, Award: 801370 (Incorporation grant 2019 BP 00183)

Secretary of Universities and Research (Government of Catalonia), Award: Incorporation grant 2019 BP 00183