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Florida Atlantic Undergraduate Research Journal

College

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Vertical migration in marine and freshwater environments stands as one of Earth’s largest daily animal movements concerning biomass. It serves as a crucial life pump, shaping phytoplankton grazing patterns, facilitating nutrient transport through the water column, and providing vital sustenance for deep-water organisms lacking access to surface phytoplankton. Despite enduring millennia of climatic shifts, contemporary anthropogenic climate change surpasses historical rates of change, posing unprecedented challenges. Climate-induced phenomena increasingly affect various species, including vertical migrators. This paper delves into Diel Vertical Migration’s ecological significance and anticipates detrimental effects of climate change on individual animals’ physiology and migration patterns. Foremost, rising temperatures are likely to shrink migratory species and hinder their migration frequency, potentially leading to species decline. As climate change intensifies, understanding and mitigating its impacts on these crucial ecological processes becomes imperative.

Advisors

James Masterson

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