Kristina Kvile
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Oslo

Climate and zooplankton: Effects on timing, spatial distributions and life history strategies
Understanding how climate change influences marine ecosystems is the most urgent challenge facing marine ecologists today. Due to their short, pelagic life cycle, zooplankton respond rapidly to environmental variation and are useful indicators of climate change. Climate change can influence zooplankton directly, for example by temperature effects on egg production and growth, or indirectly, for example through altered food availability or predation pressure. To predict potential responses of zooplankton populations to climate change, we must therefore understand the underlying mechanisms. In my research, I apply a quantitative approach to zooplankton ecology, combining statistical (data driven) and numerical (mechanistic) modeling with field and laboratory studies to understand responses of zooplankton populations to environmental change. In this presentation, I will describe how I use this approach to study how climate change influences (i) zooplankton phenology, (ii) spatial distribution patterns, and (iii) life history strategies and trophic interactions in the pelagic zone.