『Abstract
Body size is a central feature of any organism, reflecting its
physiology, ecology and evolutionary history. Marine microplankton
are major contributors to the particulate inorganic carbonate
(foraminifers and coccolithophorids) and opal flux (radiolaria
and diatoms) in the ocean and, hence, size changes in these organisms
can influence global biogeochemical cycles. This paper is discussing
abiotic influences on micro- and macroecological size changes
among major marine plankton groups, linking these to evolutionary
size changes during the Neogene. We review the patterns and outline
the causes of size changes geographically and through time in
coccolithophorids, foraminifers and radiolarians. The main feature
of the Neogene size record is a dramatic size increase in foraminifers,
a similarly dramatic reduction in the size range of coccolithophorids
and highly variable size patterns in radiolarians. we argue that
the observed pattern is too complex to be explained by a simple
common forcing and propose that speculations on the response of
oceanic biomineralisation to global warming have to consider the
scales at which marine plankton evolve.
Keywords: planktic foraminifera; radioralian; nannoplankton; size;
biogeography; evolution; palaeoceanography』
1. Introduction
1.1. Body size - why does it matter ?
1.2. Why marine plankton
1.3. Body size changes in space and time
1.4. The causes of body size variation through time
1.5. Aim of the paper
2. The ecology of the investigated groups
2.1. Coccolithophores
2.2. Planktic foraminifers
2.3. Radiolaria
3. The Neogene climate change
4. Methodology
4.1. Body size proxies
4.2. Size measurements
4.3. Taxonomic level
4.4. Age models
5. Body size of modern plankton
5.1. Coccolithophorids
5.2. Planktonic foraminifers
5.3. Radiolaria
6. Controls on size changes through time
6.1. Glacial interglacial size changes in planktic foraminifera
6.2. Neogene size changes in marine plankton
7. Plankton size and marine biogeochemical cycles
Acknowledgements
References