Tara Oceans: towards global ocean ecosystems biology

Item Type:	Review
Title:	Tara Oceans: towards global ocean ecosystems biology
Creators Name:	Sunagawa, S. and Acinas, S.G. and Bork, P. and Bowler, C. and Eveillard, D. and Gorsky, G. and Guidi, L. and Iudicone, D. and Karsenti, E. and Lombard, F. and Ogata, H. and Pesant, S. and Sullivan, M.B. and Wincker, P. and de Vargas, C.
Abstract:	A planetary-scale understanding of the ocean ecosystem, particularly in light of climate change, is crucial. Here, we review the work of Tara Oceans, an international, multidisciplinary project to assess the complexity of ocean life across comprehensive taxonomic and spatial scales. Using a modified sailing boat, the team sampled plankton at 210 globally distributed sites at depths down to 1,000 m. We describe publicly available resources of molecular, morphological and environmental data, and discuss how an ecosystems biology approach has expanded our understanding of plankton diversity and ecology in the ocean as a planetary, interconnected ecosystem. These efforts illustrate how global-scale concepts and data can help to integrate biological complexity into models and serve as a baseline for assessing ecosystem changes and the future habitability of our planet in the Anthropocene epoch.
Keywords:	Biodiversity, Biology, Climate Change, Ecosystem, Oceans and Seas, Plankton, Animals
Source:	Nature Reviews Microbiology
ISSN:	1740-1526
Publisher:	Nature Publishing Group
Volume:	18
Number:	8
Page Range:	428-445
Date:	August 2020
Official Publication:	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-020-0364-5
PubMed:	View item in PubMed

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