Climate-driven Dispersal, risk or potential for Arctic diversity?

Climate change is transforming the Arctic faster than almost anywhere else on Earth. With warming, species from temperate regions are moving northward, shifting the balance of life in the Arctic. This project explores how these changes affect phytoplankton, tiny algae that form the base of the marine ecosystems and produce half of the oxygen we breathe. In such small organisms, it’s difficult to see how individuals of the same species differ. Yet this hidden diversity is essential: it fuels adaptation and can influence ecosystems as much as the loss of species. Phytoplankton can adapt to new conditions in just a year. This project investigates how adaptation and the arrival of temperate individuals together shape the diversity within a species and the resilience of Arctic ecosystems to progressing warming. The findings will help improve predictions of biodiversity change and support efforts to protect life in the rapidly changing Arctic Ocean.