Following the first Q-quatics board meeting on 16 January 2017 was a seminar by Dr. William Cheung on, “Applying macroecology to project future changes in marine ecosystems under climate change” held at the Conference Room of IRRI Khush Hall in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines which was organized mainly for the FishBase, SeaLifeBase, Aquamaps and CoL staff.
Dr. William Cheung at his macroecology seminar in Los Baños, Philippines, 16 January 2017
Dr. Cheung is the Deputy Board Chair of Q-quatics and currently an Associate Professor at the Changing Ocean Research Unit and Director of Science for the Nippon Foundation – Nereus Program of the University of British Columbia (UBC). His main research focus is assessing impacts of fishing and climate change on marine ecosystems and their goods and services, and studying ways to reconcile trade-offs in their management.
According to Dr. Cheung, macroecological patterns in the oceans, including species richness, body size and productivity are strongly related to environmental conditions. Ocean warming, deoxygenation and acidification are re-shaping macroecological patterns, affecting the structure and functions of marine ecosystems. Thus, development and application of macroecological theories can inform us about the future of marine ecosystems under climate change. Using a large cross-taxon (from phytoplanktons to mammals) biodiversity database, Dr. Cheung demonstrated that temperature and thermal strategies of species explain global patterns of marine species richness. Lastly, he presented and discussed the use of simulation models that integrate species’ thermal strategies and eco-physiology to project future changes in macroecological patterns of marine ecosystems, and the implications for the availability of ecosystem services from the oceans.
To view his full presentation, please click here.
