Importance of integration of the mixoplankton paradigm within Marine Framework Directives

Anschütz, Anna-Adriana, Maselli, Maira, Traboni, Claudia, Stolte, Willem, Mitra, Aditee ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5572-9331 and Flynn, Kevin 2024. Importance of integration of the mixoplankton paradigm within Marine Framework Directives. Zenodo. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10684459

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Abstract

Marine plankton that are capable of photosynthesis and also predation (termed “mixoplankton”) comprise up to 50% of those organisms traditionally termed phytoplankton. Many harmful bloom species are mixoplantonic. However, marine environmental management policies issued by governments, including the MSFD by the EU, have been designed assuming a strict dichotomy between autotrophic phytoplankton and heterotrophic plankton. Mixoplankton often differ greatly from these two categories in response to environmental pressures and have effects on the marine environment that we are only beginning to understand. While the management policies may conceptually provide scope for recognising mixoplankton, such action is rarely implemented. We suggest that the effectiveness of monitoring and management programs such as MSFD could benefit from explicit implementations regarding the role of mixoplankton. As an example, here we propose a revision of the MSFD explicitly including mixoplanktonic activity in management strategies, including descriptions of the management components that would benefit from including mixoplankton and suggests for appropriate methods.

Item Type:	Monograph (UNSPECIFIED)
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Earth and Environmental Sciences
Publisher:	Zenodo
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	7 March 2024
Date of Acceptance:	20 February 2024
Last Modified:	21 May 2024 13:38
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/166983

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