title: The importance of benthic-pelagic coupling for marine ecosystem functioning in a changing world.
abstract: Benthic-pelagic coupling is manifested as the exchange of energy, mass, or nutrients between benthic and pelagic habitats. It plays a prominent role in aquatic ecosystems, and it is crucial to functions from nutrient cycling to energy transfer in food webs. Coastal and estuarine ecosystem structure and function are strongly affected by anthropogenic pressures; however, there are large gaps in our understanding of the responses of inorganic nutrient and organic matter fluxes between benthic habitats and the water column. We illustrate the varied nature of physical and biological benthic-pelagic coupling processes and their potential sensitivity to three anthropogenic pressures - climate change, nutrient loading, and fishing - using the Baltic Sea as a case study and summarize current knowledge on the exchange of inorganic nutrients and organic material between habitats. Traditionally measured benthic-pelagic coupling processes (e.g., nutrient exchange and sedimentation of organic material) are to some extent quantifiable, but the magnitude and variability of biological processes are rarely assessed, preventing quantitative comparisons. Changing oxygen conditions will continue to have widespread effects on the processes that govern inorganic and organic matter exchange among habitats while climate change and nutrient load reductions may have large effects on organic matter sedimentation. Many biological processes (predation, bioturbation) are expected to be sensitive to anthropogenic drivers, but the outcomes for ecosystem function are largely unknown. We emphasize how improved empirical and experimental understanding of benthic-pelagic coupling processes and their variability are necessary to inform models that can quantify the feedbacks among processes and ecosystem responses to a changing world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jennifer R
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6249-6385
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.affiliation: Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kadin
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Francisco J A
authors.initials: FJA
authors.lastname: Nascimento
authors.affiliation: Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palméns väg 260, 10900, Hangö, Finland.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamelander
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, FI-20500, Turku, Finland.|Centre for Ocean Life, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Kavalergården 6, 2920, Charlottenlund, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Törnroos
authors.affiliation: Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Geology, Lund University, 22362, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonaglia
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, FI-20500, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bonsdorff
authors.affiliation: Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Brüchert
authors.affiliation: Department of Aquatic Resources, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skolgatan 6, 74242, Öregrund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gårdmark
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, FI-20500, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Järnström
authors.affiliation: Estonian Marine Institute, University of Tartu, Mäealuse 14, 12618, Tallinn, Estonia.
authors.forename: Jonne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kotta
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ocean Life, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Kavalergården 6, 2920, Charlottenlund, Denmark.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lindegren
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, FI-20500, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Marie C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Nordström
authors.affiliation: Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palméns väg 260, 10900, Hangö, Finland.|Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden.
authors.forename: Alf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Norkko
authors.affiliation: Department of Aquatic Resources, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skolgatan 6, 74242, Öregrund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, FI-20500, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weigel
authors.affiliation: DHI, Agern Allé 5, DK-2970, Hørsholm, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ramunas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Žydelis
authors.affiliation: Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Blenckner
authors.affiliation: Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Susa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Niiranen
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Winder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057231:Climate Change; D017753:Ecosystem; D005399:Fishes; D020387:Food Chain
keywords: benthic; climate change; ecosystem dynamics; ecosystem function; fishing; nutrient loading; pelagic