Climate-Induced Phenological Shifts and the Disruption of Species Interactions in Baltic Sea Ecosystem

Abstract

Phenological changes in the Baltic Sea ecosystem as a result of climate influence the timing of biological processes, including fish spawning, bird migration, and plankton bloom, causing major changes in species interactions. Such changes are mainly triggered by the increase in sea temperatures, salinity changes and variations in ice cover that impact the primary producers and consumers within the food web. A good example here is the non-correlation between the earlier plankton proliferation and the preprogrammed reproductive periods in fish, especially herring. This trophic imbalance affects the food supply of higher trophic levels such as fish larvae, seabirds and marine mammals which result in low survival rates and reproductive success. These disruptive interactions can be seen through changes in predator-prey interactions, species composition, and overall ecosystem instability. To determine the different climate factor, salinity change to increasing the sea temperature by 1.2, Change the ice cover by 1.4, previous plankton blooms by 1.45 and Altered salinity by 1.5. In this paper, the author discusses the cause and effects of the phenological changes in the Baltic Sea due to climate change and the necessity to implement adaptive management approaches to handle the current ecological crisis.