The Meltdown of Biogeographical Peculiarities of the Baltic Sea: The Interaction of Natural and Man-made Processes

The biogeographical peculiarities of the Baltic Sea have developed since the last glacial period. The characteristic mixture of marine, brackish water, and freshwater species, and relicts from previous periods in the Baltic, is threatened by ongoing environmental changes. This review focuses on the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ambio 2001-08, Vol.30 (4), p.202-209
Main Authors: Leppäkoski, Erkki, Olenin, Sergej
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Baltic States
Biogeography
Biological invasions
Conservation of Natural Resources
Ecological invasion
Ecosystem
Eutrophication
Fauna
Freshwater ecosystems
Geography
Hypoxia
Introduced species
Marine ecology
Marine ecosystems
Part I
Plants
Population Dynamics
Seas
Ships
Species
Water - chemistry
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Summary:The biogeographical peculiarities of the Baltic Sea have developed since the last glacial period. The characteristic mixture of marine, brackish water, and freshwater species, and relicts from previous periods in the Baltic, is threatened by ongoing environmental changes. This review focuses on the recent impacts of nonindigenous species, eutrophication, and a temporary oxygen deficit in the deep basins, on the biogeographical integrity of the Baltic on different spatial and time scales. Today the biota of brackish waterbodies are exposed to each other because of the breakdown in geographical barriers due to shipping traffic, leading to an exchange of species and further homogenization of aquatic animal and plant life worldwide.
ISSN:0044-7447
1654-7209
DOI:10.1579/0044-7447-30.4.202