Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41900456›Full record

ReviewMicroorganisms2026

The Trophic Cascade Effects of Marine Mesozooplankton: Theory, Dynamics, and Responses to Global Change.

Mianrun Chen

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Microorganisms, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author.

Mianrun ChenNansha Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station/South China Sea Development Research Institute, Ministry of Natural Resources (Remote Sensing Technology Application Center of South China Sea, MNR), Guangzhou 510300, China.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 42376129Science and Technology Development foundation of South China Sea Bureau, Ministry of Natural Resources 230203Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai) SML2021SP308
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Marine mesozooplankton (0.2-20 mm), as a critical trophic link between primary producers and higher trophic levels, are pivotal drivers of trophic cascades regulating pelagic ecosystem structure and function. This review synthesizes recent advances in understanding mesozooplankton-mediated trophic cascades (MMTC), with a focus on selective feeding mechanisms, and presents an original, integrated quantitative framework that fills gaps in quantification and prediction of MMTC. This framework includes the following: a dual-pathway conceptual model distinguishing density-mediated and trait-mediated cascades; a three-level grazing rate correction model addressing long-standing underestimations of mesozooplankton direct grazing rate on phytoplankton; a comprehensive Cascade Strength Index for quantifying cascade intensity; an extended numerical model-NPMZ model (Nutrient-Phytoplankton-Microzooplankton-Mesozooplankton) for simulating MMTC dynamics and their biogeochemical impacts. The review further elucidates the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of MMTC and its implications for plankton community size structure and biological carbon pump efficiency. It also systematically assess the combined impacts of global change drivers (ocean warming, acidification, eutrophication) on MMTC and their ecological consequences. This review advances the theoretical framework of marine trophic cascade research by establishing a unified quantitative paradigm for MMTC and provides mechanistic insights and predictive tools for understanding how climate change modulates pelagic food web dynamics and marine ecosystem services. Moreover, the proposed integrated research paradigm combining molecular tools, multi-factor experiments, and high-resolution numerical modeling offers a critical roadmap for future MMTC research in the Anthropocene. This provides a scientific basis for the conservation and adaptive management of marine ecosystems under global change.

Indexed as

biological pumpclimate change driversmesozooplankton grazingplanktonic food webselective feedingtrophic cascades

Identifiers

PMID41900456
PMCPMC13029040

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.