Global environmental changes are challenging the structure and functioning of ecosystems. However, a mechanistic understanding of how global environmental changes will affect ecosystems is still lacking. The complex and interacting biological and physical processes spanning vast temporal and spatial scales that constitute an ecosystem make this a formidable problem. A unifying framework based on ecological theory, that considers fundamental and realized niches, combined with metabolic, evolutionary, and climate change studies, is needed to provide the mechanistic understanding required to evaluate and forecast the future of marine communities, ecosystems, and their services.

中文翻译：

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致力于整合海洋生态系统的进化，代谢和气候变化研究。

全球环境变化正在挑战生态系统的结构和功能。但是，仍然缺乏对全球环境变化将如何影响生态系统的机械理解。跨越广阔的时空尺度，构成生态系统的复杂而相互作用的生物和物理过程，使之成为一个巨大的问题。需要一个基于生态理论的统一框架，该框架考虑基础和已实现的生态位，并结合新陈代谢，进化和气候变化研究，以提供评估和预测海洋社区，生态系统及其服务的未来所需的机械理解。