Abstract
Dimethylsulphide (DMS), produced by marine phytoplankton1–5, has been proposed as the major source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in the remote marine atmosphere, and as an important factor in global climate1. Charlson et al.1 suggested that climate modulation and altruism may have been significant factors in the evolution of DMS production by marine phytoplankton. These proposals have led to a re-examination of the relationship between the Earth's biota and climate6–11. Calculations of relative evolutionary pressure in models of individual selection12 and group selection13–17 suggest that neither climate modulation nor altruism could have been the primary factors in the evolution of mid-ocean DMS production. Although a DMS/climate feedback loop may have a role in modulating fluctuations in the Earth's climate1,11, the explanation for mid-ocean DMS production can be found primarily in selection based on local interactions, for example, osmoregulation2,5, and not in evolutionary feedbacks from proposed climate modulation.
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Caldeira, K. Evolutionary pressures on planktonic production of atmospheric sulphur. Nature 337, 732–734 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/337732a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/337732a0
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