Editorial: Ocean-biota system: integrated approach to climate change impacts on plankton communities in coastal and pelagic environments

Interactions between physical and biological processes within the Ocean-Biota system are at the base of the ecosystem functioning in coastal and pelagic environments. Tipping points in the climate systems are now a relatively well-understood topic in physical sciences whereas plankton communities’ response to climate shifts on a small scale and in the long term is still largely unclear and critical points are difficult to predict or even detect. Progress can be made in tackling this very challenging issue by combining oceanographic findings with information derived from taxonomy, functional ecology and promising molecular techniques. In agreement with this rationale, the articles that are part of the present Research Topic collection exhibit at least one of the following three elements referring to plankton communities: (i) interactions between physical and biological processes; (ii) effects at various scales of climate change; and (iii) combination of innovative and traditional techniques.