Functional saturation of Earth’s habitable domains: constraints on land systems and potential in marine environments

Abstract

In this context, functional saturation is defined as the state in which a system’s capacity to sustain additional productive or regulatory functions becomes constrained due to cumulative anthropogenic pressures, even if some physical space remains available. This review examines whether the progressive contraction of terrestrial plant communities under intensifying anthropogenic pressure can be functionally compensated by the expansion of marine macroalgal systems in a high-CO 2 world. Integrating perspectives from Earth system ecology, biogeochemistry, and spatial analysis, the study evaluates three interdependent dimensions: the saturation of habitable terrestrial space, the relative openness yet ecological constraint of marine environments, and the dynamic coupling between atmospheric CO 2 and ocean chemistry. The synthesis reveals a fundamental asymmetry between land and ocean systems. Terrestrial ecosystems are undergoing direct structural transformation through land-use change, resulting in a measurable contraction of ecologically functional space and increasing transgression of planetary boundaries. In contrast, marine systems retain substantial geometric space but are subject to diffuse, cumulative stressors, particularly in productive coastal zones where macroalgal communities are most viable. Elevated CO 2 exerts dual effects on marine primary producers, simultaneously enhancing photosynthetic potential while intensifying ocean acidification, with temporally lagged responses mediated by air–sea exchange dynamics. Although macroalgae may exhibit localized increases in productivity, their capacity to provide long-term carbon sequestration and ecosystem stability remains inherently limited due to rapid biomass turnover, susceptibility to regime shifts, and the interaction of multiple stressors. The available evidence suggests that marine macroalgal expansion is unlikely to fully compensate for terrestrial vegetation loss at global ecological and biogeochemical scales. Instead, the Earth system is undergoing a net reduction in biospheric resilience, characterized by declining terrestrial complexity and increasingly unstable marine productivity. These findings challenge assumptions of compensatory redistribution of primary production and underscore the necessity of preserving terrestrial ecosystems alongside mitigating pressures on marine environments.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Frontiers in Systems Biology, 2026 · DOI ↗