Differential vulnerability to climate change yields novel deep-reef communities
Type | Article | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Date | 2018-10 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Language | English | ||||||||||||||||||||
Author(s) | Marzloff Martin1, 2, Oliver Eric C. J.1, 3, Barrett Neville S.1, Holbrook Neil J.1, 4, James Lainey1, Wotherspoon Simon J.1, 5, Johnson Craig1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Affiliation(s) | 1 : Univ Tasmania, Inst Marine & Antarctic Studies, Hobart, Tas, Australia. 2 : IFREMER, Ctr Bretagne, DYNECO Res Unit, Benth & Coastal Ecol Lab LEBCO, Plouzane, France. 3 : Dalhousie Univ, Dept Oceanog, Halifax, NS, Canada. 4 : Univ Tasmania, Australian Res Council Ctr Excellence Climate Ext, Hobart, Tas, Australia. 5 : Australian Antarctic Div, Kingston, Tas, Australia. |
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Source | Nature Climate Change (1758-678X) (Nature Publishing Group), 2018-10 , Vol. 8 , N. 10 , P. 873 (8p.) | ||||||||||||||||||||
DOI | 10.1038/s41558-018-0278-7 | ||||||||||||||||||||
WOS© Times Cited | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Abstract | The effects of climate-driven ocean change on reef habitat-forming species are diverse(1,2) and can be deleterious to the structure and functioning of seafloor communities(3-5). Although responses of shallow coral- or seaweed-based reef communities to environmental changes are a focus of ecological research in the coastal zone(1,4-6), the ecology of habitat-forming organisms on deeper mesophotic reefs remains poorly known. These reefs are typically highly biodiverses(7,8) and productive as a result of massive nutrient recycling(9). Based on seafloor imagery obtained from an autonomous underwater vehicle(8), we related change in community composition on deep reefs (30-90 m) across a latitudinal gradient (25-45 degrees S) in southeastern Australia to high-resolution environmental and oceanographic data, and predicted future changes using downscaled climate change projections for the 2060s(10-12). This region is recognized as a global hotspot for ocean warming(13). The models show an overall tropicalization trend in these deep temperate reef communities, but different functional groups associate differentially to environmental drivers and display a diversity of responses to projected ocean change. We predict the emergence of novel deep-reef assemblages by the 2060s that have no counterpart on reefs today, which is likely to underpin shifts in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. |
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