TY - JOUR T1 - Specific niche requirements underpin multidecadal range edge stability, but may introduce barriers for climate change adaptation A1 - Firth,Louise B A1 - Harris,Daniel A1 - Blaze,Julie A A1 - Marzloff,Martin A1 - Boye,Aurelien A1 - Miller,Peter I A1 - Curd,Amelia A1 - Vasquez,Mickael A1 - Dunn,Julia D A1 - O'Connor,Nessa E A1 - Power,Anne-Marie A1 - Mieszkowska,Nova A1 - O’riordan,Ruth M A1 - Burrows,Michael T A1 - Bricheno,Lucy M A1 - Knights,Anthony M A1 - Nunes,Flavia A1 - Bordeyne,François A1 - Bush,Laura E A1 - Byers,James E A1 - David,Carmen A1 - Davies,Andrew J A1 - Dubois,Stanislas A1 - Edwards,Hugh A1 - Foggo,Andy A1 - Grant,Lisa A1 - Mattias Green,Ja A1 - Gribben,Paul E A1 - Lima,Fernado P A1 - McGrath,David A1 - Noel,Laure Mlj A1 - Seabra,Rui A1 - Simkanin,Christina A1 - Hawkins,Stephen J AD - School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK AD - Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland AD - Estuary & Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA AD - School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA AD - DYNECO, Laboratory of Coastal Benthic Ecology, Ifremer - Centre de Bretagne, Plouzané, France AD - Remote Sensing Group, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, UK AD - Centre for Environmental Data & Recording, National Museums Northern Ireland, Holywood, UK AD - Windmill Lane, Portaferry, UK AD - School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland AD - Marine Biological Association of the UK, Plymouth, UK AD - School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK AD - School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Aquaculture and Fisheries Development Centre, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland AD - Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, UK AD - National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool, UK AD - Sorbonne Université, Station Biologique de Roscoff, CNRS, UMR AD2M Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, Roscoff, France AD - School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, UK AD - College of the Environment and Life Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA AD - Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Belfast, UK AD - Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia AD - CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade de Porto, Porto, Portugal AD - Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway, Ireland AD - Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, USA AD - School of Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK UR - https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00677/78938/ DO - 10.1111/ddi.13224 KW - biogenic habitat KW - biogeography KW - cold event KW - Irish Sea KW - macroecology KW - tidal front N2 - Aim To investigate some of the environmental variables underpinning the past and present distribution of an ecosystem engineer near its poleward range edge. Location >500 locations spanning >7,400 km around Ireland. Methods We collated past and present distribution records on a known climate change indicator, the reef‐forming worm Sabellaria alveolata (Linnaeus, 1767) in a biogeographic boundary region over 182 years (1836–2018). This included repeat sampling of 60 locations in the cooler 1950s and again in the warmer 2000s and 2010s. Using species distribution modelling, we identified some of the environmental drivers that likely underpin S. alveolata distribution towards the leading edge of its biogeographical range in Ireland. Results Through plotting 981 records of presence and absence, we revealed a discontinuous distribution with discretely bounded sub‐populations, and edges that coincide with the locations of tidal fronts. Repeat surveys of 60 locations across three time periods showed evidence of population increases, declines, local extirpation and recolonization events within the range, but no evidence of extensions beyond the previously identified distribution limits, despite decades of warming. At a regional scale, populations were relatively stable through time, but local populations in the cold Irish Sea appear highly dynamic and vulnerable to local extirpation risk. Contemporary distribution data (2013–2018) computed with modelled environmental data identified specific niche requirements which can explain the many distribution gaps, namely wave height, tidal amplitude, stratification index, then substrate type. Main conclusions In the face of climate warming, such specific niche requirements can create environmental barriers that may prevent species from extending beyond their leading edges. These boundaries may limit a species’ capacity to redistribute in response to global environmental change. Y1 - 2021/04 PB - Wiley / Blackwell JF - Diversity And Distributions SN - 1366-9516 VL - 27 IS - 4 SP - 668 EP - 683 ID - 78938 ER -