Differential vulnerability to climate change yields novel deep-reef communities
Marzloff, M.P.; Oliver, E.C.J.; Barrett, N.S.; Holbrook, N.J.; James, L.; Wotherspoon, S.J.; Johnson, C.R. (2018). Differential vulnerability to climate change yields novel deep-reef communities. Nat. Clim. Chang. 8(10): 873-878. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0278-7
In: Nature Climate Change. Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 1758-678X; e-ISSN 1758-6798, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Marzloff, M.P.
- Oliver, E.C.J.
- Barrett, N.S.
- Holbrook, N.J.
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- James, L.
- Wotherspoon, S.J.
- Johnson, C.R.
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| Abstract |
The effects of climate-driven ocean change on reef habitatforming species are diverse and can be deleterious to the structure and functioning of seafloor communities. Although responses of shallow coral- or seaweed-based reef communities to environmental changes are a focus of ecological research in the coastal zone, the ecology of habitat- forming organisms on deeper mesophotic reefs remains poorly known. These reefs are typically highly biodiverse and productive as a result of massive nutrient recycling. Based on seafloor imagery obtained from an autonomous underwater vehicle8, we related change in community composition on deep reefs (30–90 m) across a latitudinal gradient (25–45° S) in southeastern Australia to high-resolution environmental and oceanographic data, and predicted future changes using downscaled climate change projections for the 2060s10. This region is recognized as a global hotspot for ocean warming. 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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