10.5061/DRYAD.2JM63XSR0
Schuster, Jasmin
0000-0001-8681-0757
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Stuart-Smith, Rick
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies
Edgar, Graham
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies
Bates, Amanda
University of Victoria
Tropicalization of temperate reef fish communities facilitated by urchin
grazing and diversity of thermal affinities
Dryad
dataset
2022
FOS: Biological sciences
Canada Research Chairs
https://ror.org/0517h6h17
2023-03-18T00:00:00Z
2023-03-18T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13477
403013317 bytes
5
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Aim: Global declines in structurally complex habitats are reshaping both
land and seascapes in directions that affect biological communities’
responses to warming. Here, we test whether widespread loss of kelp
habitats through sea urchin overgrazing systematically changes sensitivity
of fish communities to warming. Location: Global temperate latitudes Time
period: Modern Major taxa studied: Fishes Methods: Community thermal
affinity shifts related to habitat were assessed by simulating and
comparing fish communities from 2,271 surveys across 15 ecoregions.
Results: We find that fishes in kelp and urchin barrens differ in realized
thermal affinities and range sizes, but only in regions where species
pools have high variability in species’ thermal affinities. Barrens on
warm-temperate reefs host relatively more warm-affinity fish species than
neighbouring kelp beds, highlighting acceleration of tropicalization
processes facilitated by urchin herbivory. By contrast, proportionally
more cool-affinity fishes colonize barrens at high temperate latitudes,
contributing to community lags with ocean warming in these regions. Main
conclusions: Our findings implicate urchins as drivers of ecological
change, in part by affecting biological resilience to warming.
Data used in this manuscript were collected through the Reef Life Survey
program https://reeflifesurvey.com/.