Direct and indirect effects of climate change squeeze the local distribution of a habitat-forming seaweed

Abstract

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 626:43-52 (2019) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13080 Direct and indirect effects of climate change squeeze the local distribution of a habitat-forming seaweed Gustavo M. Martins1,2,*, Christopher D. G. Harley3,4, João Faria1, Maria Vale1,5,6, Stephen J. Hawkins6,7, Ana I. Neto1, Francisco Arenas8 1cE3c-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group & University of the Azores, 9501-801 Ponta Delgada, Açores, Portugal 2AQUAZOR - Aquicultura e Biotecnologias Marinhas dos Açores, Rua da Pranchinha 92, 9500-331 Ponta Delgada, Açores, Portugal 3Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada 4Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada 5Regional Fund for Science and Technology (FRCT), 9500-336 Ponta Delgada, Açores, Portugal 6Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, Waterfront Campus, University of Southampton, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK 7Marine Biological Association of UK, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth PL1 2PB, UK 8Group of Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal *Corresponding author: martinsgm@gmail.com ABSTRACT: Predictions concerning biological responses to climate change are based primarily on environmental tolerances of individual species. However, biological interactions and the way these may be altered by changes in climate can also be important drivers of ecological change. A combination of observational and experimental studies was conducted to test the factors controlling the vertical distribution of the canopy-forming alga Fucus guiryi, a cold-water seaweed and ecological engineer. We found that F. guiryi transplanted to areas just above its upper limit of distribution died rapidly, whereas survivorship was high in unmanipulated controls and individuals translocated to areas within the species’ vertical range. Towards the lower limit of its vertical range, unprotected F. guiryi were heavily grazed by a warm-water fish, Sarpa salpa, and percent cover, frond length, and number of reproductive structures were all reduced compared to experimentally protected individuals. Observations over a period of 2 yr suggest that grazing is stronger towards the lower limit of distribution, especially during the warmer seasons of the year. Commercial landing records indicate that the abundance of S. salpa was positively related to warmer sea surface temperatures. Our results highlight the interplay between abiotic and biotic factors in determining the vertical distribution of F. guiryi and suggest that predicted increases in temperature during this century may lead to local extinctions of this ecosystem engineer through the combination of increased physiological stress at its upper limit of distribution and grazing at its lower limit, which, together, act to squeeze its vertical distribution in the rocky intertidal. KEY WORDS: Biotic interactions · Distribution · Fucus guiryi · Physical stress · Rocky intertidal · Grazing Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Martins GM, Harley CDG, Faria J, Vale M, Hawkins SJ, Neto AI, Arenas F (2019) Direct and indirect effects of climate change squeeze the local distribution of a habitat-forming seaweed. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 626:43-52. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13080 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 626. Online publication date: September 12, 2019 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2019 Inter-Research.