Abstract
Human activities are rapidly changing the structure and function of coastal marine ecosystems. Large-scale replacement of kelp forests and coral reefs with turf algal mats is resulting in homogenous habitats that have less ecological and human value. Ocean acidification has strong potential to substantially favour turf algae growth, which led us to examine the mechanisms that stabilise turf algal states. Here we show that ocean acidification promotes turf algae over corals and macroalgae, mediating new habitat conditions that create stabilising feedback loops (altered physicochemical environment and microbial community, and an inhibition of recruitment) capable of locking turf systems in place. Such feedbacks help explain why degraded coastal habitats persist after being initially pushed past the tipping point by global and local anthropogenic stressors. An understanding of the mechanisms that stabilise degraded coastal habitats can be incorporated into adaptive management to better protect the contribution of coastal systems to human wellbeing.
Highlights
Human activities are rapidly changing the structure and function of coastal marine ecosystems
They are of particular concern since the newly established habitats are predominantly composed of species that possess less ecological, functional and human value compared to the habitats they replaced[7], and can persist for decades unless suitable management is put into place[8]
Turf algal mats can provide a highly complex habitat structure, it is on a fundamentally smaller scale compared to that provided by coral reefs and kelp forests[16] and so the shift to turf algae results in the loss of ecosystem services[17]
Summary
Human activities are rapidly changing the structure and function of coastal marine ecosystems. We show that ocean acidification promotes turf algae over corals and macroalgae, mediating new habitat conditions that create stabilising feedback loops (altered physicochemical environment and microbial community, and an inhibition of recruitment) capable of locking turf systems in place. Such feedbacks help explain why degraded coastal habitats persist after being initially pushed past the tipping point by global and local anthropogenic stressors. We join the concerted effort to understand the processes responsible for driving and stabilising coastal regime shifts
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