Abstract
The hermatypic coral Oculina patagonica can drive a compositional shift in shallow water benthic marine communities in the northwestern Mediterranean. Here, we analyze a long-term, large-scale observational dataset to characterize the dynamics of the species' recent northward range shift along the coast of Catalonia and examine the main factors that could have influenced this spread. The variation in the distributional range of Oculina patagonica was examined by monitoring 223 locations including natural and artificial habitats along >400 km of coastline over the last 19 years (1992–2010). Abundance of the species increased from being present in one location in 1992 to occur on 19% of the locations in 2010, and exhibited an acceleration of its spreading over time driven by the join action of neighborhood and long-distance dispersal. However, the pattern of spread diverged between artificial and natural habitats. A short lag phase and a high slope on the exponential phase characterized the temporal pattern of spread on artificial habitats in contrast to that observed on natural ones. Northward expansion has occurred at the fastest rate (22 km year−1) reported for a coral species thus far, which is sufficiently fast to cope with certain climate warming predictions. The pattern of spread suggests that this process is mediated by the interplay of (i) the availability of open space provided by artificial habitats, (ii) the seawater temperature increase with the subsequent extension of the growth period, and (iii) the particular biological features of O. patagonica (current high growth rates, early reproduction, and survival to low temperature and in polluted areas). These results are indicative of an ongoing fundamental modification of temperate shallow water assemblages, which is consistent with the predictions indicating that the Mediterranean Sea is one of the most sensitive regions to global change.
Highlights
IntroductionHuman activities (e.g., overfishing, trawling, coastal development, deployment of man-made infrastructures, transportation, use of fossil fuels and pollution) are currently affecting marine ecosystems worldwide [1,2,3]
Human activities are currently affecting marine ecosystems worldwide [1,2,3]
It is a semienclosed sea that is being affected by climate change at a faster rate than many other marine areas [18], and second, it is a hot spot for alien species, some of which are of tropical origin and have entered the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal [19,20,21]
Summary
Human activities (e.g., overfishing, trawling, coastal development, deployment of man-made infrastructures, transportation, use of fossil fuels and pollution) are currently affecting marine ecosystems worldwide [1,2,3]. The distributions of a wide range of taxa are expanding poleward [6,8], and at the same time, coral reefs are undergoing rapid degradation due to increasing anthropogenic impacts, climate change [9,10,11,12]. It is a semienclosed sea that is being affected by climate change at a faster rate than many other marine areas [18], and second, it is a hot spot for alien species, some of which are of tropical origin and have entered the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal [19,20,21]. Accurate predictions of the future distribution ranges of alien species that are able to change the structure and functioning of native ecosystems [23,24,25] are essential for determining their effects and for supporting management actions
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