Population expansion of a tropical seagrass (Halophila decipiens) in the southwest Atlantic (Brazil)

Gorman, Daniel; Turra, Alexander; Bergstrom, Ellie; Horta, Paulo Antunes

doi:10.1016/j.aquabot.2016.04.002

Cited by 20 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…For example, reduced risk of winter freezing has promoted poleward migration of some mangroves at the expense of salt marshes but with no significant equatorial edge contraction [ 62 ]. In the southern hemisphere, tropical corals and seagrasses have expanded toward higher latitudes without modifying their northernmost boundaries [ 63 , 64 ].…”

Section: What Makes a Habitat-former A Climate Rescuer Species?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Harnessing positive species interactions as a tool against climate-driven loss of coastal biodiversity

et al. 2018

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Habitat-forming species sustain biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in harsh environments through the amelioration of physical stress. Nonetheless, their role in shaping patterns of species distribution under future climate scenarios is generally overlooked. Focusing on coastal systems, we assess how habitat-forming species can influence the ability of stress-sensitive species to exhibit plastic responses, adapt to novel environmental conditions, or track suitable climates. Here, we argue that habitat-former populations could be managed as a nature-based solution against climate-driven loss of biodiversity. Drawing from different ecological and biological disciplines, we identify a series of actions to sustain the resilience of marine habitat-forming species to climate change, as well as their effectiveness and reliability in rescuing stress-sensitive species from increasingly adverse environmental conditions.

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Section: What Makes a Habitat-former A Climate Rescuer Species?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Harnessing positive species interactions as a tool against climate-driven loss of coastal biodiversity

et al. 2018

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“…Evidence suggests widespread, dramatic, climate driven changes to ecosystems with negative consequences including the local extinction of species, major shifts in geographic range and phenology, disruption of fundamental biotic interactions, and a reduction in ecosystem productivity (Poloczanska et al, 2013;Hyndes et al, 2016;Pecl et al, 2017). Recent examples of range shifts and local extinctions that have been documented in marine environments (Johnson et al, 2011;Wernberg et al, 2016) include seagrasses (Kim et al, 2009;Gorman et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systematic Review of How Multiple Stressors From an Extreme Event Drove Ecosystem-Wide Loss of Resilience in an Iconic Seagrass Community

et al. 2019

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species (e.g., Halodule uninervis). Those biotic effects also impacted multiple consumer populations including turtles and dugongs, with implications for species dynamics, food web structure, and ecosystem recovery. We show multiple stressors can combine to evoke extreme ecological responses by pushing ecosystems beyond their tolerance. Finally, both direct abiotic and indirect biotic effects need to be explicitly considered when attempting to understand and predict how ECEs will alter marine ecosystem dynamics.

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“…The authors hypothesized that these plants were probably introduced through ballast waters of ships moving from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. Over the last 5 years, H. decipiens has also been expanding its distribution into subtropical Brazilian waters of the southern Atlantic (São Sebastião, 23 • 44S, 45 • 20W; Gorman et al, 2016Gorman et al, , 2020, suggesting the potential invasive character of this species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Projected Rapid Habitat Expansion of Tropical Seagrass Species in the Mediterranean Sea as Climate Change Progresses

et al. 2020

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During the last 150 years, the tropical seagrass species Halophila stipulacea has established itself in the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea. More recently (2018), Halophila decipiens was observed for the first time in the eastern Mediterranean, and was described as the second non-native seagrass species in the Mediterranean Sea. We implemented a species distribution model (SDM) approach to (1) hindcast the habitat suitability of H. stipulacea over the last 100 years in the Mediterranean basin, and (2) to model the increase in the potential habitat suitability of H. stipulacea and H. decipiens during the current century under two very different climate scenarios, RCP 2.6 (lowest carbon emission scenario) and RCP 8.5 (highest carbon emission scenario). In addition, a principal component analysis (PCA) and k -means cluster based on temperature and salinity drivers were applied to visualize the distance and relatedness between the native and invasive H. stipulacea and H. decipiens populations. Results from this PCA suggest that the H. stipulacea populations of the Mediterranean and Red Sea are likely to be similar. In contrast, H. decipiens from the Mediterranean is more related to the Atlantic populations rather than to the Red Sea populations. The hindcast model suggests that the expansion of H. stipulacea was related to the increases in seawater temperatures in the Mediterranean over the last 100 years. The SDMs predict that more suitable habitat will become available for both tropical species during this century. The habitat suitability for H. stipulacea will keep expanding westward and northward as the Mediterranean continues to become saltier and warmer. In comparison, the SDMs built for H. decipiens forecast a restricted habitat suitability in the south-eastern Mediterranean Sea at the present environmental conditions and predicts a progressive expansion with a potential increase in habitat suitability along 85% of the Mediterranean coastline. The predicted rapid expansion of non-native seagrass species could alter the Mediterranean’s seagrass community and may entail massive impacts on associated ecosystem functions and services, impacts that have severe socio-economic consequences.

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Population expansion of a tropical seagrass (Halophila decipiens) in the southwest Atlantic (Brazil)

Cited by 20 publications

References 49 publications

Harnessing positive species interactions as a tool against climate-driven loss of coastal biodiversity

Harnessing positive species interactions as a tool against climate-driven loss of coastal biodiversity

A Systematic Review of How Multiple Stressors From an Extreme Event Drove Ecosystem-Wide Loss of Resilience in an Iconic Seagrass Community

Projected Rapid Habitat Expansion of Tropical Seagrass Species in the Mediterranean Sea as Climate Change Progresses

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