Potential influence of a marine heatwave on range extensions of tropical fishes in the eastern Indian Ocean—Invaluable contributions from amateur observers

Lenanton, R.C.J.; Dowling, Christopher E.; Smith, Kim; Fairclough, David V.; Jackson, Gary

doi:10.1016/j.rsma.2017.03.005

Cited by 39 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…There may also be evidence of expansion beyond the recorded southern limit of this species’ range at ∼32°S on the west coast of Australia (Lenanton et al, 2017). However, confirmation of this requires demonstration that these southern populations are persistently self-recruiting, rather than observations of increases in abundance alone (e.g., Zarco-Perello et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is evidence that this species may be self-recruiting and occurring in greater numbers in recent years at the poleward margin of its historical distribution (∼32°S) on the west coast of Australia (Lenanton et al, 2017; Zarco-Perello et al, 2017). Also, higher feeding rates have been associated with the recent increase in abundance of tropical herbivores including S. fuscescens on temperate reefs of Western Australia, causing declines in the biomass of habitat-forming kelp (Bennett et al, 2015; Zarco-Perello et al, 2017) and seagrasses (Hyndes et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Microbiome of the Gastrointestinal Tract of a Range-Shifting Marine Herbivorous Fish

et al. 2018

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Globally, marine species’ distributions are being modified due to rising ocean temperatures. Increasing evidence suggests a circum-global pattern of poleward extensions in the distributions of many tropical herbivorous species, including the ecologically important rabbitfish Siganus fuscescens. Adaptability of a species to such new environments may be heavily influenced by the composition of their gastrointestinal microbe fauna, which is fundamentally important to animal health. Siganus fuscescens thus provides an opportunity to assess the stability of gastrointestinal microbes under varying environmental conditions. The gastrointestinal microbial communities of S. fuscescens were characterized over 2,000 km of Australia’s western coast, from tropical to temperate waters, including near its current southern distributional limit. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene demonstrated that each population had a distinct hindgut microbial community, and yet, 20 OTUs occurred consistently in all samples. These OTUs were considered the ‘core microbiome’ and were highly abundant, composing between 31 and 54% of each population. Furthermore, levels of short chain fatty acids, an indicator of microbial fermentation activity, were similar among tropical and temperate locations. These data suggest that flexibility in the hindgut microbiome may play a role in enabling such herbivores to colonize new environments beyond their existing range.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Microbiome of the Gastrointestinal Tract of a Range-Shifting Marine Herbivorous Fish

et al. 2018

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“…In the Eastern Mediterranean, range-expanding rabbitfishes have become an important component of fisheries catches (Bariche, 2005;El-Haweet, 2001) and are increasingly being targeted in Australia (Gilby, Tibbetts, & Stevens, 2017;Lenanton, Dowling, Smith, Fairclough, & Jackson, 2017). However, whether targeting rabbitfish could effectively control the population and decrease grazing pressure on kelp forests remains hypothetical, given that rabbitfish have fast life histories and can sustain high fishery yields despite intense exploitation rates (Robinson et al, 2018).…”

Section: Capturing New Opportunities As a Management Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropicalisation of temperate reefs: Implications for ecosystem functions and management actions

et al. 2019

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Temperate reefs from around the world are becoming tropicalised, as warm‐water species shift their distribution towards the poles in response to warming. This is already causing profound shifts in dominant foundation species and associated ecological communities as canopy seaweeds such as kelp are replaced by tropical species. Here, we argue that the cascading consequences of tropicalisation for the ecosystem properties and functions of warming temperate reefs depend largely on the taxa that end up dominating the seafloor. We put forward three potential tropicalisation trajectories, that differ in whether seaweeds, turf or corals become dominant. We highlight potential gains to certain ecosystem functions for some tropicalisation endpoints. For example, local benthic fish productivity may increase in some tropicalised reefs as a higher proportion of primary production is directly consumed, but this will be at the expense of other functions such as carbon export. We argue that understanding these changes in flows of energy and materials is essential to formulate new conservation strategies and management approaches that minimise risks as well as capture potential opportunities. Regardless of which trajectory is followed, tropicalised systems represent largely novel ecosystem configurations. This poses major challenges to traditional conservation and environmental management approaches, which typically focus on maintaining or returning species to particular locations. We outline management practices that may either mitigate predicted structural and functional changes or make the most of potential new opportunities in tropicalised reefs. These include marine protected areas to increase resilience and connectivity, the development of new fisheries that target range‐expanding invaders, and assisted evolution and migration strategies to facilitate the dominance of large habitat formers like corals or seaweeds. We highlight important ecological and ethical challenges associated with developing novel approaches to manage tropicalised reefs, which may need to become increasingly interventionist. As technological innovations continue to emerge, having clear goals and considering the ethics surrounding interventions among the broader community are essential steps to successfully develop novel management approaches. A plain language summary is available for this article.

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“…Dramatic effects of the 2010/2011 MHW included mortality of fish, invertebrates, seagrasses and habitat-forming algae, coral bleaching, and the sudden appearance of tropical species in temperate waters (Pearce et al, 2011;Moore et al, 2012;Wernberg et al, 2013Wernberg et al, , 2016Arias-Ortiz et al, 2018). Less obvious effects, such as impacts to growth or recruitment of longer-lived species, have also become apparent in the years following the event (Foster et al, 2014;Cure et al, 2015Cure et al, , 2018Lenanton et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simmered Then Boiled: Multi-Decadal Poleward Shift in Distribution by a Temperate Fish Accelerates During Marine Heatwave

Smith¹,

Dowling²,

Brown³

2019

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Sillago schomburgkii inhabits coastal waters of south-western Australia, where it occurs over a wide latitudinal range (22-35 • S). The species has occupied this range for at least the past century. It is a valuable fishery species, particularly in northern (warmer) areas where it has historically been most abundant. Fishery trends indicate a gradual poleward shift in the center of abundance since the 1950s, coinciding with gradual ocean warming over the same period. This shift dramatically accelerated after the 2010/2011 marine heatwave, when abundance abruptly declined at the northern edge of the range but increased in southern areas. The heatwave drew attention to the significant, but previously unrecognized, distributional shift of S. schomburgkii. It also helped to elucidate the recruitment-related mechanism by which the shift is occurring. There was evidence of exceptionally strong recruitment by the 2010/2011 year class in southern areas, but weaker recruitment at the northern edge. Spawning by S. schomburgkii is associated with ocean temperatures of approximately 20-26 circ C. Temperatures are in this range for most of the year in the north, but only briefly during the height of summer in the south. During the heatwave, coastal temperatures were up to 5 degrees above average. It is likely that the spawning period was reduced in the north but extended in the south, due to higher temperatures, which would explain the recruitment trends in each area. All evidence suggests the distributional shift is primarily due to altered spawning success by resident fish in each area (i.e., self-recruitment), rather than by the movement of adults, or larval dispersal. The accelerated shift during the heatwave was probably due to major changes in self-recruitment, but possibly supplemented by atypical southward larval dispersal. For commercial and recreational fisheries that capture this species, the ongoing poleward range shift could have significant negative, and positive impacts in the northern and southern areas, respectively. Fisheries in southern areas are expected to benefit from an increasing availability of this species, although a predicted climate-induced loss of critical habitats could negate any gains at the southern edge of the range.

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Potential influence of a marine heatwave on range extensions of tropical fishes in the eastern Indian Ocean—Invaluable contributions from amateur observers

Cited by 39 publications

References 44 publications

The Microbiome of the Gastrointestinal Tract of a Range-Shifting Marine Herbivorous Fish

The Microbiome of the Gastrointestinal Tract of a Range-Shifting Marine Herbivorous Fish

Tropicalisation of temperate reefs: Implications for ecosystem functions and management actions

Simmered Then Boiled: Multi-Decadal Poleward Shift in Distribution by a Temperate Fish Accelerates During Marine Heatwave

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