Back to Search Start Over

Climate-change induced tropicalisation of marine communities in Western Australia

Authors :
William W. L. Cheung
Jessica J. Meeuwig
Tim J. Langlois
Vicky W. Y. Lam
Ming Feng
Daniel Pauly
Chaojiao Sun
Dirk Slawinski
Euan S. Harvey
Source :
Marine and Freshwater Research. 63:415
Publication Year :
2012
Publisher :
CSIRO Publishing, 2012.

Abstract

A major observed and predicted impact of climate change on marine species is the poleward shift in their distributions and the resulting changes in community structure. Here, we used a Dynamic Bioclimate Envelope Model to project range shift of exploited marine fishes and invertebrates in Western Australia. We combined published data and expert knowledge to predict current species distributions for 30 tropical, sub-tropical and temperate species that occur along the coast of Western Australia. Using outputs from both a Regional Oceanographic Model and a Global Circulation Model, we simulated change in the distribution of each species. Our study shows that under the SRES (Special Report for Emission Scenarios) A1B scenario, the median rate of distribution shift is around 19 km decade–1 towards higher latitudes and 9 m deeper decade–1 by 2055 relative to 2005. As a result, species gains and losses are expected along the south coast and north coast of Western Australia, respectively. Also, the coast of Western Australia is expected to experience a ‘tropicalisation’ of the marine community in the future, with increasing dominance of warmer-water species. Such changes in species assemblages may have large ecological and socio-economic implications through shifts in fishing grounds and unexpected trophic effects.

Details

ISSN :
13231650
Volume :
63
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Marine and Freshwater Research
Accession number :
edsair.doi...........50d8289f47fdbd010cdd955da2b553ab
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1071/mf11205