Redistribution of marine forests
Persistent warming in many regions has caused species to extend their geographical ranges into new habitats, with thermally-tolerant species often becoming competitively dominant over species with colder affinities. Although these climate-driven changes in species abundance and diversity are well documented, their ecosystem-level implications are poorly understood, and resolving whether reconfigured communities can maintain fundamental ecosystem functions represents a pressing challenge in an increasingly warmer world.
I tried to answer this question focusing on the ongoing shifts in the identity of the dominant subtidal kelp in southern UK waters. There, a more thermally tolarant species of kelp (Laminaria ochroleuca) is replacing the cool-water kelp L. hyperborea.
This research moves beyond describing climate-driven changes in species distributions and looks at how range expansions and substitutions can affect ecosystem functioning. Our findings suggest a substantial shift in the cycling of organic matter in kelp forests following the replacement of the cool-water species by a warm-affinity congener, providing rare evidence of how range shifts and species substitutions can affect ecosystem functioning.
Research is conduted with the Marine Biological Association of the UK, where I was lucky enough to conduct my Masters research and work as a Graduate Research Assistant under the supervision of Dr. Dan Smale.
Research on this topic has been published in the Journal of Ecology and Oecologia.
I tried to answer this question focusing on the ongoing shifts in the identity of the dominant subtidal kelp in southern UK waters. There, a more thermally tolarant species of kelp (Laminaria ochroleuca) is replacing the cool-water kelp L. hyperborea.
This research moves beyond describing climate-driven changes in species distributions and looks at how range expansions and substitutions can affect ecosystem functioning. Our findings suggest a substantial shift in the cycling of organic matter in kelp forests following the replacement of the cool-water species by a warm-affinity congener, providing rare evidence of how range shifts and species substitutions can affect ecosystem functioning.
Research is conduted with the Marine Biological Association of the UK, where I was lucky enough to conduct my Masters research and work as a Graduate Research Assistant under the supervision of Dr. Dan Smale.
Research on this topic has been published in the Journal of Ecology and Oecologia.
Media
Check out my presentation on the ecosystem consequences of climate-driven shifts in kelp species dominance. This talk was given at the PlyMSEF annual student conference and was awarded the best presentation prize.
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