Mr Matthew Rose1, A/ Prof Scott Ling1, Dr German Soler1, Prof Graham Edgar1, Dr Kate Frase1
1Institute For Marine And Antarctic Studies, Hobart, Australia
Global warming is causing poleward species re-distributions, threatening the structure and functioning of ‘recipient’ communities within historically cooler regions. Understanding the traits and resultant influences of novel warm-affinity species on recipient ecosystems is essential for forecasting impacts and identifying mitigation strategies to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem services under climate change. Here we compare the taxonomic and functional biodiversity of ‘tropicalizing’ cool-temperate reef communities in northeast Tasmania with warmer-water reef communities within the donor region of New South Wales. Additionally, we measured proportional rates of herbivory, a key consumptive ecological function demonstrated to be a key factor in re-structuring tropicalised marine communities. We show that, despite some regional and habitat differences in taxonomic structure between vegetated and unvegetated reefs, the overall composition of functional groups and assayed rates of herbivory are now equivalent between recipient and donor regions. This outcome chiefly relates to a single range-extending herbivore, the sea urchin Centrostephanus rodgersii (Diadematidae), which, via overgrazing, has ‘tropicalized’ reefs. Extending the concept of ‘tropicalization’ to higher-latitude temperate reefs, our results demonstrate warmer-water sea urchins are capable of increasing herbivory to levels exceeding effects of herbivorous fishes that are also newly arriving from warmer climes. Our study demonstrates that comparative surveys and experiments that extend over subcontinental scales are critical for understanding impacts of climate-driven species redistributions, which are rapidly transforming ecological dynamics within cool-temperate ecosystems.
Presentation Slides – Matthew Rose
Biography:
Matthew seeks to constantly challenge and stimulate himself through sport, his hobbies, art and particularly his academic career. He undertook his undergraduate studies with Honours at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies between 2016 -2021. After a short break from academia he has commenced his PhD at IMAS exploring functional reef ecology across tropical and temperate Australia. He is an avid diver, surfer, musician and amateur mycologist.
