Climate-driven changes in functional biogeography of Arctic marine fish communities
Arctic marine ecosystems are experiencing a rapid biogeographic change following the highest warming rates observed around the globe in recent decades. Currently, there are no studies of how the observed shifts in species composition are affecting Arctic marine ecosystem functioning at a biogeograph...
| Published in: | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
National Academy of Sciences
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5699037/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29087943 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1706080114 |
| Summary: | Arctic marine ecosystems are experiencing a rapid biogeographic change following the highest warming rates observed around the globe in recent decades. Currently, there are no studies of how the observed shifts in species composition are affecting Arctic marine ecosystem functioning at a biogeographic scale. We address this issue via functional biogeography and show that increasing temperatures and reduced ice coverage are associated with the borealization of Arctic fish communities. We find that large body-sized piscivorous and semipelagic boreal species are replacing small-bodied benthivorous Arctic species, likely affecting biomass production in the benthic and pelagic compartments and their coupling. The documented speed and magnitude of climate-driven borealization will profoundly alter ecosystem functioning in the Arctic. |
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