Impacts of climate change on non-native species

• Main Authors: Cottier-Cook, Elizabeth, Beveridge, Christine, Bishop, John DD, Brodie, Juliet, Clark, Paul, Epstein, Graham, Jenkins, Stuart, Johns, David, Loxton , Jennifer, Macleod, Adrian, Maggs, Christine, Minchin, Dan, Mineur, Frederick, Sewell, Jack, Wood, Christine
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership 2013
• Subjects: Non Natives; Decadal Review; Impacts; Climate Change; invasive alien species; invasive non-native species; Marine; Pacific; Crassostrea gigas; North Atlantic; Ocean acidification; Pacific oyster
• Online Access: https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/publications/209f7615-7eee-4bd6-8b91-f61ebca63ce5; https://doi.org/10.14465/2013.arc17.155-166; https://pureadmin.uhi.ac.uk/ws/files/2287121/MCCIP_Decadal_Review_Non_Natives_2017arc_sciencereview_005_nns.pdf

Anthropogenic changes to climate and extreme weather events have already led to the introduction of non-native species (NNS) to the North Atlantic. Regional climate models predict that there will be a continuation of the current trend of warming throughout the 21st century providing enhanced opportunities for NNS at each stage of the invasion process. Increasing evidence is now available to show that climate change has led to the northwards range expansion of a number of NNS in the UK and Ireland, such as the Asian club tunicate Styela clava and the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. Providing definitive evidence though of the direct linkage between climate change and the spread of the majority of NNS is extremely challenging, due to other confounding factors, such as anthropogenic activity Localised patterns of water movement and food supply may also be complicating the overall pattern of northwards range expansion, by preventing the expansion of some NNS, such as the slipper limpet Crepidula fornicata and the Chilean oyster Ostrea chilensis, from a particular region. A greater understanding of the other aspects of climate change and increased atmospheric CO2, such as increased rainfall, heat waves, frequency of storm events, and ocean acidification may aid in increasing the confidence that scientists have in predicting the long term influence of climate change on the introduction, spread and establishment of NNS.