A future 1.2 ºC increase in ocean temperature alters the quality of mangrove habitats for marine plants and animals

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorWalden, G.
dc.contributor.authorNoirot, C.
dc.contributor.authorNagelkerken, I.
dc.date.issued2019
dc.description.abstractGlobal climate stressors, like ocean warming and acidification, contribute to the erosion of structural complexity in marine foundation habitats by promoting the growth of low-relief turf, increasing grazing pressure on structurally complex marine vegetation, and by directly affecting the growth and survival of foundation species. Because mangrove roots are woody and their epibionts are used to ever-changing conditions in highly variable environments, mangrove habitats may be more resilient to global change stressors than other marine foundation species. Using a large-scale mesocosm experiment, we examined how ocean warming and acidification, under a reduced carbon emission scenario, affect the composition and structural complexity of mangrove epibiont communities and the use of mangrove habitat by juvenile fishes. We demonstrate that even a modest increase in seawater temperature of 1.2 °C leads to the homogenisation and flattening of mangrove root epibiont communities. Warming led to a 24% increase in the overall cover of algal epibionts on roots but the diversity of the epibiont species decreased by 33%. Epibiont structural complexity decreased owing to the shorter stature of weedy algal turfs which prospered under elevated temperature. Juvenile fishes showed alterations in mangrove habitat use with ocean warming and acidification, but these were independent of changes to the root epibiont community. We reveal that the quality of apparently resilient mangrove habitats and their perceived value as habitat for associated fauna are still vulnerable under a globally reduced carbon emission scenario.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityGeorgia Walden, Christelle Noirot, Ivan Nagelkerken
dc.identifier.citationScience of the Total Environment, 2019; 690:596-603
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.029
dc.identifier.issn0048-9697
dc.identifier.issn1879-1026
dc.identifier.orcidNagelkerken, I. [0000-0003-4499-3940]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/122647
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT120100183
dc.rights© 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.029
dc.subjectEcosystem
dc.subjectTemperature
dc.subjectSeawater
dc.subjectOceans and Seas
dc.subjectWetlands
dc.subjectClimate Change
dc.subjectGlobal Warming
dc.titleA future 1.2 ºC increase in ocean temperature alters the quality of mangrove habitats for marine plants and animals
dc.title.alternativeA future 1.2 degrees C increase in ocean temperature alters the quality of mangrove habitats for marine plants and animals
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

Files

Collections

Ecology, Evolution and Landscape Science publications