Marine Taxa Track Local Climate Velocities

TLDR

The study tests an alternative hypothesis that focuses on the nature of climate change rather than temperature changes. Using nearly 50 years of coastal survey data on over 350 marine taxa, the authors found that climate velocity better predicts species responses than individual traits, indicating that species track local climate changes rather than general poleward shifts. Pinsky et al.

Abstract

Local Speeding Early responses of species to climate change seemed to predict a general poleward response (or upward in mountains and downward in the ocean). Pinsky et al. (p. 1239 ) test an alternative hypothesis that relates more to the nature of climate change than to changes in temperature. Using nearly 50 years of coastal survey data on >350 marine taxa, they found that climate velocity was a much better predictor of patterns of change than individual species' characteristics or life histories. The findings suggest that responses to climate change largely track changes in local conditions.