Climate-driven regime shift of a temperate marine ecosystem

TLDR

Ecosystems have historically withstood disturbances yet often remain intact, a resilience that is now questioned as rising temperatures may trigger shifts or collapses. Extreme warming of a temperate kelp forest off Australia caused its collapse and a community shift toward herbivorous tropical fishes that inhibit kelp reestablishment, indicating many systems may lack resilience to rapid climate change. Wernburg et al., Science, “No turning back?”, issue p.

Abstract

No turning back? Ecosystems over time have endured much disturbance, yet they tend to remain intact, a characteristic we call resilience. Though many systems have been lost and destroyed, for systems that remain physically intact, there is debate as to whether changing temperatures will result in shifts or collapses. Wernburg et al. show that extreme warming of a temperate kelp forest off Australia resulted not only in its collapse, but also in a shift in community composition that brought about an increase in herbivorous tropical fishes that prevent the reestablishment of kelp. Thus, many systems may not be resilient to the rapid climate change that we face. Science , this issue p. 169