Rapid biotic homogenization of marine fish assemblages

TitleRapid biotic homogenization of marine fish assemblages
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2015
AuthorsMagurran, AE, Dornelas, M, Moyes, F, Gotelli, NJ, McGill, B
Volume6
Issue1
Pagination8405
Date Published09/2015
ISBN Number2041-1723
Abstract

The role human activities play in reshaping biodiversity is increasingly apparent in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the responses of entire marine assemblages are not well-understood, in part, because few monitoring programs incorporate both spatial and temporal replication. Here, we analyse an exceptionally comprehensive 29-year time series of North Atlantic groundfish assemblages monitored over 5° latitude to the west of Scotland. These fish assemblages show no systematic change in species richness through time, but steady change in species composition, leading to an increase in spatial homogenization: the species identity of colder northern localities increasingly resembles that of warmer southern localities. This biotic homogenization mirrors the spatial pattern of unevenly rising ocean temperatures over the same time period suggesting that climate change is primarily responsible for the spatial homogenization we observe. In this and other ecosystems, apparent constancy in species richness may mask major changes in species composition driven by anthropogenic change.

URLhttps://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms9405
DOI10.1038/ncomms9405
Short TitleNature Communications