Breck McCollum1, Jarrett Byrnes1, Kenneth Sebens2
1University of Massachusetts Boston, USA - 2University of Washington, USA
As we attempt to understand the role climate change plays in the composition of communities, long-term data provides invaluable insight into predictions from theory. Here we report on nearly half a century of change in subtidal rock-wall communities in the Gulf of Maine and link change in even deep-water species to thermal tolerances. Nearly 50 years of photographic fixed quadrat data demonstrate large changes in species abundance and cover on these subtidal rock walls. We see the complete loss and gain of multiple taxa over this time period. Furthermore, the last 20 years have also seen dramatically warming ocean temperatures in the Gulf of Maine. We demonstrate that, on average, trends in change in abundance can be linked to species thermal tolerances. However, some critically important species to the Gulf of Maine, such as the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, show remarkable resilience to the changing environmental conditions. Counter to predictions, some have increased in abundance and cover on subtidal rock walls. Our results show the importance of long-term perspectives in marine ecology and how insightful these data can be in interpreting the effects of a warming ocean, but also that individual species may be more adaptable than we think.
Biography
Breck McCollum is a temperate subtidal marine community ecologist with a penchant for rocky shores and mentoring undergraduates. Her research focuses on biodiversity and community structure, and the important role each of these play in determining the adaptability and resilience of these communities in a rapidly changing ocean environment. She is particularly interested in invertebrates. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she has lived in the Boston, MA, USA area since 2015