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Despite increasing scientific and public concerns on the potential impacts of global ocean warming on marine biodiversity, very few empirical data on community-level responses to rising water temperatures are available other than for coral reefs. This study describes changes in temperate subtidal reef communities over decadal and regional scales in a location that has undergone considerable warming in recent decades and is forecast to be a 'hotspot' for future warming. Plant and animal communities at 136 rocky reef sites around Tasmania (south-east Australia) were censused between 1992 and 1995, and again in 2006 and 2007. Despite evidence of major ecological changes before the period of study, reef communities appeared to remain relatively stable over the past decade. Multivariate analyses and univariate metrics of biotic communities revealed few changes with time, although some species-level responses could be interpreted as symptomatic of ocean warming. These included fishes detected in Tasmania only in recent surveys and several species with warmer water affinities that appeared to extend their distributions further south. The most statistically significant changes observed in species abundances, however, were not related to their biogeographical affinities. The majority of species with changing abundance possessed lower to mid-range abundances rather than being common, raising questions for biodiversity monitoring and management. We suggest that our study encompassed a relatively stable period following more abrupt change, and that community responses to ocean warming may follow nonlinear, step-like trajectories.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	climate change • community-level • East Australian current • latitudinal range • reef fishes • UVC
Research Division:	Environmental Sciences
Research Group:	Climate change impacts and adaptation
Research Field:	Ecological impacts of climate change and ecological adaptation
Objective Division:	Environmental Policy, Climate Change and Natural Hazards
Objective Group:	Adaptation to climate change
Objective Field:	Ecosystem adaptation to climate change
UTAS Author:	Stuart-Smith, RD (Dr Rick Stuart-Smith)
UTAS Author:	Barrett, NS (Associate Professor Neville Barrett)
UTAS Author:	Stevenson, DG (Mr David Stevenson)
UTAS Author:	Edgar, GJ (Professor Graham Edgar)
ID Code:	60511
Year Published:	2010
Web of Science® Times Cited:	54
Deposited By:	TAFI - Marine Research Laboratory
Deposited On:	2010-02-09
Last Modified:	2014-11-24
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