2025/06/01 by Dominique G. Maucieri, David J. Kushner, Amanda E. Bates · 1 voice
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Marine Biology and Ecology Research #Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies #Marine and fisheries research
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/ddi.70044
openalex publication_date 2025/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
ABSTRACT Aim Ecological “bright spots” remain resilient following climate events such as marine heatwaves. One explanation for resilience is that small‐scale variability in ocean temperature sustains cooler areas that emerge as local bright spots. In cases where foundational species like kelp thrive through marine heatwaves, the species that rely on kelp for habitat and food also benefit. Here, we test the effect of temperature and habitat loss across both space and time on marine invertebrate communities. Location The Channel Islands National Park in Southern California. Methods We use 25 years (1995–2019) of the National Park Service Kelp Forest Monitoring program surveys, focusing on permanent transects at 16 sites (including some within marine protected areas) that recorded the abundance of 30 kelp forest invertebrates, and include two major marine heatwave events (1997–1998 El Niño event and 2014–2016 combined “Blob” and El Niño event). We examine the effect of local in situ temperature and kelp cover on local diversity and drivers of abrupt diversity changes within the invertebrate communities. Results Sites with more kelp cover and lower local temperatures supported more even invertebrate communities. Additionally, we show evidence of a major state shift within the invertebrate communities during the “Blob” event where local ocean temperatures at surveyed sites better predicted the presence of species density shifts than kelp cover did. Cooler sites underwent more abrupt changes in invertebrate abundance, with these changes resulting in increases of warm‐affinity urchin species that prevented kelp recovery after the “Blob” resided. Main Conclusions We show that changes in kelp forest communities did not occur gradually, but through abrupt invertebrate abundance shifts even in protected areas. Contrary to expectations, we found some species benefitted from marine heatwaves, highlighting the importance of examining species‐specific responses in improving our understanding of how communities respond to environmental changes and marine heatwaves.