Rapid tropicalization evidence of subtidal seaweed assemblages along a coastal transitional zone.

ABSTRACT: Anthropogenic climate change, particularly seawater warming, is expected to drive quick shifts in marine species distribution transforming coastal communities. These shifts in distribution will be particularly noticeable in biogeographical transition zones. The continental Portuguese coast stretches from north to south along 900 km. Despite this short spatial scale, the strong physical gradient intensified by the Iberian upwelling creates a transition zone where seaweed species from boreal and Lusitanian-Mediterranean origin coexist. On the northern coast, kelp marine forests thrive in the cold, nutrient-rich oceanic waters. In the south, communities resemble Mediterranean-type seaweed assemblages and are dominated by turfs. Recent evidence suggests that in these coastal areas, marine inte

SUBMITTER: de Azevedo J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10359287 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature