Tropical fishes can benefit more from novel than familiar species interactions at their cold-range edges.

ABSTRACT: Animals extending their biogeographic ranges poleward under global warming often interact with local species for limited resources such as food and shelter. Whether such novel species interactions facilitate or inhibit range extensions remains largely unknown. We evaluated how range-extending tropical and co-shoaling temperate fishes modify their behaviours (aggression, foraging and anti-predator) along a 2000-km latitudinal gradient encapsulating tropical, subtropical and temperate reefs in a global ocean warming hotspot. All five tropical fish species showed increased anti-predator behaviours and decreased bite rate at their novel temperate range compared to their native tropical and subtropical ranges. However, when shoaling with temperate fishes, three of five tropical fish species had

SUBMITTER: Mitchell A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12484409 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature