The ecological and evolutionary consequences of tropicalisation

Trends Ecol Evol. 2024 Mar;39(3):267-279. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.10.006. Epub 2023 Nov 28.

Abstract

Tropicalisation is a marine phenomenon arising from contemporary climate change, and is characterised by the range expansion of tropical/subtropical species and the retraction of temperate species. Tropicalisation occurs globally and can be detected in both tropical/temperate transition zones and temperate regions. The ecological consequences of tropicalisation range from single-species impacts (e.g., altered behaviour) to whole ecosystem changes (e.g., phase shifts in intertidal and subtidal habitats). Our understanding of the evolutionary consequences of tropicalisation is limited, but emerging evidence suggests that tropicalisation could induce phenotypic change as well as shifts in the genotypic composition of both expanding and retracting species. Given the rapid rate of contemporary climate change, research on tropicalisation focusing on shifts in ecosystem functioning, biodiversity change, and socioeconomic impacts is urgently needed.

Keywords: biogeography; climate change; ecosystem functioning; genetics; range shifts; species interactions.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biodiversity*
  • Biological Evolution
  • Climate Change
  • Ecosystem*