Melting barriers to faunal exchange across ocean basins

Accelerated loss of sea ice in the Arctic is opening routes connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for longer periods each year. These changes may increase the ease and frequency with which marine birds and mammals move between the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean basins. Indeed, recent observations o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Global change biology 2016-02, Vol.22 (2), p.465-473
Main Authors: McKeon, C. Seabird, Weber, Michele X., Alter, S. Elizabeth, Seavy, Nathaniel E., Crandall, Eric D., Barshis, Daniel J., Fechter-Leggett, Ethan D., Oleson, Kirsten L. L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Migration
Animals
arctic
biodiversity
birds
Climate change
Conservation of Natural Resources
Ecosystem
Global warming
Marine conservation
Marine ecology
marine mammals
Oceans and Seas
range shift
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Summary:Accelerated loss of sea ice in the Arctic is opening routes connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for longer periods each year. These changes may increase the ease and frequency with which marine birds and mammals move between the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean basins. Indeed, recent observations of birds and mammals suggest these movements have intensified in recent decades. Reconnection of the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean basins will present both challenges to marine ecosystem conservation and an unprecedented opportunity to examine the ecological and evolutionary consequences of interoceanic faunal exchange in real time. To understand these changes and implement effective conservation of marine ecosystems, we need to further develop modeling efforts to predict the rate of dispersal and consequences of faunal exchange. These predictions can be tested by closely monitoring wildlife dispersal through the Arctic Ocean and using modern methods to explore the ecological and evolutionary consequences of these movements.
ISSN:1354-1013
1365-2486
DOI:10.1111/gcb.13116