[OANNES Foro] Upwelling areas as climate change refugia for the distribution and genetic diversity of a marine macroalga

[Mario Cabrejos]

Journal of Biogeography

·         First published: 30 March 2016 

·         DOI: 10.1111/jbi.12744 


 


Upwelling areas as climate change refugia for the distribution and genetic
diversity of a marine macroalga


·         Carla R. Lourenço, Gerardo I. Zardi, Christopher D. McQuaid, Ester
A. Serrão, Gareth A. Pearson, Rita Jacinto, Katy R. Nicastro


0.      


Abstract


Aim


Global climate change has profound and diverse effects on biological
diversity. Identifying present-day climate refugia is an increasingly
recognized strategy for the management of biodiversity loss. Such refugia
are potential safe havens that enhance environmental diversity by buffering
the effects of large scale change, facilitating species persistence at
regional scales and conserving unique genetic diversity. Although their
ecological effects are well studied, the potential of upwelling centres to
act as refugia in a scenario of climate warming remains largely unexplored.
Here, we investigate whether upwelled waters act as refugia in a region
heavily affected by recent climatic changes.

 


Location


Shores of south-western Iberia and north-western Africa.

 


Methods


We compared changes in distribution of the canopy-forming macroalga Fucus
guiryi with sea surface temperature patterns in five upwelling areas and
adjacent warmer regions. Population diversity and structure was inferred
from genotypic analyses using nine microsatellite loci.

 


Results


Fucus guiryi has disappeared from large expanses of non-upwelling shores,
currently persisting in areas characterized by strong upwelling and reduced
or non-significant rates of warming. Populations of F. guiryi were more
abundant towards upwelling centres. Furthermore, the genetic
characterization of populations revealed distinct genetic groups associated
with each upwelling system.

 


Main conclusions


Within a large region of predominantly changing climate, we highlight the
fundamental importance of upwelling areas as favourable, comparatively
stable climates where F. guiryihas retreated and persists, preserving unique
portions of the species’ genetic pool.

 



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