Multi-species collapses at the warm edge of a warming sea

Rilov, Gil

doi:10.1038/srep36897

Cited by 143 publications

(166 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…Grazers usually avoid calcareous algae and prefer soft, palatable algae (Hereu 2006) and, thus, a dominance of calcareous algae and turf characterizes overgrazed barrens (Sala and Boudouresque 1997, Ruitton et al 2000, Hereu et al 2012. This could be a result of the relatively low urchin density of 1.25 individuals/m 2 within the cages (similar to densities measured along the Israeli coast in the 1990s (Rilov 2016). Similar to other temperate seas, overgrazing in the Mediterranean is usually attributed to sea urchins, while native fish are considered to have a minor role in this process (Prado et al 2009.…”

Section: Competitive Exclusion By the Invasive Rabbitfishesmentioning

confidence: 57%

“…Besides local stressors such as overfishing and pollution, it is also fast warming (Lejeusne et al 2010, Shaltout andOmstedt 2014) and being rapidly colonized by hundreds of alien thermophilic species (Rilov andGalil 2009, Katsanevakis et al 2014). It represents the warm ("trailing") edge of distribution of most Mediterranean and Atlanto-Mediterranean species, and thus where those species sensitive to warming might be expected to disappear first (Rilov 2016). It represents the warm ("trailing") edge of distribution of most Mediterranean and Atlanto-Mediterranean species, and thus where those species sensitive to warming might be expected to disappear first (Rilov 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ocean warming and tropical invaders erode the performance of a key herbivore

Yeruham

Shpigel

Abelson

et al. 2019

Ecology

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Citation: Yeruham, E., M. Shpigel, A. Abelson, and G. Rilov. 2020. Ocean warming and tropical invaders erode the performance of a key herbivore. Ecology 101(2):Abstract. Climate change and bioinvasions are two facets of global change that can act in tandem to impact native species and ecosystems. However, their combined effects on key species have rarely been studied. The Mediterranean Sea is a hot spot of both ocean warming and bioinvasions, where their impact can be tested together. In recent years, the population of a key herbivore, the European purple sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus), has virtually collapsed along the Israeli Mediterranean coast (southeastern Levant). Here, we used field and lab experiments to test two complementary hypotheses that may explain the urchin population collapse: (1) resource competition that may lead to competitive exclusion by invasive grazers (two Red Sea rabbitfishes) and (2) reduced performance due to ocean warming. An inclusion-exclusion in situ caging experiment revealed a strong negative impact of fish grazing on algal cover and on the urchin's gut content and gonado-somatic index (GSI). Laboratory experiments revealed a considerable negative impact of both elevated temperature and food deficiency on sea urchin respiration and GSI, and consequently on its energy budget and reproductive potential and, potentially, fitness. Such reduced reproductive capacity must have greatly lowered the sea urchin's population viability, contributing (and possibly even leading) to its collapse in the southeastern Levant in the past two decades. Urchin population declines are expected to spread to the west and north of the Mediterranean Sea following further warming and rabbitfish expansion. This study is the first to demonstrate the potential additive effects of ocean warming and implied competitive exclusion by an invader on a native species at its warm biogeographic distribution edge.

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Section: Competitive Exclusion By the Invasive Rabbitfishesmentioning

confidence: 57%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ocean warming and tropical invaders erode the performance of a key herbivore

Yeruham

Shpigel

Abelson

et al. 2019

Ecology

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“…For example, in the eastern Mediterranean, the world's most invaded marine region because of the opening of the Suez Canal, a substantial percentage of the commercial fisheries catch is now composed of alien species (Edelist et al, 2013). Furthermore, multi-species collapses of native invertebrate species in the Levantine Sea have been mainly attributed to climate change (Yeruham et al, 2015;Rilov, 2016;Givan et al, 2018), although in some cases the negative impact of specific invasive alien species is also a contributing factor (Galil, 2007). Some alien groups are highly abundant even in well protected MPAs (Rilov et al, 2017).…”

Section: Biological Invasions and Conservation Planning In The Marinementioning

confidence: 99%

Biological Invasions in Conservation Planning: A Global Systematic Review

et al. 2018

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Biological invasions threaten biodiversity in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, requiring substantial conservation and management efforts. To examine how the conservation planning literature addresses biological invasions and if planning in the marine environment could benefit from experiences in the freshwater and terrestrial systems, we conducted a global systematic review. Out of 1,149 scientific articles mentioning both "conservation planning" and "alien" or any of its alternative terms, 70 articles met our selection criteria. Most of the studies were related to the terrestrial environment, while only 10% focused on the marine environment. The main conservation targets were species (mostly vertebrates) rather than habitats or ecosystems. Apart from being mentioned, alien species were considered of concern for conservation in only 46% of the cases, while mitigation measures were proposed in only 13% of the cases. The vast majority of the studies (73%) ignored alien species in conservation planning even if their negative impacts were recognized. In 20% of the studies, highly invaded areas were avoided in the planning, while in 6% of the cases such areas were prioritized for conservation. In the latter case, two opposing approaches led to the selection of invaded areas: either alien and native biodiversity were treated equally in setting conservation targets, i.e., alien species were also considered as ecological Mačić et al. Biological Invasions in Conservation Planning features requiring protection, or more commonly invaded sites were prioritized for the implementation of management actions to control or eradicate invasive alien species. When the "avoid" approach was followed, in most of the cases highly impacted areas were either excluded or invasive alien species were included in the estimation of a cost function to be minimized. Most of the studies that followed a "protect" or "avoid" approach dealt with terrestrial or freshwater features but in most cases the followed approach could be transferred to the marine environment. Gaps and needs for further research are discussed and we propose an 11-step framework to account for biological invasions into the systematic conservation planning design.

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“…Although comprehensive reef community surveys were absent in the south‐eastern Levant (until 2010, see Rilov, ), several studies over the past few decades have shown varied evidence of reef community transformation in the region. On the Israeli and Lebanese coasts, a few local surveys of fish assemblages have shown the domination of fish biomass by non‐indigenous species, mostly two highly abundant, herbivorous, Indo‐Pacific rabbitfish species ( Siganus rivulatus and Siganus luridus , Goren & Galil, ; Harmelin‐Vivien, Bitar, Harmelin, & Monestiez, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent gut and isotope analysis of native and invasive reef fish in Lebanon suggested a shift in the local food web (Fanelli, Azzurro, Bariche, Cartes, & Maynou, ). On the Israeli coast, population collapses of many native, non‐harvested, reef molluscs and two sea urchins have recently been reported (Rilov, ). Experimental work has shown that the almost complete disappearance of sea urchins could be explained by ocean warming, as the urchins die when SST exceeds 30.5°C (Yeruham, Rilov, Shpigel, & Abelson, ), which has occurred every summer since 1998 (Rilov, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alien turf: Overfishing, overgrazing and invader domination in south‐eastern Levant reef ecosystems

Rilov

Peleg

Yeruham

et al. 2017

Aquatic Conservation

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Coastal reefs are highly diverse marine ecosystems that in many regions suffer today from growing pressures by human activities. Among the most highly‐stressed are those found in the Levantine basin (south‐eastern Mediterranean Sea). The Levant represents the trailing‐edge of distribution of native species where they are exposed to the most extreme temperature and salinity conditions, and the region is also fast‐warming and exposed to a great many alien species and strong fishing pressure. In this study, the ecological state of reefs in the south‐eastern Levant was assessed quantitatively (including inside a small marine reserve) using current, extensive, survey data with reference to anecdotal historical information on their more pristine past. The results of very extensive subtidal community surveys that were conducted in north Israel indicate that reefs in this area are currently dominated by turf‐forming algae and aliens, and sustain low numbers of top predators. Specifically, it was found that on these Levant reefs: (1) commercial species represent a very small part of the fish assemblage (except inside the reserve); (2) alien species constitute a considerable portion (23–44%) of the fish assemblage (including in the reserve) and 95–99% of epi‐benthic molluscs, including inside the marine reserve; and (3) turf barrens are the dominant substrate cover, while cover of native brown algae canopy is limited to small patches occurring only during winter and spring. These findings suggest that the Levant reefs have been highly transformed by overfishing and alien invasions, and probably also climate change, and that even well managed marine reserves had little effect on alien species presence. From a biogeographic‐conservation perspective, as both warming and bioinvasions continue in the Mediterranean, it is expected that this degraded reef state will gradually advance westward. Alleviating fishing pressure with marine reserves might make the reefs more resilient to these regional pressures, but alien invaders will remain a dominant feature in the system. Therefore, a more realistic conservation target might be the preservation or restoration of ecosystem functions rather than the original native biodiversity.

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Multi-species collapses at the warm edge of a warming sea

Cited by 143 publications

References 86 publications

Ocean warming and tropical invaders erode the performance of a key herbivore

Ocean warming and tropical invaders erode the performance of a key herbivore

Biological Invasions in Conservation Planning: A Global Systematic Review

Alien turf: Overfishing, overgrazing and invader domination in south‐eastern Levant reef ecosystems

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