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Habitat limits the poleward establishment of anemonefishes in a climate change hotspot
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Habitat limits the poleward establishment of anemonefishes in a climate change hotspot

Sophie H Pryor, Hamish A Malcolm, Brendan P Kelaher, Kay L Davis and Anna Scott
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Vol.264, 107662
05/01/2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2021.107662
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Habitat limits the poleward establishmentView
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Abstract

Overwintering Range expansion Sea anemone Subtropical Tropicalisation Global change biology Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) Marine biodiversity
Climate change is modifying marine species' distribution with consequences for the structure and function of ecosystems. The warming and strengthening East Australian Current (EAC) is driving the tropicalisation of subtropical marine ecosystems through changing overwinter survival of tropical species. However, this can be complex for obligate symbionts, such as anemonefishes. Here, we documented fine-scale temporal changes in the density of anemonefishes and assessed the influence of latitude, temperature, and host sea anemone availability. Juvenile, subadult and adult Amphiprion akindynos and Amphiprion latezonatus occurred at all study locations: North Solitary Island (equatorward), South Solitary Island, and Fish Rock (poleward). While the sea anemone Heteractis crispa was readily available at Fish Rock, we found that a lack of another sea anemone Entacmaea quadricolor hindered the establishment of adult A. akindynos and A. latezonatus populations. Minimum water temperature was also a bottleneck for the tropical anemonefish A. akindynos but not for the subtropical A. latezonatus. Our findings suggest anemonefishes are capable of contributing to the tropicalisation of the east coast of Australia. However, poleward establishment is currently limited by the absence of the preferred host sea anemone.

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