Work

Ongoing tropicalization of marine fishes: is range expansion and establishment occurring in the Gulf of Cadiz (southernmost Europe)?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ‘Tropicalization’, the phenomenon of species shifting their ranges, has become increasingly prevalent as a response to environmental modifications induced by global change. This study points to an accelerated tropicalization process of marine fish species in the Gulf of Cadiz, a bioinvasion hotspot adjacent to the Strait of Gibraltar. We report accelerated, unusual, and rare occurrences of 15 fish species expanding and potentially establishing their ranges in the Gulf of Cadiz, driven by ocean warming over the past decade. These new insights are the combined consequence of a range expansion of some species, likely facilitated by temperature increases, an intensification of maritime traffic (with a consequent rise in propagule pressure), and a possible increase in sampling efforts and citizen science.

Source: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

DOI: 10.1017/s0025315425100143

Authors: Gustavo Freire de Carvalho-Souza, Cristobal Lobato, Diego Arana Mesa, Enrique González-Ortegón

Institutions: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía

Language: English

Topic: Marine Ecology and Invasive Species

Subfield: Global and Planetary Change

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life below water

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,550