Setting the limit: cold rather than hot temperatures limit intertidal distribution of a coastal foundation species
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Long-lasting restoration success of foundation species requires understanding their responses to climate change. For species with broad distributions, lower latitudes may serve as a proxy for future warming at higher latitudes. Such space-for-time substitutions are a powerful tool for developing climate change predictions for species distributed along steep elevational gradients. To understand climate resilience of a key coastal foundation species, we examined the upper elevational limit of the native Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida) along its entire range at 26 sites spanning 21° latitude, from British Columbia to Baja California. Counter to our expectations, high air temperatures did not affect variation in the upper limit of Olympia oysters. Indeed, Olympia oysters extended high into the intertidal zone at the warmer southern sites, and shading did not influence the upper limit. Our models indicated instead that extreme low temperatures set the upper limit for Olympia oysters at higher latitudes. In contrast, neither the Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas), a co-occurring global invader, nor barnacles exhibited clear latitudinal patterns. These findings suggest that Olympia oysters and restoration projects aimed at supporting their recovery will be resilient to increased temperatures projected by climate change models. Our results also illustrate the importance of testing the assumption that species on steep elevational gradients are living close to their upper thermal limits and will be negatively impacted by warming; for this foundation species, the assumption was false. Latitudinal studies enhance understanding of species response to climate stressors and are key to the design of climate-resilient conservation strategies.
Source: Marine Environmental Research
Authors: Kerstin Wasson, Kim Cressman, Kathryn Beheshti, Erin C. Herder, Charlie Endris, Christopher D.G. Harley, Alicia Abadía-Cardoso, Rodrigo Beas-Luna, Joachim Carolsfeld, Andrew L. Chang, Jeffrey A. Crooks, Matthew C. Ferner, Edwin D. Grosholz, Neil Harrington, Jacob Harris, Hilary Hayford, Alicia R. Helms, Julio Lorda, Jennifer L. Ruesink, Amaia Ruiz de Alegría-Arzaburu, Steven S. Rumrill, Jenni Schmitt, Rachel S. Smith, Janet B. Walker, Christine R. Whitcraft, Sylvia Yang, Danielle Zacherl, Chela J. Zabin
Institutions: University of California, Santa Cruz, Elkhorn Slough Foundation, Métaphysique, histoires, transformations, actualités, University of California, Santa Barbara, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, San Francisco State University, University of California, Davis, Puget Sound Restoration Fund, University of Washington, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, California State University, Long Beach, California State University, Fullerton
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life below water
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,440
OpenAlex ID: W4409259089