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Diversity of deep‐water cetaceans in relation to temperature: implications for ocean warming
Author(s) -
Whitehead Hal,
McGill Brian,
Worm Boris
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01234.x
Subject(s) - biodiversity , effects of global warming on oceans , climate change , pelagic zone , latitude , global warming , range (aeronautics) , ecology , global change , oceanography , environmental science , sea surface temperature , geography , tropics , biology , geology , materials science , geodesy , composite material
Understanding the effects of natural environmental variation on biodiversity can help predict response to future anthropogenic change. Here we analyse a large, long‐term data set of sightings of deep‐water cetaceans from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Seasonal and geographic changes in the diversity of these genera are well predicted by a convex function of sea‐surface temperature peaking at c . 21 °C. Thus, diversity is highest at intermediate latitudes – an emerging general pattern for the pelagic ocean. When applied to a range of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change global change scenarios, the predicted response is a decline of cetacean diversity across the tropics and increases at higher latitudes. This suggests that deep‐water oceanic communities that dominate > 60% of the planet’s surface may reorganize in response to ocean warming, with low‐latitude losses of diversity and resilience.