Climate-driven connectivity loss impedes species adaptation to warming in the deep ocean
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2025
Abstract
Marine life are expected to have fewer thermal barriers restricting their movement to adjacent habitats than terrestrial species do. However, it remains unknown how this warming-induced connectivity loss varies in different ocean strata, limiting the predictability of warming impacts on biodiversity in the whole ocean. Here, we developed a climate connectivity framework across seascape strata under different climate change scenarios, which combines thermal gradient, human impacts and species tolerance thresholds. We show that warming may lead to connectivity loss, with its magnitude increasing with depth. Connectivity loss is projected to increase rapidly in 2050, particularly in deep strata, and may impair the movement capacity of deep-sea phyla in adapting to warming. With the compression of habitat ranges, over one-quarter of deep-sea species inhabit areas that may experience disrupted connectivity, threatening the maintenance of deep-sea biodiversity. Our results highlight the challenges that climate change poses to biodiversity conservation through disruption of deep-sea connectivity.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Nature Climate Change
First Page
315
Last Page
320
Recommended Citation
Lin, Y., Chen, Y., Liu, X., Lin, X., Laws, E., Zhou, Y., Xiang, Z., Zhang, X., Chen, Z., Li, Y., & Lu, Y. (2025). Climate-driven connectivity loss impedes species adaptation to warming in the deep ocean. Nature Climate Change, 15 (3), 315-320. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02256-7