The ecological and evolutionary consequences of tropicalisation.

Tropicalisation is a marine phenomenon arising from contemporary climate change, and is characterised by the range expansion of tropical/subtropical species and the retraction of temperate species. Tropicalisation occurs globally and can be detected in both tropical/temperate transition zones and temperate regions. The ecological consequences of tropicalisation range from single-species impacts (e.

Intraspecific plasticity and trans-generational adaptation of reproductive traits and early development in a temperate marine neogastropod.

Climate warming is altering the distribution of species, producing range shifts and promoting local extinctions. There is an urgent need to understand the underlying mechanisms that influence the persistence of populations across a species' distribution range in the face of global warming. Ocenebra erinaceus is a marine gastropod that exhibits high intraspecific variability in maternal investment and physiological capacity during early stages, which suggests local adaptation to natal environmental conditions.

The influence of ecological and life history factors on ectothermic temperature-size responses: Analysis of three Lycaenidae butterflies (Lepidoptera).

Body size has been shown to decrease with increasing temperature in many species, prompting the suggestion that it is a universal ecological response. However, species with complex life cycles, such as holometabolous insects, may have correspondingly complicated temperature-size responses. Recent research suggests that life history and ecological traits may be important for determining the direction and strength of temperature-size responses.

The role of temperature on the aerobic response of encapsulated embryos of Ocenebra erinaceus (Neogastropoda, Muricidae): A comparative study between two populations.

Climate warming can affect the developmental rate and embryonic survival of ectothermic species. However, it is largely unknown if the embryos of populations from different thermal regimes will respond differently to increased warming, potentially due to adaptations to natal environmental conditions. The effects of temperature on respiration rates and oxygen content of the intracapsular fluid were studied during the intracapsular development of Ocenebra erinaceus in two subtidal populations, one from the middle of their geographic distribution, the Solent, UK and another towards the southern portion: Arcachon, France.

On the importance of habitat continuity for delimiting biogeographic regions and shaping richness gradients.

The formation and maintenance of biogeographic regions and the latitudinal gradient of species richness are thought to be influenced, in part, by the spatial distribution of physical habitat (habitat continuity). But the importance of habitat continuity in relation to other variables for shaping richness gradients and delimiting biogeographic regions has not been well established. Here, we show that habitat continuity is a top predictor of biogeographic structure and the richness gradient of eastern Pacific rocky shore gastropods (spanning c.

Historical shell size reduction of the dogwhelk () across the southern UK.

Body size reduction is predicted to be one of the most common ecological responses to climate change, yet examples within some taxonomic groups, such as marine molluscs, are rare. Here, we document a significant reduction in shell size of the rocky shore gastropod across the southern UK using natural history collections and modern field data. These results are correlated with temporal changes in sea-surface temperature from a long-term monitoring station.

Exploring the universal ecological responses to climate change in a univoltine butterfly.

Animals with distinct life stages are often exposed to different temperatures during each stage. Thus, how temperature affects these life stages should be considered for broadly understanding the ecological consequences of climate warming on such species. For example, temperature variation during particular life stages may affect respective change in body size, phenology and geographic range, which have been identified as the "universal" ecological responses to climate change.

Historical and recent processes shaping the geographic range of a rocky intertidal gastropod: phylogeography, ecology, and habitat availability.

Factors shaping the geographic range of a species can be identified when phylogeographic patterns are combined with data on contemporary and historical geographic distribution, range-wide abundance, habitat/food availability, and through comparisons with codistributed taxa. Here, we evaluate range dynamism and phylogeography of the rocky intertidal gastropod Mexacanthina lugubris lugubris across its geographic range - the Pacific coast of the Baja peninsula and southern California. We sequenced mitochondrial DNA (CO1) from ten populations and compliment these data with museum records, habitat availability and range-wide field surveys of the distribution and abundance of M.

Anthropogenic harvesting pressure and changes in life history: insights from a rocky intertidal limpet.

The importance of large breeding individuals for maintaining the health of marine fish and invertebrate populations has long been recognized. Unfortunately, decades of human harvesting that preferentially remove larger individuals have led to drastic reductions in body sizes of many of these species. Such size-selective harvesting is particularly worrisome for sequentially hermaphroditic species where the larger size classes are composed primarily of one sex.

Ecological and evolutionary consequences of size-selective harvesting: how much do we know?

Size-selective harvesting, where the large individuals of a particular species are preferentially taken, is common in both marine and terrestrial habitats. Preferential removal of larger individuals of a species has been shown to have a negative effect on its demography, life history and ecology, and empirical studies are increasingly documenting such impacts. But determining whether the observed changes represent evolutionary response or phenotypic plasticity remains a challenge.