Predicting responses to marine heatwaves using functional traits

Marine heatwaves (MHWs), discrete but prolonged periods of anomalously warm seawater, can fundamentally restructure marine communities and ecosystems. Although our understanding of these events has improved in recent years, key knowledge gaps hinder our ability to predict how MHWs will affect patterns of biodiversity. Here, we outline a functional trait approach that enables a better understanding of which species and communities will be most vulnerable to MHWs, and how the distribution of species and composition of communities are likely to shift through time. Our perspective allows progress toward unifying extreme events and longer term environmental trends as co-drivers of ecological change, with the incorporation of species traits into our predictions allowing for a greater capacity to make management decisions.

Automated summary

Marine heatwaves, prolonged periods of warm seawater, can reshape marine communities and ecosystems. Researchers propose a functional trait approach to understand which species and communities are most vulnerable to these events and predict how species distribution and community composition may shift over time. This approach aims to unify extreme events and long-term environmental trends as drivers of ecological change, enhancing the ability to make informed management decisions.