title: Climate-driven range expansion of a critically endangered top predator in northeast Atlantic waters.
abstract: Global climate change is driving rapid distribution shifts in marine ecosystems; these are well established for lower trophic levels, but are harder to quantify for migratory top predators. By analysing a 25-year sightings-based dataset, we found evidence for rapid northwards range expansion of the critically endangered Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus in northeast Atlantic waters. A 0.6 degrees C sea surface temperature increase in the mid-1990s is interpreted as an underlying controlling factor, while simultaneous northward shifts of plankton and prey fish species suggests a strong bottom-up control. Our results have important conservation implications and provide new evidence for climate-driven regime shift in Atlantic ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK. rbw1@noc.soton.ac.uk
authors.forename: Russell B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Wynn
authors.forename: Simon A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Josey
authors.forename: Adrian P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Johns
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yésou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001267:Atlantic Ocean; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology*; D002980:Climate; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D013997:Time Factors