Warming seas may fundamentally shift marine ecosystems, says study

Larger marine predators were observed to shift their geographical ranges slower than climate change progressed, a new research showed, as larger-bodied predators typically stay in historical habitats for longer than smaller prey. Photo: Jakob Owens/Unsplash

Rising global temperatures spurred by human-induced greenhouse gas emissions may destabilise the marine food chain and disallow fish – especially predators – from keeping up with a rapidly-shifting ecosystem, researchers said.

The Rutgers University study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, created a model that analysed the interactions of predators and prey over a course of 200 years of warming.