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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
06:48
Assessing Intertidal Populations of the Invasive European Green Crab
Published on: September 16, 2020
Climate Change Enhances the Success of Marine Invasive Species
Nicola S Smith1, William W L Cheung2
1Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Global Change Biology
|July 24, 2026
Summary
Climate change boosts invasive species success, increasing threats to marine biodiversity. This highlights the need for better surveillance and management strategies to protect ocean ecosystems from these combined pressures.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Ecology
- Climate Science
Background:
- Marine biodiversity faces dual threats from climate change and invasive species.
- Invasive species may possess traits that enhance their resilience to climate-driven ocean changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize evidence on how climate change affects marine invasion success.
- To identify key drivers and global hotspots of marine invasions under climate change.
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis of 67 studies involving 30 non-native species.
- Analysis across multiple temporal scales and ocean regions.
- Identification of taxonomic and geographic biases in existing data.
Main Results:
- Moderate but consistent evidence shows climate change enhances invasion success, particularly abundance and establishment.
- Ocean warming and extreme events are key drivers of increased invasion success.
- Identified global hotspots: Northwest Pacific as donor region, Mediterranean and Northern European Seas as recipient regions.
Conclusions:
- Climate change is likely to exacerbate the threat of invasive species to marine biodiversity.
- Strong context dependency exists, with unexplained heterogeneity among studies.
- Urgent need for enhanced institutional capacity, surveillance, predictive modeling, and adaptive management in marine ecosystems.
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