Climate Change Impacts on Marine Foundation Species

Marine foundation species are vital to coastal ecosystems, offering structural habitat, nourishment, and shelter to a variety of plants and animals, as well as supporting a range of ecosystem services. Climate change seriously threatens foundation species and the ecosystems they sustain. This impact gets worse when combined with other human stressors like overfishing, pollution, and building along the coast. Gradual warming, both directly and indirectly, is causing problems across all kinds of marine life. The recorded effects include changes in the genetic makeup, body functions, abundance, distribution, and modifications to their interactions with other species. Various methods were used to strengthen marine foundation species during the Anthropocene era. These methods focus on making them more resilient and ensuring they continue providing essential ecosystem services.