Setting the limit: cold rather than hot temperatures limit intertidal distribution of a coastal foundation species

Kerstin Wasson; Kim Cressman; Kathryn Beheshti; Erin C Herder; Charlie Endris; Christopher D G Harley; Alicia Abadía-Cardoso; Rodrigo Beas-Luna; Joachim Carolsfeld; Andrew L Chang; Jeffrey A Crooks; Matthew C Ferner; Edwin D Grosholz; Neil Harrington; Jacob Harris; Hilary Hayford; Alicia R Helms; Julio Lorda; Jennifer L Ruesink; Amaia Ruiz de Alegría-Arzaburu; Steven S Rumrill; Jenni Schmitt; Rachel S Smith; Janet B Walker; Christine R Whitcraft; Sylvia Yang; Danielle Zacherl; Chela J Zabin

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2025.107149

Setting the limit: cold rather than hot temperatures limit intertidal distribution of a coastal foundation species

Mar Environ Res. 2025 Jun:208:107149. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2025.107149. Epub 2025 Apr 8.

Authors

Kerstin Wasson¹, Kim Cressman², Kathryn Beheshti³, Erin C Herder⁴, Charlie Endris⁵, Christopher D G Harley⁶, Alicia Abadía-Cardoso⁷, Rodrigo Beas-Luna⁷, Joachim Carolsfeld⁸, Andrew L Chang⁹, Jeffrey A Crooks¹⁰, Matthew C Ferner¹¹, Edwin D Grosholz¹², Neil Harrington¹³, Jacob Harris¹⁴, Hilary Hayford¹⁵, Alicia R Helms¹⁶, Julio Lorda¹⁷, Jennifer L Ruesink¹⁸, Amaia Ruiz de Alegría-Arzaburu¹⁹, Steven S Rumrill²⁰, Jenni Schmitt¹⁶, Rachel S Smith³, Janet B Walker²¹, Christine R Whitcraft²², Sylvia Yang²³, Danielle Zacherl²⁴, Chela J Zabin⁹

Affiliations

¹ Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, 1700 Elkhorn Road, Royal Oaks, CA, 95076, USA; University of California, Santa Cruz, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, CA, 95064, USA. Electronic address: wasson@ucsc.edu.
² Catbird Stats LLC, Gautier, MS, 39553, USA.
³ University of California, Santa Barbara, Marine Science Institute, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.
⁴ Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6N7, Canada.
⁵ Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA, 95039, USA.
⁶ Department of Zoology and Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
⁷ Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Facultad de Ciencias Marinas, Ensenada, Baja California, 22760, Mexico.
⁸ World Fisheries Trust, Victoria, BC, V9A4T5, Canada.
⁹ Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Tiburon, CA, 94920, USA; Estuary & Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University, Tiburon, CA, 94920, USA.
¹⁰ Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, Imperial Beach, CA, 91932, USA.
¹¹ San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, San Francisco State University, Tiburon, CA, 94920, USA.
¹² Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
¹³ Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, Sequim, WA, 98382, USA.
¹⁴ Amah Mutsun Land Trust, Santa Cruz, CA, 95062, USA.
¹⁵ Puget Sound Restoration Fund, Bainbridge Island, WA, 98110, USA.
¹⁶ South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Coos Bay, OR, 97420, USA.
¹⁷ Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Facultad de Ciencias, Ensenada, Baja California, 22760, Mexico.
¹⁸ Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
¹⁹ Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Ensenada, Baja California, 22860, Mexico.
²⁰ Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Newport, OR, 97365, USA.
²¹ Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626, USA.
²² California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, 90840, USA.
²³ Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mount Vernon, WA, 98273, USA.
²⁴ California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, CA, 92831, USA.

PMID: 40262482
DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2025.107149

Abstract

Long-lasting restoration success of foundation species requires understanding their responses to climate change. For species with broad distributions, lower latitudes may serve as a proxy for future warming at higher latitudes. Such space-for-time substitutions are a powerful tool for developing climate change predictions for species distributed along steep elevational gradients. To understand climate resilience of a key coastal foundation species, we examined the upper elevational limit of the native Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida) along its entire range at 26 sites spanning 21° latitude, from British Columbia to Baja California. Counter to our expectations, high air temperatures did not affect variation in the upper limit of Olympia oysters. Indeed, Olympia oysters extended high into the intertidal zone at the warmer southern sites, and shading did not influence the upper limit. Our models indicated instead that extreme low temperatures set the upper limit for Olympia oysters at higher latitudes. In contrast, neither the Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas), a co-occurring global invader, nor barnacles exhibited clear latitudinal patterns. These findings suggest that Olympia oysters and restoration projects aimed at supporting their recovery will be resilient to increased temperatures projected by climate change models. Our results also illustrate the importance of testing the assumption that species on steep elevational gradients are living close to their upper thermal limits and will be negatively impacted by warming; for this foundation species, the assumption was false. Latitudinal studies enhance understanding of species response to climate stressors and are key to the design of climate-resilient conservation strategies.

Keywords: Climate change; Elevational distribution; Global warming; Heat stress; Intertidal zonation; Latitudinal study; Space-for-time substitution; Thermal tolerance.

MeSH terms

Animal Distribution*
Animals
British Columbia
Climate Change*
Cold Temperature*
Ecosystem*
Environmental Monitoring*
Hot Temperature
Ostrea* / physiology
Temperature