Dear MARMAM community, My colleagues and I are very happy to share the publication of two new papers: ‘On the rise: Climate change in New Zealand will cause sperm and blue whales to seek higher latitudes’ in Ecological Indicators. Citation: Peters KJ, Stockin KA, Saltré F (2022). On the rise: Climate change in New Zealand will cause sperm and blue whales to seek higher latitudes. Ecological Indicators 142: 109235 Abstract: Climate impacts affect marine ecosystems worldwide with island nations such as New Zealand being extremely vulnerable because of their socio-economic and cultural dependence on the marine and costal environment. Cetaceans are ideal indicator species of ecosystem change and ocean health given their extended life span and cosmopolitan distribution, but limited data availability prevents anticipating change in distribution under future climate changes. We projected the range shifts of a key odontocete and mysticete species (Physeter macrocephalus and Balaenoptera musculus) in 2100 relative to present day in New Zealand waters, using an ensemble modelling approach, under three climate change scenarios of different severity. The results show a latitudinal shift in suitable habitat for both whale species, increasing in magnitude with severity of sea surface temperature warming. The most severe climate change scenario tested generated 61% and 42% loss and decrease of currently suitable habitat for sperm and blue whales, respectively, mostly in New Zealand’s northern waters. These predicted changes will have a strong impact on the ecosystem functioning and services in New Zealand’s northern waters but also in coastal areas (critical for the species’ foraging and survival). Not only do these simulated range shifts help to identify future potential climate refugia to mitigate a global warming, they also generate a range of socioeconomic consequences for island nations relying on wildlife tourism, industry, and environmental protection. Available open-access at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109235 and ‘Too close for comfort? Isotopic niche segregation in New Zealand’s odontocetes’ in the special issue "Applications of Stable Isotope Analysis in Ecology" in Biology. Citation: Peters KJ, Bury SJ, Hinton B, Betty EL, Casano-Bally D, Parra GJ, Stockin KA (2022). Too close for comfort? Isotopic niche segregation in New Zealand’s odontocetes. Biology 11(8):1179 Abstract: Species occurring in sympatry and relying on similar and limited resources may partition re-source use to avoid overlap and interspecific competition. Aotearoa, New Zealand hosts an extraordinarily rich marine megafauna, including 50% of the world’s cetacean species. In this study, we used carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes as ecological tracers to investigate isotopic niche overlap between 21 odontocete (toothed whale) species inhabiting neritic, mesopelagic, and bathypelagic waters. Results showed a clear niche separation for the bathypelagic Gray’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon grayi) and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), but high isotopic niche overlap and potential interspecific competition for neritic and mesopelagic species. For these species, competition could be reduced via temporal or finer-scale spatial segregation or differences in foraging behaviour. This study represents the first insights into the coexistence of odontocetes in a biodiverse hotspot. The data presented here provide a critical baseline to a system already ongoing ecosystem change via ocean warming and subsequent effects on prey abundance and distributions. Available open-access at https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/8/1179 Ngā mihi, Katharina Katharina J. Peters, PhD Postdoctoral Researcher Te Kura Aronukurangi | School of Earth and Environment Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury Ōtautahi, Aotearoa | Christchurch, NZ [A picture containing shape Description automatically generated]<https://www.aim.uzh.ch/de/members/researchersandpostdocs/katharinapeters.html>[A picture containing drawing Description automatically generated]<https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Katharina_Peters>[A close up of a logo Description automatically generated]<https://twitter.com/kjopeters>[A picture containing drawing Description automatically generated]<https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?hl=en&pli=1&user=7QWvsMUAAAAJ>[A picture containing drawing Description automatically generated]<https://katharinajpeters.weebly.com/>[A picture containing object, kit, drawing Description automatically generated]<https://www.facebook.com/CetaceanEcologyOrg>[A picture containing drawing Description automatically generated]<https://www.linkedin.com/in/katharina-j-peters-b47b5370/>[A picture containing game, table Description automatically generated]<https://www.cetaceanecology.org/dr-katharina-j-peters>[A picture containing drawing Description automatically generated]<https://www.instagram.com/katharina.j.peters/>
