New research reveals that future rates of warming threaten marine life in more than 70% of the most biologically diverse parts of Earth's oceans that species may need to move to find better climatic conditions.
"Our research shows that sites with exceptionally high marine biodiversity are the most vulnerable to future ocean warming, making them particularly vulnerable to climate change," lead researcher Dr Stuart Brown from the University of Adelaide's Institute of Environment said in a statement.
"This is because species that live in these areas of biodiversity are generally ill-equipped to respond to large changes in temperature," Brown added.
Some of the most vulnerable areas contain the majority of the world's coral reefs, while other vulnerable areas are home to megafauna including manatees.
"In many cases, this will require moving further than the oceanic regions in which these species evolved and adapted, at rates of movement rarely observed in marine life," Brown explained.
As the researchers stated in the study abstract: "Continuing these areas of richer marine biodiversity will require many species to move beyond the realm of biogeography where they are endemic, at rates of redistribution never seen before."
Actions that enhance environmental and evolutionary resilience to climate change must be a priority, and this could include improving fisheries management, assisting species movement, and expanding well-managed, climate-smart marine protected areas.