How do Marine Heatwaves Impact Seabirds

An infographic that highlights a study describing four main mechanisms by which marine heatwaves affect seabirds and marine ecosystems, i.e., (1) habitat modification, (2) physiological forcing, (3) behavioral responses, and (4) ecological processes or species interactions.  Study findings indicate that marine heatwaves can affect seabirds directly by creating physiological heat stress that affects behavior or survival, or indirectly by disrupting seabird food webs, largely by altering metabolic rates in ectothermic prey species, leading to effects on their associated predators and prey and further consequences for marine food webs.