A new paper using Redmap data released this week by the Journal of Global Change Biology led by Dr Adam Downie, and Redmap researcher Dr Curtis Champion and co-author Dr David Booth. The paper, titled, Physiological Traits for Predicting Poleward Extensions in Tropical Fishes: From Lab to Management, explores tropicalization: a concept where tropical species are expanding into temperate regions due to climate change. It highlights the ecological and economic impacts of these vagrant species, particularly the challenges they face in surviving colder winters. The authors focus on tropical reef fishes in eastern Australia and assess how physiological traits influence their ability to persist. They propose a new, holistic framework that incorporates a range of physiological measures—from cellular to whole-animal levels—to improve predictions of which tropical species are likely to establish long-term populations in temperate environments. Click here to read the full article