Ecological novelty induced by climate change

Climate change is altering the conditions experienced by organisms and ecosystems at a pace unprecedented on geological timescales. The resulting shifts in terrestrial and marine systems fall under the umbrella of ecological novelty, which describes the effects of rapid change at multiple scales. This Review explores the mechanisms behind climate change-induced ecological novelty and its manifestation across global biomes. We contextualize novelty within a deep time perspective of past climate shifts and ecological reorganization. We find ample evidence for the severe disruption of ecological communities from the direct and indirect effects of climate change, and novelty emerging through climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. Potential interventions fall along a gradient of managing against, tolerating or managing for ecological novelty.