Under accelerating threats from climate‐change impacts, marine protected areas (MPAs) have been proposed as climate‐adaptation tools to enhance the resilience of marine ecosystems. Yet, debate persists as to whether and how MPAs may promote resilience to climate shocks. Here, we use 38 years of satellite‐derived kelp cover to empirically test whether a network of 58 temperate coastal MPAs in Central and Southern California enhances the resistance of kelp forest ecosystems to, and their recovery from, the unprecedented 2014–2016 marine heatwave regime that occurred in the region. We also leverage a 22‐year time series of subtidal community surveys to mechanistically understand whether trophic cascades explain emergent patterns in kelp forest resilience within MPAs. We find that fully protected MPAs significantly enhance kelp forests' resistance to and recovery from marine heatwaves in Southern California, but not in Central California. Differences in regional responses to the heatwaves are partly explained by three‐level trophic interactions comprising kelp, urchins, and predators of urchins. Urchin densities in Southern California MPAs are lower within fully protected MPAs during and after the heatwave, while the abundances of their main predators—lobster and sheephead—are higher. In Central California, a region without lobster or sheephead, there is no significant difference in urchin or kelp densities within MPAs as the current urchin predator, the sea otter, is protected statewide. Our analyses show that fully protected MPAs can be effective climate‐adaptation tools, but their ability to enhance resilience to extreme climate events depends upon region‐specific environmental and trophic interactions. As nations progress to protect 30% of the oceans by 2030, scientists and managers should consider whether protection will increase resilience to climate‐change impacts given their local ecological contexts, and what additional measures may be needed.

中文翻译：

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保护营养级联的海洋保护区促进了海带林对海洋热浪的适应能力


在气候变化影响的威胁日益加剧的情况下，海洋保护区 （MPA） 已被提议作为气候适应工具，以增强海洋生态系统的复原力。然而，关于 MPA 是否以及如何促进对气候冲击的抵御能力的争论仍然存在。在这里，我们使用 38 年的卫星衍生海带覆盖来实证测试由加州中部和南部的 58 个温带沿海 MPA 组成的网络是否增强了海带森林生态系统对该地区发生的前所未有的 2014-2016 年海洋热浪制度的抵抗力及其恢复能力。我们还利用 22 年的潮下带群落调查时间序列来机械地了解营养级联是否解释了 MPA 内海带森林恢复力的出现模式。我们发现，完全受保护的 MPA 显着增强了南加州海带森林对海洋热浪的抵抗力和恢复能力，但在中加州则没有。区域对热浪反应的差异部分是由由海带、海胆和海胆捕食者组成的三级营养相互作用来解释的。在热浪期间和之后，在完全受保护的 MPA 内，南加州 MPA 的海胆密度较低，而其主要捕食者（龙虾和羊头）的丰度较高。在加利福尼亚州中部，一个没有龙虾或羊头的地区，MPA 内的海胆或海带密度没有显着差异，因为目前的海胆捕食者海獭在全州范围内受到保护。我们的分析表明，完全受保护的 MPA 可以成为有效的气候适应工具，但它们增强对极端气候事件的抵御能力的能力取决于特定地区的环境和营养相互作用。 随着各国到 2030 年保护 30% 的海洋，科学家和管理者应考虑根据当地的生态环境，保护是否会提高对气候变化影响的抵御能力，以及可能需要采取哪些额外措施。