How can climate change impact marine speciation?

Climate change significantly impacts marine speciation primarily by altering ocean temperatures and acidity. As global temperatures rise, ocean waters also warm, which can affect the metabolic rates of marine organisms, their reproductive patterns, and their survival. Such temperature changes can lead to shifts in species distributions, as some species may thrive in warmer waters while others may be unable to adapt, resulting in changes in biodiversity and possibly the emergence of new species through processes such as natural selection and genetic drift.

Additionally, increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere lead to higher levels of dissolved carbon dioxide in the oceans, resulting in ocean acidification. This change affects calcifying organisms, like corals and shellfish, which are crucial for marine ecosystems. The stress these changes impose on various organisms may force them to adapt to new environments or face extinction, subsequently driving the process of speciation among those that can successfully adapt to altered conditions.

In contrast, the other options do not accurately capture the specific mechanisms through which climate change influences speciation in marine environments. Uniformity of species is more of a result of homogenization rather than a direct impact of climate change. Migration to freshwater environments may occur, but it is not the primary driver of marine speciation. Lastly, while climate change can pose challenges to