Climate conditions play a significant role in the reproductive success of mature female Antarctic krill and are a factor in fluctuations of the population that occur every five to seven years, a new study from Oregon State University has found.
Climate conditions play a significant role in the reproductive success of mature female Antarctic krill and are a factor in fluctuations of the population that occur every five to seven years, a new study from Oregon State University has found.
Environmental factors, including large-scale climate patterns that affect availability of food, influence the females’ overall health during the spawning season. While those climate patterns are natural, they are trending warmer and more intense due to climate change, which is likely to have a negative impact on the krill population, said Kirsten Steinke, a doctoral student working with biological oceanographer Kim Bernard at Oregon State.
“This ecologically important species serves as the base of the food web in the Antarctic peninsula, supporting everything from whales to penguins to seabirds,” said Steinke, the study’s lead author. “Understanding the connection between the environment and population health is critical for predicting future demographic patterns and responses to climate change in the krill population.”
Read more at: Oregon State University
A gravid female krill, meaning she is carrying thousands of eggs and ready to to spawn. (Photo Credit: Langdon Quetin)
