The oceans are heating up, and just 3°C of warming could significantly impact the development and growth of clownfish larvae, a new study finds.
The oceans are heating up, and just 3°C of warming could significantly impact the development and growth of clownfish larvae, a new study finds.
Future ocean warming and marine heatwaves could impact the growth and development of clownfish during their earliest life stages, suggests a new study recently published in the journal, Science of The Total Environment.
A team of marine biologists from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) reared the iconic coral reef fish in captivity at water temperatures of either 28°C or 31°C. Temperatures of 28°C represent current summer seawater temperatures in Okinawa, whilst temperatures of 31°C are reached during present-day marine heatwaves and are in line with the IPCC’s predictions of 3°C warming by 2100.
The scientists studied the clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris, for 20 days after hatching – a crucial period of development that has been understudied in respect to climate change. They found that in warmer temperatures, the larvae grew faster, had higher metabolic rates, and showed changes in the activity of certain genes.
Read more at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University
Photo Credit: weilun523 via Pixabay
