Damselfish may handle warmer seas

Discussion in 'Environmental' started by Matt Rogers, Dec 5, 2011.

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  1. Matt Rogers

    Matt Rogers Kingfish

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    A recent study gives hope that some fish may be able to handle warmer sea temperatures better than recently thought. Researchers in Australia at ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) exposed damselfish to temperatures 1.5 and 3 degrees warmer than normal - temperatures expected by 2050 and 2100. The damselfish responded predictably by being slower - having reduced aerobic activity. However when the fish were bred at higher temperatures for several generations, the second generation "almost completely adjusted" which was unexpected.

    [​IMG]
    Damselfish - credit: ARC Centre of Excellence

    More:
    Fish can be bred to cope with warmer seas - The West Australian

    Another interesting damselfish CoECRS study here:
    http://www.3reef.com/forums/environmental/juvenile-damselfish-evicted-reef-warms-75688.html
     
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  3. 2in10

    2in10 Super Moderator

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    Interesting, I would not have expected that quick of an adjustment to the temperature change. I am not surprised that the species were able to adjust since we know there have been many changes to the planet's overall temperature over the eons. That gives us hope that some of the species will survive while we work on curbing our greenhouse gas emissions. Hopefully this does not slow down the speed at which we attempt to succeed.