• HOME
  • NEWS
    • BIOENGINEERING
    • SCIENCE NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • FORUM
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
Sunday, January 24, 2021
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • BIOENGINEERING
    • SCIENCE NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • FORUM
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • BIOENGINEERING
    • SCIENCE NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • FORUM
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Biology

Future ocean conditions could cause significant physical changes in marine mussels

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
October 9, 2020
in Biology
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

IMAGE

Credit: University of Plymouth

The increased temperature and acidification of our oceans over the next century have been argued to cause significant physical changes in an economically important marine species.

Scientists from the University of Plymouth exposed blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) to current and future levels of ocean acidification (OA) or warming (W), as well as both together – commonly known as OAW.

Initial comparison of mussel shells showed that warming alone led to increased shell growth, but increasing warming and acidification led to decreased shell growth indicating that OA was dissolving their shells.

However, analysis using cutting edge electron microscopy of the shell crystal matrix or ‘ultrastructure’ revealed that, in fact, warming alone has the potential to significantly alter the physical properties of the mussels’ shells, whereas acidification mitigated some of the negative effects.

Mussels grown under warming exhibited changes in their crystal structures including a propensity for increased brittleness, which would place mussels under greater threat from their many predators including crabs and starfish.

These negative effects were to some degree mitigated under acidified conditions with mussel shells showing evidence of repair, even though their crystals grew differently to the norm.

The study, published in a Frontiers of Marine Science special issue titled Global Change and the Future Ocean, is the latest research by the University into the potential effects of ocean warming and acidification on marine species.

Previous projects have suggested future conditions could significantly reduce the nutritional qualities of oysters as well as dissolving the shells of sea snails and reducing their overall size by around a third.

Dr Antony Knights, Associate Professor in Marine Ecology and the study’s lead author, said: “By the end of the century, we are predicted to see increases in sea surface temperature of 2-4°C and at least a doubling of atmospheric CO2. It is no surprise that would have an effect on marine species, but this research is surprising in that acidification appears to mitigate changes in shell structure attributable to rising sea temperatures, which is counter to what we would have predicted. It may be that increased CO2 in the water is providing more ‘raw material’ for the mussels to repair their shells that is not available under just warming conditions.”

Dr Natasha Stephen, Director of Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre, added: “Until now, there have been relatively few studies assessing the combined effects of ocean acidification and warming on shell structures. However, understanding the changes that might result at a microscopic level may provide important insights in to how organisms will respond to future climate change. This study shows it can certainly have negative effects but also that they are not always predictable, which presents some serious challenges when it comes to trying to disentangle the consequences of climate change.”

###

Media Contact
Alan Williams
[email protected]

Original Source

https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/future-ocean-conditions-could-cause-significant-physical-changes-in-marine-mussels

Related Journal Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.567228

Tags: Atmospheric ScienceBiodiversityBiologyClimate ChangeClimate ScienceDevelopmental/Reproductive BiologyEcology/EnvironmentFisheries/AquacultureMarine/Freshwater Biology
Share12Tweet7Share2ShareShareShare1

Related Posts

IMAGE

No more needles for diagnostic tests?

January 22, 2021
IMAGE

Shift in caribou movements may be tied to human activity

January 22, 2021

Rediscovery of the ‘extinct’ Pinatubo volcano mouse

January 22, 2021

Meta-Apo supports cheaper, quicker microbiome functional assessment

January 22, 2021
Next Post
IMAGE

Pulmonary artery thrombosis a complication of radiation therapy

IMAGE

New research provides fresh hope for children suffering from rare muscle diseases

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

POPULAR NEWS

  • IMAGE

    The map of nuclear deformation takes the form of a mountain landscape

    54 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14
  • People living with HIV face premature heart disease and barriers to care

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • New drug form may help treat osteoporosis, calcium-related disorders

    40 shares
    Share 16 Tweet 10
  • New findings help explain how COVID-19 overpowers the immune system

    35 shares
    Share 14 Tweet 9

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Tags

Technology/Engineering/Computer ScienceBiologyClimate ChangePublic HealthMaterialsInfectious/Emerging DiseasesMedicine/HealthcancerGeneticsCell BiologyEcology/EnvironmentChemistry/Physics/Materials Sciences

Recent Posts

  • Regulating the ribosomal RNA production line
  • A professor from RUDN University developed new liquid crystals
  • New technique builds super-hard metals from nanoparticles
  • No more needles for diagnostic tests?
  • Contact Us

© 2019 Bioengineer.org - Biotechnology news by Science Magazine - Scienmag.

No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

© 2019 Bioengineer.org - Biotechnology news by Science Magazine - Scienmag.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In