Spiny green sea urchins face a new challenge from climate change
: As the oceans become more acidic, urchin larvae struggle to digest theirfood, new research finds.
: As the oceans become more acidic, urchin larvae struggle to digest theirfood, new research finds.
The study is the first to prove that ocean acidification can cause digestive problems for marine animals, though scientists have long been alarmed at the trend for other reasons. Ocean acidification has threatened oyster farms, slowed coral growth and caused common marine snails to shrink, among other effects.
Earlier studies have focused on calcification, or the process by which marine animals draw minerals from the water to build shells and skeletons, study researcher Meike Stumpp, a former Ph.D. student at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research and the University of Kiel in Germany, said in a statement.
to build shells and skeletons, study researcher Meike Stumpp, a former Ph.D. student at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research and the University of Kiel in Germany, said in a statement.
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