Monterey, Calif. — Oysters, those slimy
mollusks whose juices are thought to boost sexual desire, may be losing their
comfy sea homes.
The reason? Global oceans
are becoming more acidic as they absorb carbon dioxide pumped into the
air from burning fossil fuels, which makes it difficult for calcifying
organisms like oysters to create their shells.
The ocean is now 30 percent more acidic
than it was before the Industrial Revolution.
At the Ocean Acidification meeting here
this month, Anneliese Hettinger of UC Davis presented new research showing that
Olympia oysters are smaller after being exposed, as larvae, to a high
carbon-dioxide environment. The negative impacts of early exposure to carbon
dioxide stuck with the juvenile oysters for
at least four months into their lives, stunting their growth.
"We have to take a holistic approach
when looking at the oyster instead of only focusing on one life stage,"
Hettinger said at the meeting.
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