Short Life a Boon?
With the ocean temperature expected to rise 3℃ by 2100, marine biologists are scrambling to understand how warming waters affect marine life in shallow ecosystems. That is especially true for octopuses, who play a crucial role in these delicate reef and tidal pool habitats. They are both predator and prey, which means the effects of warmer water on their life cycles could be devastating. Previous studies have examined the influence of temperature on the octopus life cycle, but they used stable warm water temperatures. Now, for the first time, in research published in Science of the Total Environment, scientists from Ocean University, in China, looked at how temperature affects octopus embryo development. They did this by fluctuating the temperature by 6° C during the 47-day development period, which more accurately mimics oceanic environments, where waves of warmer water can create temperature variations where octopuses live. The more extreme temperature shifts disrupted octopus embryo development, leading to premature hatching, embryo deformations, and bacterial infections. While these findings seem bleak for octopus survival, they could still recover long-term. Several marine biologists believe that thanks to the octopus’ short life cycle, they might adapt better than other oceanic animals. Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, editor-in-chief of the journal Light & Matter, reports on the researchers racing to understand how octopus embryos react to warming waters.
|
