Global warming could kill off reef fish
Any rise in sea temperatures due to global warming could decimate fish populations on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, researchers say.
A three-and-a-half year study of fish near Lizard Island at the northern end of the reef, off Queensland, showed that whether they survived from eggs depended not only on their genes but also on their environment.
Monica Gagliano, of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) and James Cook University (JCU), said water temperatures in the summer breeding season of the Ambon Damselfish varied between 25 and 31 degrees, but the upper end of the range was already of concern.
"What we did is to test what would happen if the water started getting warm according to the predictions for climate change," Dr Gagliano said.
"From our experiments, if the temperature was to rise even just a few degrees, it could have quite dramatic consequences on just how many of those eggs do survive.
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A three-and-a-half year study of fish near Lizard Island at the northern end of the reef, off Queensland, showed that whether they survived from eggs depended not only on their genes but also on their environment.
Monica Gagliano, of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) and James Cook University (JCU), said water temperatures in the summer breeding season of the Ambon Damselfish varied between 25 and 31 degrees, but the upper end of the range was already of concern.
"What we did is to test what would happen if the water started getting warm according to the predictions for climate change," Dr Gagliano said.
"From our experiments, if the temperature was to rise even just a few degrees, it could have quite dramatic consequences on just how many of those eggs do survive.
posted by anthony m, at 6:36 PM
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