What is it about?

Copeods are microscopic animals that support the growth of fish in the sea. Most research on the impacts of ocean acidification (OA, a form of marine climate change) have examined only female adults. This work looks at the whole life cycle and finds that the potential impacts of OA are very much worse than we ghought.

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Why is it important?

Any factors climate change affecting the pivotal role of copepods in marine ecology are important, as these organisms control the potential for harmful algal blooms and also support the growth of fish, and thence whales, seabirds etc.

Perspectives

One of a series of our works on ocean acidification that collectively point to the serious potential for changes in the planktonic food webs that support life in the oceans and affect the fish on our plate.

Professor Kevin J Flynn
Swansea University

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Parental exposure to elevated pCO2 influences the reproductive success of copepods, Journal of Plankton Research, June 2014, Oxford University Press (OUP),
DOI: 10.1093/plankt/fbu052.
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