14 DAY TRIAL // According to the conclusions of a new scientific study conducted by researchers at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse River Studies Center, it would appear that the warming ocean puts mussels in North America at heightened risks of extinction.
Climate change is known to promote an increase in global water temperature, and this trend will most likely continue for years to come. In the new experiments, researchers placed mussels in water slightly warmer than what the creatures were used to.
The team noticed that heart health declined in many of the mussels, while growth rates were observed to decrease as well. Eventually, a significant number of the animals died in the test tank. This is just a preview of what may occur in the world's oceans as global temperatures increase.
“Native freshwater mussels may be especially sensitive to climate change because of their patchy distribution, limited mobility, and dependence on host fish for their larval stage, as well as fragmentation of their ranges by habitat alteration,” comments USGS scientist Teresa Newton.
The team now plans to conduct additional research to refine the new results even further.