<
https://theconversation.com/loss-decay-and-bleaching-why-sponges-may-be-the-canary-in-the-coal-mine-for-impacts-of-marine-heatwaves-194146>
"Marine sponges were thought to be more resilient to ocean warming than other
organisms. But earlier this year, New Zealand recorded the largest-ever sponge
bleaching event off its southern coastline.
While only one species, the cup sponge
Cymbastella lamellata, was affected, a
prolonged marine heatwave turned millions of the normally dark brown sponges
bright white.
Subsequently, we reported tissue loss, decay and death of other sponge species
across the northern coastline of New Zealand, with an estimated impact on
hundreds of thousands of specimens. In contrast, we didn’t observe any
bleaching or tissue loss in central areas of New Zealand’s coastline, despite
extensive surveys.
Our latest research shows the most severe impacts on sponges occurred in areas
where the marine heatwave was most intense. The loss of sponges may have major
repercussions for the whole ecosystem."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
