Carbon Emissions Create Giant Crabs: Oyster Industry in Trouble
A lot of things in America are supersized: our portions, our drinks and now, apparently, our crabs. New research reveals that crabs can grow much faster and larger when water is saturated with carbon. This means that as greenhouse gas emissions grow, so will these crustaceans.
Carbon pollution is emitted by power plants, factories and vehicles, pouring into our atmosphere. Yet these emissions don't only mix with our air. Like sugar dissolving into a cup of coffee, the carbon pollution also mixes and dissolves into our water; this changes the composition and dynamics of underwater ecosystems.
Increased CO2 in water causes it to become slightly acidic. This is bad news for creatures--like oysters and corals--with calcium carbonate shells. As the water becomes more acidic, these shelled creatures actually form their shells more slowly. This, in turn, makes them more vulnerable to predators.
While other creatures grow more slowly, though, crabs seem to be thriving. They eat, grow and molt their shells, revealing soft, new ones which eventually harden. In fact, the increased carbon helps speed up this molting process so that the crabs have larger and possibly stronger shells which make them less vulnerable to predators.
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/6088/20130408/carbon-emissions-create-giant-crabs-oyster-industry-trouble.htm
= new reply since forum marked as read
Yum!
