(Press-News.org) Australian scientists have reported the first known detrimental impact of southern hemisphere ocean warming on a fish species.
The findings of a study published today in Nature Climate Change indicate negative effects on the growth of a long-lived south-east Australian and New Zealand inshore species – the banded morwong.
Scientific monitoring since 1944 by CSIRO at Maria Island, off the east coast of Tasmania, showed that surface water temperatures in the Tasman Sea have risen by nearly 2°C over the past 60 years. This warming, one of the most rapid in the southern hemisphere oceans, is due to globally increasing sea-surface temperatures and local effects caused by southward extension of the East Australian Current.
"Generally, cold-blooded animals respond to warming conditions by increasing growth rates as temperatures rise," CSIRO marine ecologist Dr Ron Thresher, a co-author of the study with colleagues from the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, said.
"But theory and laboratory studies show that this has a limit. As temperatures get too high, we begin to see increased signs of stress, possibly eventually leading to death. We are looking at whether climate change is beginning to push fish past their physiological limits.
"By examining growth across a range that species inhabit, we found evidence of both slowing growth and increased physiological stress as higher temperatures impose a higher metabolic cost on fish at the warm edge of the range.
"In this case, off northern New Zealand, ocean warming has pushed the banded morwong – which inhabits temperate reefs in waters 10-50m deep – past the point where increasing temperatures are beneficial to growth."
Dr Thresher said climate change can affect species directly by influencing how their bodies function, their growth and behaviour and indirectly through environmental effects on ecosystems. To assess the impacts of this temperature increase on a marine species, the research team analysed long-term changes in the growth rates of the banded morwong (Cheilodactylus spectabilis).
The bony structures fish use for orientation and detection of movement – called otoliths – have annual growth rings which were measured for changes. Similar to growth rings in trees, they can be counted to indicate a fish's age and annual growth rate, estimated by measuring distances between each new ring.According to a co-author of the paper, University of Tasmania (UTas) researcher Dr Jeremy Lyle, banded morwong were used in the study because they can live for almost 100 years and, as adults, they stay in essentially the same area even if the water temperature shifts. They have also been the subject of fisheries studies conducted by UTas researchers.
"Growth rates of young adult banded morwong in SE Australia have increased significantly since 1910 at four sample sites," Dr Lyle said. "The team from CSIRO and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (UTas) compared these changes to temperature trends across the species' distribution. They observed increased growth for populations in the middle of the species' range in Australian waters where temperatures have increased, but are still relatively cool, but growth slowed with rising temperatures at the warmer northern edge of the species' range in New Zealand waters.
Dr Lyle said the study showed that growth performance in banded morwong began to suffer above average annual water temperatures of about 17°C.
"Preliminary field and laboratory studies suggested that this decline in growth may be related to temperature induced physiological stress, resulting in increased oxygen consumption and reduced ability to sustain swimming activity."
INFORMATION:
The paper's other co-authors were: a post-doctoral fellow with CSIRO who is now with Aarhus University in Denmark, Dr Anna Neuheimer; and, Dr Jayson Semmens from UTas. The research was conducted through CSIRO's Climate Adaptation Flagship and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, with funding from an Australian Government Endeavour Awards Fellowship and the Winnifred Violet Scott Trust.
END
Young drivers who experience anxiety and depression are more likely to take risks on the road, according to a new study by Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
The results of the study led by Bridie Scott-Parker, from QUT's Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland (CARRS-Q), have been published in the international journal Injury Prevention today.
Mrs Scott-Parker said the study of more than 760 young drivers, who were on their provisional licence, found anxiety and depression accounted for 8.5 per cent of the risky driving behaviour reported ...
ATS 2011, DENVER –Face masks worn by patients infected with tuberculosis (TB) may be able to significantly cut transmission rates to non-infected patients, according to a new study by researchers from the U.S. and South Africa. The study was conducted in a specialized airborne infections research facility in South Africa, which was designed to allow study of methods to control the spread of TB. Transmission rates were measured using healthy guinea pigs exposed to infected patients.
The results of the study will be presented at the ATS 2011 International Conference in ...
Radiesse is a new generation cosmetic dermal filler that acts differently than hyaluronic acids, such as Restylane and Juvederm. Several medical studies have shown that Radiesse is a safe and longer lasting treatment that fills and corrects:
- Smile lines
- Nasolabial folds
- Wrinkles around your nose and mouth
- The sunken areas below your eyes (tear trough)
When administered by an experienced cosmetic surgeon, Radiesse can also be an effective treatment for augmenting your cheeks, and filling in the areas on the sides of your chin (your pre-jowl sulcus). Certain ...
ATS 2011, DENVER – Workplace smoking bans are gaining ground globally, and one study has shown that they may have significant health effects. The study, conducted by researchers in Dublin, found that emergency room admissions due to respiratory illness dropped significantly in Ireland after the implementation of a workplace smoking ban, compared to admissions that took place before the ban went into effect.
The study will be presented at the ATS 2011 International Conference in Denver.
The nationwide workplace smoking ban was introduced in Ireland in March 2004. Although ...
ATS 2011, DENVER – Results from C91 "Late-Breaking Clinical Trials" on Tuesday afternoon, May 17, will bring new light to clinical problems and potential treatments. While five examine possible new therapies for people with asthma (pregnant women), emphysema, lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), TB and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a sixth looks at the safety of physician- vs. nurse-led transport teams for critically ill patients,
In one, researchers from Australia identified a way for pregnant women with asthma to avoid exacerbations. This randomized, controlled ...
What are partial dentures?
Partial dentures are removable teeth that can be used to restore function and beauty to your smile. Using your natural teeth for support, partial dentures offer a quick, nonsurgical solution for missing teeth.
Why have partial dentures instead of full dentures?
The natural teeth in your mouth provide support for your jaw. When even one tooth is left in place, the structure of your jaw can maintain some of this support. Partial dentures attach to your natural teeth, allowing for your missing teeth to be replaced without further compromising ...
ATS 2011, DENVER – Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are more likely to increase physical activity on a day-to-day basis when exercises classes are combined with a confidence-building program, according to researchers from Michigan and Illinois. Those improvements, however, are only short-term and patients return to their original levels of activity once the confidence-building program ends, the study found.
The results of the study will be presented at the ATS 2011 International Conference in Denver.
Patients with COPD often have significant ...
ATS 2011, DENVER –A new study links the intermittent interruption of breathing that occurs in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to enhanced proliferation of melanoma cancer cells and increased tumor growth in mice, according to researchers in Spain. The study also found tumor cells of OSA mouse models tended to contain more dead cells, indicating a more aggressive type of cancer.
The results of the study will be presented at the ATS 2011 International Conference in Denver.
"To our knowledge, this study is the first one providing experimental evidence that ...
If you are experiencing any type of chronic jaw pain, your first impulse is probably to schedule a visit with your primary doctor. Unfortunately, in many cases the type of treatment you need to obtain lasting relief cannot be provided by a general doctor. In order to target the source of your jaw pain, you may need to see a neuromuscular dentist.
Neuromuscular dentists are specially-trained to diagnose and treat pain caused by the displacement of a delicate jaw joint called the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). When this single joint is even slightly out of place, all of ...
In this week's PLoS Medicine, Riitta Luoto and colleagues from the UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, and University of Tampere, Finland, evaluate whether lifestyle interventions can reduce the risk of high birthweight babies and gestational diabetes amongst pregnant women at high risk for these outcomes. They report the results of a cluster randomized trial in which groups of maternity clinics in 14 municipalities in Finland were randomized to an intervention. The intervention comprised physical activity and dietary counselling, and was compared with a control ...
