Super Crabs Could Disrupt Chesapeake Bay's Ecosystem
- 11 years ago
Supercrabs could disrupt Chesapeake Bay's ecosystem.
Coined super crabs, the ocean dwellers bulking up as a result of the waters' high levels of carbon pollution have anything but a hero's story.
In the Chesapeake Bay, it’s more like a super villain’s tale, in fact. There they are deemed as foreboding predators who are wreaking havoc on the area’s ecosystem and possibly its food chain.
Crabs respond favorably to carbon resulting in them becoming bigger and possibly stronger.
Prey-sized sea inhabitants like oysters and scallops have the reverse response to the pollutant and take longer to reach adult size.
At the University of North Carolina’s Aquarium Research Center, tests showed it was somewhat of a bloodbath when the crabs and oysters were placed in the same tank that was polluted with carbon.
It was also determined that giant crabs aren’t even beneficial for diners since the super-sized ones don’t have additional meat, just bigger shells.
Bad news for oysters means bad news for the bay. Oysters are natural filters and are crucial to pollution cleanup. They also live stacked upon one another, creating reefs where many fish species live.
Coined super crabs, the ocean dwellers bulking up as a result of the waters' high levels of carbon pollution have anything but a hero's story.
In the Chesapeake Bay, it’s more like a super villain’s tale, in fact. There they are deemed as foreboding predators who are wreaking havoc on the area’s ecosystem and possibly its food chain.
Crabs respond favorably to carbon resulting in them becoming bigger and possibly stronger.
Prey-sized sea inhabitants like oysters and scallops have the reverse response to the pollutant and take longer to reach adult size.
At the University of North Carolina’s Aquarium Research Center, tests showed it was somewhat of a bloodbath when the crabs and oysters were placed in the same tank that was polluted with carbon.
It was also determined that giant crabs aren’t even beneficial for diners since the super-sized ones don’t have additional meat, just bigger shells.
Bad news for oysters means bad news for the bay. Oysters are natural filters and are crucial to pollution cleanup. They also live stacked upon one another, creating reefs where many fish species live.