why sponges may be the ‘canary in the coal mine’ for impacts of marine heatwaves
- Written by: James Bell, Professor of Marine Biology, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Author provided, CC BY-NDMarine 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...
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