[caption id="attachment_11380" align="alignleft" width="193" caption="John William Waterhouse painting of Crystal Ball - wikimedia commons"]
[/caption]Editor - Physiology is providing clues on how global warming will impact certain ocean creatures and potentially the rest of us, like using a crystal ball to predict the future.
Comparative physiology studies how different organisms function and adapt to different types of environments. So scientists look at different creatures in these different environments and examine physiologic features that establish what might the best or worst environment and what the range of tolerance is for a given situation.
George N. Somero, Associate Director of Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station is part of the conference on global change that ended on August 7 in Westminister Colorado. Somero looked at the high temperatures affect on porcelain crabs and their ability to survive in a world where the temperatures are increasing. He examined the specific tolerance of these creatures and how the porcelain crab compared to closely related species.
One might expect a creature like the tropical crab to be able to handle climate change better than its cousins, but comparative physiology shows that is not the case. That's because they already live near their
thermal tolerance range. Additional increase in temperature at some level can be the tipping point. That's the "crystal ball" being applied to examining future problems of certain sea creatures.
thermal tolerance range. Additional increase in temperature at some level can be the tipping point. That's the "crystal ball" being applied to examining future problems of certain sea creatures.
Proteins, which are an essential structure of organisms and their metabolic reactions, are very sensitive to temperature. The abilities of proteins to evolve as climate changes can impact an entire species. Some of
these species won't be able to adapt.
these species won't be able to adapt.
"If proteins don't adapt, organisms will function at a sub-par level,"said Dr. Somero. "Individual organisms may not die immediately, but over
time, entire populations can die off."
Dr. Somero and his colleagues also look at gene chips to identify which genes are involved in the way a given species responds to climate
change.
Comparing genomes has revealed that long-term evolution at stable temperatures may have stripped certain species of their ability to adapt
to warming.
Scientists give an example of the Southern Ocean where an organism living in an extremely cold and very stable thermal environment over a 10 to 15
million year period doesn't have the genetic structure to deal with the rising temperature because the genes have been lost.
million year period doesn't have the genetic structure to deal with the rising temperature because the genes have been lost.
Dr.Somero tells us, "Only by studying species adapted to different temperatures can we identify the mechanisms that underlie
temperature-sensitivity and thus set the capacities of organisms for dealing with climate change."
temperature-sensitivity and thus set the capacities of organisms for dealing with climate change."
He
goes on to define the value of comparative physiological analysis that can "help us determine how a warming world will affect the structure of
our ecosystems. It will help us predict which organisms will be forced out and which will continue to thrive."
goes on to define the value of comparative physiological analysis that can "help us determine how a warming world will affect the structure of
our ecosystems. It will help us predict which organisms will be forced out and which will continue to thrive."
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