Oysters bred for fast growth and disease resistance are able to adapt their shell growth to protect themselves from environmental acidification, according to new research.
Ocean and coastal acidification — the ongoing increase in the acidity of the world’s oceans — hampers some organisms, such as oysters, from producing and maintaining their shells. However, experts now believe that for oysters there is a potential solution to the problem.
A team led by Dr Susan Fitzer, a Research Fellow at the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture (IoA), studied Sydney Rock Oysters in New South Wales, Australia, and found that resilient strains of this oyster — generated through targeted breeding — can cope better with more acidic seawater conditions.
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