Amphibians as environmental omen disputed
Amphibians, for years considered a leading indicator of environmental degradation, are not uniquely susceptible to pollution, according to a meta-analysis to be published in Ecology Letters. view more (2009-11-12)
Ocean acidification may contribute to global shellfish decline
Relatively minor increases in ocean acidity brought about by high levels of carbon dioxide have significant detrimental effects on the growth, development, and survival of hard clams, bay scallops, and Eastern oysters, according to researchers at Stony Brook University's School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. view more (2009-10-27)
Annual Tahoe Report Says Asian Clam Invasion Is Growing Fast
Released today, UC Davis' annual Lake Tahoe health report describes a spreading Asian clam population that could put sharp shells and rotting algae on the spectacular mountain lake's popular beaches, possibly aid an invasion of quagga and zebra mussels, and even affect lake clarity and ecology. view more (2009-08-19)
Analysis finds strong match between molecular, fossil data in evolutionary studies
During a seminar at another institution several years ago, University of Chicago paleontologist David Jablonski fielded a hostile question: Why bother classifying organisms according to their physical appearance, let alone analyze their evolutionary dynamics, when molecular techniques had already invalidated that approach? view more (2009-04-29)
University of Copenhagen
Unchecked global warming would leave ocean dwellers gasping for breath. Dead zones are low-oxygen areas in the ocean where higher life forms such as fish, crabs and clams are not able to live. In shallow coastal regions, these zones can be caused by runoff of excess fertilizers from farming. view more (2009-01-26)
Food choices and location influence California sea otter exposure to disease
Sea otters living along the central California coast risk higher exposure to disease-causing parasites as a consequence of the food they eat and where they feed. view more (2009-01-20)
These shells don't clam up: Innovative technique to record human impact on coastal waters
With their sedentary lifestyles and filter-feeding habits, clams have been silent witnesses to the changes that humans have inflicted upon their waters. view more (2008-12-03)
Brown Scientist Finds Coastal Dead Zones May Benefit Some Species
Coastal dead zones, an increasing concern to ecologists, the fishing industry and the public, may not be as devoid of life after all. A Brown scientist has found that dead zones do indeed support marine life, and that at least one commercially valuable clam actually benefits from oxygen-depleted waters. view more (2008-10-15)
Ocean floor geysers warm flowing sea water
An international team of earth scientists report movement of warmed sea water through the flat, Pacific Ocean floor off Costa Rica. The movement is greater than that off midocean volcanic ridges. The finding suggests possible marine life in a part of the ocean once considered barren. view more (2008-09-23)
UCSB researcher leads worldwide study on marine fossil diversity
It took a decade of painstaking study, the cooperation of hundreds of researchers, and a database of more than 200,000 fossil records, but John Alroy thinks he's disproved much of the conventional wisdom about the diversity of marine fossils and extinction rates. view more (2008-07-11)
Species Have Come and Gone at Different Rates than Previously Believed
Diversity among the ancestors of such marine creatures as clams, sand dollars and lobsters showed only a modest rise beginning 144 million years ago with no clear trend afterwards, according to an international team of researchers. This contradicts previous work showing dramatic increases beginning 248 million years ago and may shed light on... view more... (2008-07-07)
Major international study warns global warming is destroying coral reefs and calls for 'drastic actions'
If world leaders do not immediately engage in a race against time to save the Earth's coral reefs, these vital ecosystems will not survive the global warming and acidification predicted for later this century. That is the conclusion of a group of marine scientists from around the world in a major new study published in the journal Science on Dec.... view more... (2007-12-26)
New map outlines risk of zebra mussel invasion
The spread of two invasive alien freshwater mussel species - the zebra mussel and the quagga mussel - appears to be controlled in part by calcium levels in streams and lakes and a new risk assessment based on water chemistry suggests the Great Plains and American Southwest could be next in line for invasion. view more (2007-12-04)
Rare albino ratfish has eerie, silvery sheen
A ghostly, mutant ratfish caught off Whidbey Island in Washington state is the only completely albino fish ever seen by both the curator of the University of Washington's 7.2 million-specimen fish collection and a fish and wildlife biologist with more than 20 years of sampling fish in Puget Sound. view more (2007-09-25)
Ancient whale fall from California's Año Nuevo Island one of youngest, most complete known
A fossilized whale skeleton excavated 20 years ago amid the stench and noise of a seabird and elephant seal rookery on California's Año Nuevo Island turns out to be the youngest example on the Pacific coast of a fossil whale fall and the first in California, according to University of California, Berkeley, paleontologists.
view more (2007-09-14)
Study reveals predation-evolution link
The fossil record seems to indicate that the diversity of marine creatures increased and decreased over hundreds of millions of years in step with predator-prey encounters, Virginia Tech geoscientists report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. view more (2007-09-11)
Overfishing great sharks wiped out North Carolina bay scallop fishery
Fewer big sharks in the oceans led to the destruction of North Carolina's bay scallop fishery and inhibits the recovery of depressed scallop, oyster and clam populations along the U.S. Atlantic Coast, according to an article in the March 30 issue of the journal Science. view more (2007-03-30)
Overfishing large sharks impacts entire marine ecosystem, shrinks shellfish supply
Fewer big sharks in the oceans mean that bay scallops and other shellfish may be harder to find at the market, according to an article in the March 30 issue of the journal Science, tying two unlikely links in the food web to the same fate. view more (2007-03-30)
Deep in the ocean, a clam that acts like a plant
How does life survive in the black depths of the ocean? At the surface, sunlight allows green plants to "fix" carbon from the air to build their bodies. view more (2007-02-21)
Ocean temperature predicts spread of marine species
Scientists can predict how the distance marine larvae travel varies with ocean temperature - a key component in conservation and management of fish, shellfish and other marine species - according to a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. view more (2006-12-26)
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