Jumping Snails Grounded by Climate Change: Acidifying Oceans Impact Behavior

As carbon dioxide levels increase in the atmosphere, our world's oceans are changing. More specifically, the water is acidifying as it absorbs more and more of this gas. Now, scientists have discovered that one species may be drastically impacted by the changing climate.

The species in question is the conch snail. These sea snails leap to escape their predators, using their strong foot. Now, though, scientists have found that the conch snail either stops jumping or takes longer to jump when exposed to the levels of carbon dioxide projected for the end of this century. The findings could mean that this snail may face some extreme challenges in the future.

"Altered behaviors between predators and prey have the potential to disrupt ocean food webs," said Sue-Ann Watson, one of the researchers, in a news release.

Past studies on the effects of ocean acidification on animals has mostly focused on what would happen to the shells of marine shells and other calcifying animals. More specifically, they examined how shells could be built and maintained in a more acidic environment. Yet it appears that changing behavior is likely to also drastically affect species.

So what exactly does increased acidification do to conch snails? It disrupts a particular neurotransmitter receptor in the snail's nervous system. This delays vital decision-making on their escape. This, in turn, can leave them far more vulnerable to the poisonous dart of its predator, the marbled cone snail.

Yet this isn't the only species that could be impacted. While the study shows that disrupted decision-making with elevated carbon dioxide levels can occur in marine invertebrates, researchers have also observed similar effects in fish. This could mean that the oceans could be facing some hostile conditions in the future.

"This neurotransmitter receptor is common in many animals and evolved quite early in the animal kingdom," said Goran Nilsson, one of the researchers, in a news release. "So what this study suggests is that human carbon dioxide emissions directly alter the behavior of many marine animals, including much of the seafood that is part of the human diet."

The findings reveal how crucial it is to curtail carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, it shows how critical it is to study and understand more about the extent of these behavioral disturbances.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.