SpecieS and climate change: - IUCN

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ClownfiSh and Climate Change Losing Nemo © Rita Vita Summary • Clownfish live in tropical and subtropical ocean waters and have a mutualistic relationship with seaanemones, upon which they rely for protection. • Coral reefs are seriously declining globally and time-lagged effects and increasing CO 2 levels mean that rapid further declines are imminent. Clownfish and seaanemones depend on coral reefs for their habitat. • Clownfish are also affected by increasing ocean acidification. More acidic water disrupts their sense of the iUCn Red list of threatened Species smell, impairing their ability to find their specific host seaanemone. • There is some possibility that clownfish may adapt to these changes by changing their behaviour or the places they inhabit. However, their inability to move long distances and the rate at which their habitat is being degraded makes such an occurrence unlikely. • Clownfish highlight the impacts of coral reef degradation, increasing ocean acidification and warming oceans due to climate change. These changes directly or indirectly affect most species in the marine biome.
ClownfiSh and Climate Change Clownfish (family: Pomacentridae), also known as anemonefish, are some of the most iconic marine fish in the world. They are highly popular among SCUBA divers due to their striking colour combinations of white, orange, yellow and brown. There are a total of 28 species of clownfish, which are all very similar in their habits. Perhaps the most renowned of these is the Common Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris), which was popularised in the Walt Disney movie ‘Finding Nemo’. what do we know about clownfish? Clownfish are found in tropical and subtropical areas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The greatest diversity of clownfish is found close to Papua New Guinea, although the Great Barrier Reef in Australia is also known for a number of unique variants. Within their range, clownfish are restricted to shallow waters due to their fascinating relationship with only a handful of specific sea-anemone species upon which they depend. While most fish are repelled by the anemones’ poisonous stings, the clownfish acquires immunity to this defence, and is therefore able to use it for its own protection against predators. In return, clownfish keep their host anemone in a healthy state, and prevent them from being attacked by angelfishes and sea turtles, (which are also immune to the sea anemone’s stinging tentacles). A single sea-anemone may support several clownfish, all of which, excluding one single female, are males at various stages of development. Should the sole female die, then the largest male turns into a female and continues breeding. Clownfish lay their eggs beneath the oral disc of their host sea anemone and these are guarded by the male. When the eggs hatch, larvae are carried away by ocean currents and most perish. As a larva develops, it begins to use chemical signals present in the water to detect a suitable anemone to be used as its new home. These signals permit the young fish to select the right type of anemone, and ensure that it is different from its place of birth to avoid inbreeding. The period between hatching and seeking a new anemone ‘home’ is notably short (around 8–12 days), meaning that they do not disperse very far from their parents’ anemone. how is climate change affecting clownfish? The most significant impacts of climate change on clownfish are those affecting their coral reef habitat, and water temperature and chemistry. Such changes may affect clownfish in a number of ways. Loss of habitat as coral reefs decline: At today’s level of 387 ppm CO 2 , coral reefs are seriously declining and time-lagged effects will result in their continued demise. If CO 2 levels are allowed to reach 450 the iUCn Red list of threatened Species ppm (due to occur by 2030–2040 at the current rates of increase), reefs will be in rapid and terminal decline world-wide from multiple synergies arising from mass bleaching, ocean acidification, and other environmental impacts (more details are available in the staghorn coral account). © Alfonso Gonzalez Clownfish depend on sea-anemones, which are most frequently found on coral reefs. Reef-dependent species such as the clownfish will undoubtedly be affected by the decline in coral reefs. In 1998, one of the most severe global coral bleaching events in recorded history led to the complete disappearance of several sea-anemone species used by clownfish in the corals reefs around Sesoko Island, Japan, causing local population declines. Disruption of navigation as ocean acidity rises: Increases in ocean acidity levels have been shown to affect clownfish’s ability to detect the chemical signals necessary for navigating to and locating their anemone homes. This effect is known to be particularly severe in juvenile fish. Fish that are unable to locate a suitable hiding place are at a much higher risk of predation, and are much less likely to find other clownfish with which to mate. Juvenile fish that are unable to locate new anemones to inhabit also have a much greater chance of returning to their original place of birth. While such individuals may be considered fortunate for at least finding protection, the likelihood of inbreeding in these fish is greatly increased. Adult clownfish, although less susceptible to the loss of chemical cues, can still become confused and lost when venturing away from their host anemone. An extended period away from their host commonly leads to the loss
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SpecieS and climate change: - IUCN

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