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Home/Current Affairs/Clownfish Adapt Body Size to Survive Marine Heatwaves: Study in Science Advances

Clownfish Adapt Body Size to Survive Marine Heatwaves: Study in Science Advances

22 May 2025

Clownfish Adapt Body Size to Survive Marine Heatwaves: Study in Science Advances

A study published in the journal ‘Science Advances’ has highlighted the ability of adult clownfish to use their body size as a flexible tool to survive the stress of marine heatwaves episodes.

About Clownfish

  • Scientific Name: Amphiprioninae
  • ClownfishHabitat: Clownfish are found in the warm shallow waters of the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the western Pacific in sheltered reefs or lagoons, living in sea anemone
    • The greatest diversity of clownfish is found close to Papua New Guinea and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
  • IUCN Status: Least Concerned.
  • Features:
    • Symbiotic Relationship: Clownfish survive in a mutually assistive symbiotic relationship with sea anemone.
      • The anemone protects the clownfish from predators and provides food scraps while the clownfish attracts photosynthetic zooxanthellae for the anemones consumption and actively remove debris and parasites from the anemone
    • Social Fish: They communicate through popping and clicking noises.
    • Sex: All clownfish are born male and have the ability to switch their sex, but will do so only to become the dominant female of a group. 
    • Feeding Habit: Clownfish are omnivorous and mostly feed on planktonic food.
  • Threat: Clownfish makes up 43% of the global marine ornamental trade, with 75% of these fish captured from the wild.

About Marine Heatwaves

  • A marine heatwave is a period of unusually high Sea Surface Temperatures (SST)  for an extended period of time (more than 5 days)  and is defined by its duration and intensity
    • Examples: Major marine heatwaves events are the Great Barrier Reef in 2002, the Mediterranean Sea in 2003, the Northwest Atlantic in 2012, the Northeast Pacific during 2013–2016.
  • Factors causing Marine Heatwaves:
    • Climate Change: The heat from the rise in greenhouse gas emissions is mostly absorbed by the oceans which leads to its warming increasing the likelihood and severity of marine heatwaves. 
    • Ocean Currents: Changes in ocean currents can contribute to localized temperature increases and the formation of heatwaves. 
    • Atmospheric Influence: Atmospheric conditions like high-pressure ridges and strong winds can affect ocean temperatures by altering solar radiation and heat exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean. 
    • El Niño and La Niña Events: These climate phenomena can significantly influence ocean temperatures and alter the likelihood of marine heatwaves in certain regions.
  • Impacts:
    • Migration: Shift and disruption in population of marine species as they migrate for more temperate waters raising fears of competition and invasive species.
    • Mass mortality events: It includes non-mobile species like coral, algae and sponges, that cannot escape the extreme environmental conditions.
    • Exacerbation of harmful algal blooms
    • Likelihood of more frequent and intensified extreme weather events

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