If an election makes you think of sea snails on acid, you're probably not the only one but this article has nothing to do with politics except insofar as the acid in this context is not for entertainment but for burning your fingers. Raising the level of acidity in sea water, as is projected in the progression of climate change, makes sea snails, in effect, go crazy. (Scientific American: Sea Snails on Acid)
Perhaps you wonder what possible difference there can be between a sane and and an insane sea snail but scientists can find such things. They're clever that way, see.
Hell on Earth for a sea snail comes in the form of a purple sea starfish which just loves to eat sea snails and they're good at it. When a sea snail is on his toes or at least his pseudopod, he will usually be able to escape the sea star. However, raising the acidity of the ocean water flips their molluscan wigs and they become easier for the purple sea stars to catch.
Snails have always been good at running away from their primary predator - the purple sea star - until now. Brittany Jellison, a graduate student at University of California Davis, has found in a recent study that the snail’s dramatic response might be slowing down because of ocean acidification. Jellison modified tide pools to mimic ocean acidification conditions. Then she observed the snail’s response by measuring the path they took to safety. What she found when watching the snail was a trippy set of behaviors.
Under normal conditions, the snails will run away and exit the water, a flight response that keeps them safe. Jellison found that in water with higher acidity the snails started to run away, but instead of moving to dry ground, they seemed to get confused, haphazardly meandering around the pool.
Brittany Jellison collecting black turban snails for lab studies. Credit: Gabriel Ng
In the meantime, Jellison continues this research out in the field, in a creative study that has her waking up at all hours to hike to the tide pools and observe snails – all to understand the cascading effects of ocean acidification on the ecosystem. “I have a lot of hope that we will move forward as a society and try to come up with solutions and actually make changes. It is having hope that is important,” said Jellison.
Perhaps you wonder what possible difference there can be between a sane and and an insane sea snail but scientists can find such things. They're clever that way, see.
Hell on Earth for a sea snail comes in the form of a purple sea starfish which just loves to eat sea snails and they're good at it. When a sea snail is on his toes or at least his pseudopod, he will usually be able to escape the sea star. However, raising the acidity of the ocean water flips their molluscan wigs and they become easier for the purple sea stars to catch.
Snails have always been good at running away from their primary predator - the purple sea star - until now. Brittany Jellison, a graduate student at University of California Davis, has found in a recent study that the snail’s dramatic response might be slowing down because of ocean acidification. Jellison modified tide pools to mimic ocean acidification conditions. Then she observed the snail’s response by measuring the path they took to safety. What she found when watching the snail was a trippy set of behaviors.
- Scientific American (link is to The Royal Society)
Your definition of a 'trippy set of behaviors' is not likely the same as that which was used by Ms Jellison but how much time do you have for trippin' when you're watching sea snails.
With the arena built, let the show begin. Clutching her camera, Jellison carefully lowered black turban snails into the tank. One by one the snails reacted to a chemical cue produced by the predator sea star. Jellison took photos every two minutes for a half hour, then analyzed them for the distance the snails traveled, where they moved, and most importantly, if they left the water and escaped to safety. In total, Jellison did two 5-day trials, created 32 aquariums, tested 32 snails, and took photos every two minutes for 28 minutes per snail.
Under normal conditions, the snails will run away and exit the water, a flight response that keeps them safe. Jellison found that in water with higher acidity the snails started to run away, but instead of moving to dry ground, they seemed to get confused, haphazardly meandering around the pool.
- Science Daily
Her assessment sounds valid insofar as these sound like some seriously flipped-out snails but really they sound more like drunkies than stoners.
- Science Daily
She sounds like a highly-motivated young lady and we're stunned that some young California surfer has not tried to save her from the snails but we leave that endeavor to some young scientist with equally high motivation although not entirely with focus on snail research.
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