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A Tiny Yet Vital Organism May Adapt to Climate Change With ‘Hidden Costs’

The copepod’s coping method amid rising temperatures and ocean acidity would have consequences for the broader food chain.

By Theresa Sullivan Barger
Apr 22, 2022 10:00 PM
copepod species
There are around 11,500 known species of copepods. (Andrei Savitsky/Wikimedia Commons)

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A recent study shows that the tiny copepod crustacean is the ocean’s equivalent of a canary in a coal mine. New research demonstrates that these “cows of the sea” may be able to evolve to adapt to climate change — but it could come at the cost of their resiliency, a recent Nature Communications study suggests. Most importantly, any changes in their health send ripples across the food chain. 

How the Copepod Copes

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