Research News
HERBIVORES HELP PROTECT MARINE ECOSYSTEMS FROM CLIMATE CHANGE
A new study of intertidal zones from the University of British Columbia indicates that the presence of herbivores — in this case, limpets — is vital to protecting the vulnerable intertidal zone from climate change. The animals and plants that live in this zone, which is the stretch of land that’s underwater when the tide comes in but is exposed when the tide goes out, are “already living at their physiological limits,” Rebecca Kordas, the study’s lead author, said. The researchers believe their results illustrate the importance of preserving “the integrity of interaction networks” in this vulnerable zone. For more, visit sciencemag.org.