Scientists in Chile have put Chilean mussels (Mytilus chilensis) in simulated Antarctic waters to see if they might one day move south from Patagonia.
Chilean mussels are native to the cold waters of Patagonia and are economically important in aquaculture for domestic and international consumption. But in a warming, interconnected world, scientists have expressed concern that these bivalves could establish themselves in nearby Antarctica.
In a study published in April 2024 in the international journal Science of The Total Environment, researchers showed how they, for 80 days, exposed mussels to four temperature conditions: the temperature at which they were collected; Antarctic summer conditions; Antarctic winter conditions; and a final temperature to simulate expected warming in Antarctica.
Jorge Navarro Azocar, a marine biologist at the IDEAL research center and the Universidad Austral de Chile says that he and his colleagues found that although the mussels can’t really survive current Antarctic winters, future warming scenarios are likely to “increase the chances of establishment of species in Antarctica.”
“Although mussels would not be able to withstand Antarctic winter conditions Antarctic winter conditions (-1.5 °C), the climate change scenarios for the end of the century (+ 4° C for the Antarctic Peninsula), would weaken these physiological barriers”, adding that this would result in higher survival and growth rates, allowing a “successful invasion” with serious consequences for the biodiversity of some areas.
“In addition, increased shipping activity across the southern ocean would aid the dispersal of this bivalve,” he says.
Growing Up in Chilean Patagonia
Navarro childhood was spent in Puerto Varas a town in Chile’s Patagonian region, growing up two blocks from Lake Llanquihue.
“I studied at the Germania School in Puerto Varas, with teachers who permanently stimulated my love for nature , which, together with the fact that I lived in a lake area surrounded by surrounded by volcanoes, forests and a rich flora and fauna, generated an environment that influenced my scientific career,” he says.
Navarro explains that with this passion for learning for nature, he studied a Bachelor of Science in Zoology at the Universidad Austral de Chile, before undertaking a doctorate in biology at Canada’s Memorial University of Newfoundland and postdoctorate work at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory in the United Kingdom.
He says that in many areas of marine sciences, there is a very high level of scientific training of researchers in the Global South, and the equipment and methodologies used do not differ from those used in developed countries.
“Our scientists are at the necessary level to address global challenges, such as studying the effects of climate change on marine organisms. the effects of climate change on marine organisms, especially considering the advantages of having natural the advantages of having natural laboratories, such as Patagonia and Antarctica,” Navarro says. “I am convinced that scientists in the southern region, on their own or in collaboration with scientists from other countries are providing valuable perspectives to understand and propose possible solutions to the effects of the propose possible solutions to the effects of climate change in this geographical area of our planet.”
When The ‘Spiny Hands’ Crab Invaded Colombia
Climate change is also thought to be behind the arrival of an invasive crab in Colombian waters.
The Indo-Pacific Swimming Crab (Charybdis hellerii) has already invaded the western shore of the Atlantic Ocean and a study in Belize found that it may have displaced several species of native crustaceans from shallow-water habitats.
Alejandro Lozano, a marine biology graduate of the Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano with a Masters in Marine Sciences from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, says that the crab was most likely introduced to Colombia’s Caribbean coast by commercial vessels, possibly from another invasive population in the Mediterranean.
Lozano explains that this crab has been reported widely in Colombia: from the upper Guajira to the Gulf of Morrosquillo and in a 2023 study, the researchers showed that some of the areas the crabs arrived at have been better suited for them than others.
“The idea for this article arose due to the limited attention this crab has received in Colombia and the potential impact it could have on the country, as demonstrated in other parts of Latin America like Venezuela and Brazil, where it has directly impacted ecosystems and fishing,” he says.
