Climate change is a major factor in the development and life-cycle of marine species. In a recent article published in Zoological Studies, Nieto Vilela et al., conducted a morphological study on the marine gastropod Gevers's trophon  (Trophon geversianus, Pallas) from Patagonian coasts to reveal the effects that new environmental conditions can have on phenotypic expressions in this species.

The authors have taken an interesting approach by conducting a manipulative experiment with embryos of the gastropod and subjecting them to warmer temperatures. The results are as disheartening as interesting. The observations show lethal effects together with alterations in the shell form (both size and shape) of embryos exposed to 18°C water compared to the control temperature environment (13°C).  The embryos kept in warmer conditions develop smaller and more elongated shells, as well as a larger shell aperture, which increases their vulnerability to different predators. 

These results give researchers reason to consider changes in embryonic shell shape as a reliable biomarker of temperature-induced stress.

Read the full article here:

https://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/63/63-08.html