Vital Link in the Food Chain Threatened

UCSB molecular ecologist Gretchen Hofmann has returned from an Antarctic research mission focusing on the pteropod-a small “lentil sized” marine snail and a vital contributor to the marine food chain as it is eaten by many small fish-with news that increased sea acidity resulting from increased atmospheric carbon dioxide has stressed the species and could jeopardize its survival. Hofmann indicates that the pteropod’s plight indicates the destructive potential of climate change.