How Rising Temperatures and Other Stresses Affect Bivalves

The recent Agulhas Current meander and high sea temperatures reported along the south and east coasts of South Africa in the last few weeks, raises questions about the effect on bivalves.

Recently there have been several interesting studies which have explored the effect on bivalves, specifically mussels and oysters, by temperature, ocean acidification and climate-induced stress.

One of these was published in Animal Behavior. It points to evidence that mussels exposed to high temperatures can suffer from tissue degradation and increased mortality. (Clements et al., 2018)