Ocean warming may affect sight loss in octopuses, study finds

Ocean warming may affect vision loss in octopuses

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Due to the increase in ocean temperature, octopuses may lose their vision and find themselves on the verge of survival.

About this testifies research by scientists published in Global Change Biology, reports The Guardian.

About 70% of the octopus’s brain is responsible for vision, which plays a crucial role in communication and detecting predators or prey. A recent study by scientists has shown that heat stress due to global warming can lead to poor vision and increased mortality among pregnant octopus mothers and their future offspring.

During the experiment, the researchers placed octopus embryos in three different temperature environments: +19°C, +22°C (to simulate current summer temperatures) and +25°C, which is predicted for the year 2100. The scientists found out that octopuses that were in an environment with a temperature of +25°C produced significantly less proteins responsible for vision than those that were in other thermal regimes.

“One of the structured proteins, which is present in large quantities in the lenses of the eyes, preserves the transparency and optical clarity of the lenses, and the other is responsible for the regeneration of visual pigments in the photoreceptors of the eyes,” said the author of the study, Kyaz Hua.

Another co-author of the study, Bronwyn Gillanders, added that “the study is not a definitive representation of what will happen with global warming, as octopus populations have increased rapidly.” At the same time, she predicts that rising temperatures may have a negative impact on octopuses.

“This study shows that in the tropics, where there is a high probability of heat stress, the response of octopuses to it will exceed their ability to cope with it,” said aquatic ecologist Jasmine Martineau from the University of New South Wales.

We have been before toldhow octopus DNA may hold a clue to global warming.