PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 29, 2021
Researchers from the UMaine Darling Marine Center, the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and the Maine Department of Marine Resources teamed up to examine the effects of ocean warming and acidification on gene expression in the earliest life stages of the American lobster. Results showed that the lobsters’ genes responded more to elevated acidification than to warmer waters, and that the two stresses created a “significantly greater” response than either of the two alone. While the ability to adapt is beneficial in a changing environment, the amount of energy required to do so could compromise the lobsters’ other vital functions. Maine’s $485 million lobster industry is critical to the state’s economy.