7 news posts from November 2021

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How Dungeness crabs’ complex lifecycle will be affected by climate change

A Dungeness crab, or Cancer magister, sits on kelp

New research on the Pacific Northwest portion of the Dungeness crab fishery, which spans the West Coast of the U.S. and Canada, projects how this crustacean will fare under climate change. Results show that by the end of this century, lower-oxygen water will pose the biggest threat. And while these crabs start as tiny, free-floating larvae, it’s the sharp-clawed adults that will be most vulnerable, specifically to lower-oxygen coastal waters in summer. 

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After California’s 3rd-largest wildfire, deer returned home while trees were ‘still smoldering’

A deer peeks at the camera amidst burnt trees

When a massive wildfire tears through a landscape, what happens to the animals? While many animals have adapted to live with wildfires of the past — which were smaller, more frequent and kept ecosystems in balance across the West — it’s unclear to scientists how animals are coping with today’s unprecedented megafires. More than a century of fire suppression coupled with climate change has produced wildfires that are now bigger and more severe than before. 

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