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Marine invasive species are an ecological and economic threat to Pacific nations, the founder of a New Zealand-based ocean conservation and science organisation says.
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IMAGE: Two year study finds Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) is causing young clownfish to grow less and die faster. view more
Credit: Frederic Zuberer
Young clownfish living closest to shore are dying faster than those further offshore because they are being exposed to artificial lighting, says an international research team.
Working on the reefs around Moorea in French Polynesia, scientists from France, the United Kingdom, Chile and Australia found that nearshore juvenile clownfish living in anemones under lights had higher mortality than juveniles in anemones not exposed to artificial light.
The scientists also found that the surviving clownfish grew 44 per cent more slowly than clownfish under natural lighting conditions.