The TERMS-Ocean project has produced data that furthers our understanding of the impacts that climate change and ocean acidification (OA) will have on marine species. Importantly, it brought to light the importance of individual variability in the responses of organisms to environmental change. My data suggest that when looking at responses at an individual level rather than a population level, it becomes evident that not all individuals are impacted by environmental change in the same manner, and while some individuals are negatively affected by environmental change, others thrive under predicted future ocean conditions.
My work has led to advances in our understanding of the impacts of climate change on marine species. These findings will be useful for fisheries, who can explore the potential to target specific genetic lines which may yield higher crops in the future. They will also be useful for policy makers and of interest to the general public and scientific audiences.
The TERMS-Ocean project has led to one publication at the time of writing, with a further 2 currently being prepared for submission. As a part of the project, I have given talks at two international conferences (Larval Biology Conference, USA and the Gordon Research Seminar/Conference on Ocean Global Change Biology, USA). I have also given public talks at schools.
My project also led to a successful collaboration with Prof. Maria Byrne at the University of Sydney, Australia. This collaboration included a month-long visit to Prof. Byrne’s lab in Sydney, allowing me to continue my professional development above and beyond what was expected for this fellowship and in line with the progression of a successful career in research.
