The colorful marine swimmer known as clownfish received a lot of fame by the super hit 2003 film “Finding Nemo”. A new study has found that the beautiful Nemos are under threat from warming of ocean waters inflicting havoc with sea anemones. Sea anemones are the structures that serve as the home to clownfish.

Sea anemones are closely related to corals and these are invertebrate marine creatures that live in symbiosis with algae that in return provide them with food, oxygen and color. Clownfish is also known as anemone fish that in turn uses the structures as shelter to lay their eggs. There only, these clownfish raise their young ones and thus keeps the anemones clean in return. To study the issue raised, a team of researchers monitored 13 pairs of orange – fin anemone fish that lived among the coral reefs of Moorea Island in the South Pacific.

Major coral bleaching happened due to warming of Pacific Ocean. The 13 pairs of anemone fish were monitored before, during and after the El Nino weather event of 2016.

Content: Hindustan Times

By: Bhavna Sharma