Marine biologists in Australia, studying how acidic sea water is damaging oysters, have made a surprising discovery.
They found that a selectively bred colony of Sydney rock oysters has learnt how to protect themselves against the effects of climate change.
The ABC reports the accidental discovery was made by a team at the University of Sydney and Scotland's University of Stirling studying oysters on NSW's mid-north coast.
Oyster farmers at Port Stephens and Lake Wallace have suffered from poor harvests brought about by greenhouse gas-driven ocean acidity, leading to damaged shells and smaller oysters.
"What we've found is these selectively bred oysters are changing the way they make their shells," said Sydney University Biology Professor Maria Byrne.
"The more time an oyster spends fighting acidic seawater, the less time it spends growing.
"If they can make their shell hard, with less energy, they can make a bigger oyster. And that is better for the farmers.
"Now we've found an oyster that is resilient to at least some of the challenges posed by a changing climate."
The resistant oysters will now be tested in other water conditions to determine their suitability for global restoration programs.
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