氣候變化號召人們開始行動,，甚至對南極地區(qū)的玻璃海綿亦是如此,。
這些米色的鱗莖擁有復雜的二氧化硅骨骼（包括六放海綿綱中的數(shù)個物種）,，且已知它們在寒冷深淵中生存,。玻璃海綿小的有拳頭大，而大的則能達到斯瑪特小汽車的大小,。它們通常會在數(shù)十年的時間里不出現(xiàn)任何生長和繁殖的跡象,。
但是新研究顯示，由于南極半島拉森冰架的崩塌,，它們的種群數(shù)量出現(xiàn)了爆炸性的增長,。隨著溫度的攀升以及上方寒冷冰蓋的破碎，這些濾食性動物的生活變得比以往活躍了很多,。
能夠接觸到日光使得浮游植物開花,，這樣就為海綿帶來新的食物來源。一組科學家對威德爾海（南極的邊緣海）的這部分區(qū)域進行了探索,，這是他們上次到訪這里后,，4年來的首次探索，科學家們發(fā)現(xiàn)該處的玻璃海綿種群數(shù)量大約增加到了以往的三倍,。
“玻璃海綿可能發(fā)現(xiàn)自己處于氣候變化的有利一方,。”該研究小組在發(fā)表于《當代生物學》上的研究報告中說。但是,，這種海綿可能不會永遠在這一深層海域中稱霸,，因為其他有進取心的物種可能會立刻捕食它們，或者與它們爭奪食物來源,。
不過玻璃海綿戲劇性地增長暗示,，海底生態(tài)環(huán)境的變遷比之前預想的要快得多。
玻璃海綿是桶狀海綿的表親,，它在古代淺而溫暖的海域中生成密集的暗礁,。上世紀90年代有探險家發(fā)現(xiàn)了大量活物暗礁。（生物谷 Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦的英文內(nèi)容
Climate change is a call to action … even for the Antarctic glass sponge. These cream-colored bulbs with intricate silica skeletons (several species within the class Hexactinellida) have been known to bide their time in the icy depths. The creatures, which can be as small as a fist or as big as a smart car, often go decades with no sign of growth or reproduction. But new research shows that their population is exploding, thanks to the collapse of the Larsen Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula. As temperatures climbed and the icy ceiling above them disintegrated, life got a lot more exciting for these filter feeders. Access to sunlight brought blooms of phytoplankton and new food sources. A team of scientists exploring this part of the Weddell Sea for the first time in 4 years discovered that the glass sponge population had roughly tripled since their last visit. "Glass sponges may find themselves on the winners' side of climate change," they report today in Current Biology. The sponges may not dominate the depths forever, however; other enterprising species could soon prey on them or compete for resources. But their dramatic growth suggests that the ecological shakeup on the sea floor is moving faster than previously thought.
