Size Matters: Climate-Driven Changes Krill Size in the California Current
Lala Movsesian
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: Jaime Jahncke
The California Current Ecosystem (CCE) is facing significant ecological impacts due to climate and environmental changes. Euphausiids (krill) are an important food source for fish, marine mammals, and seabirds. Therefore, changes in euphausiid body size can have large-scale consequences. By assessing zooplankton samples collected from the Greater Farallones (GFNMS) and Cordell Bank (CBNMS) National Marine Sanctuaries from 2005–2026, this project asks: How has climate variability affected the body size of different euphausiid species? Preliminary analyses suggest an overall reduction in body size of the most abundant cold-waters species, which is more pronounced in warmer years. Warm-water species, which are less frequent, seem to experience an increase in body size. This species-specific approach is essential to understand and predict the variability in euphausiid body size in response to climate change and allows more informed conservation strategies.