ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies. (2018, September 11). Finding Nemo’s genes. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 16, 2018 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180911083153.htm

A study led by the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology has successfully sequenced the genome of the clown fish. The genome provides a starting point for understanding the biology of reef fish. Studying the clown fish allows for insight into sex change in fishes as well as larval dispersal. The genome sequenced is one of the most complete ever and the researchers are hopeful about its environmental implications.

The sequencing of the clown fish’s genome will help researches understand sex change in fishes and their patterns in reproducing. Both these things will tell researchers not only about the clown fish population, but about the population of reef fishes in general. Reefs recently have faced many environmental issues, such as bleaching, so understanding the reef ecosystem could very much help us preserve them. Genetic sequencing and biotechnology could allow us to better care for our ecosystems. For example, the clown fish is ”the first fish species for which it was demonstrated that predator avoidance behaviour could be impaired by ocean acidification.” Knowing why this occurs could even lead to genetically altered clown fish, or other reef fish, more resistant to certain environmental stressors.