The Boston Globe is reporting on the invasion of New England coastal waters by comb jellyfish (Mnemiopsis leidyi) and sea squirts (Pacific colonial tunicate, botryllid ascidian, Botrylloides sp.). This expansion of the invertebrates' natural range is apparently tied to a 3 degree rise in water temperatures that has occurred over the past two decades. The comb jellies are suspected to have contributed to the decline of the winter flounder, and researchers are concerned that the sea squirts will harm mussel and oyster populations.
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