Going through nerve-wracking events at a young age can sometimes have a lasting wallop on our own lives and the generations that come after us . But that ’s not a uniquely human phenomenon – researchers have give away a standardized pattern in red abalone , with a legacy of stress create after exposure to sea acidification .

" For carmine abalone , if your parents were divulge to sea acidification , it does impact your power to manage stress , " say lead source Isabelle Neylan in astatement . " It ’s carrying over within that contemporaries and on to the next generation . "

They reached this conclusion after an experiment lasting over five yr , the first step of which was spawning adult red ear-shell and then , for three months , exposing half their offspring to current sea conditions and the other one-half to highly acidic conditions . The latter represents the potential near - future consideration of the oceans , as carbon dioxide emission bring toocean acidification .

![Researcher performing an ultrasound on red abalone.](https://assets.iflscience.com/assets/articleNo/71889/iImg/72539/Red abalone gets an ultrasound through its tank at Bodega Marine Laboratory _(c). Jackson Gross, UC Davis.jpg)

The researchers carried out ultrasounds on the red abalone to assess their reproductive capabilities.Image credit: Jackson Gross, UC Davis

The giant sea snails that hold out were raised for four year before again being exposed to either mellow or low - acidity conditions for a further 11 months , with monitoring of their reproductive potential and growth . Repeating story , they were then spawned and their offspring were let on to eminent or down in the mouth - sourness conditions – this was to cover whether any impacts of ocean acidification had passed on to the next generation .

The results show that early - life exposure to highly acidulent atmospheric condition create a bequest of tension . Not only did it negatively impact the growth charge per unit and reproductive power of the parent generation , but their materialization also had reduced survival and emergence .

" We were search to see if your parent was exposed , does it buffer you from the impingement ? That was n’t the lawsuit , " Neylan said . " The more you get hit , the worse it is , but there are gleam of promise . "

![Red abalone surrounded by a barren of purple sea urchins.](https://assets.iflscience.com/assets/articleNo/71889/iImg/72541/Urchin Barren surrounds Red Abalone_(c) Katie Sowul , CDFW) .jpg)

Purple sea urchins are one of many threats to red abalone.Image credit: Katie Sowul/California Department of Fish and Wildlife

That hope might calculate on when exposure bump . As well as finding that some reddened abalone families coped good than others , the team also set up that adults tended to be more live to sea acidification . The issue is that , in the wild , the inviolable coastal upwelling events that wreak with them acidic water often happen during spawning season – and these events are predicted to become more vulgar .

With this possibleness in judgment , it ’s hop this research can avail spotlight the threat to red abalone and concentrate efforts to conserve the species , which is heel as critically endangered on theIUCN Red List . The jumbo sea snails are endemic toCalifornia , where they are an authoritative kelp forest species , but have also been a key part of the local cultural history .

" Red ear-shell is a California ikon , " said co - author Daniel Swezey . " Aside from being beautiful , big and long - lived , they have tremendous ethnical cache and a mysterious account . They intend a lot to a lot of mass . "

But with multiple threat to their future tense , there ’s spate of employment to be done to keep this sizeable icon alive . " The question now is , what slit can we make in that to give abalone a opportunity to recover ? ” enunciate Swezey . “ It ’s a tall guild , but we ’re on the case . "

The cogitation is issue in the journalGlobal Change Biology .