The result was not good news for the oysters that were in the warmer environment. Three weeks after the start of exposure to cadmium, half of the oysters in the warmer environment had died and those exposed to 24°C lost 6% of their population (Raloff, 2005). The good news is that all oysters exposed to the cooler temperature survived. This could mean that the oysters are prepared for fluctuations in water temperature. However, if the water temperature were suddenly too high, the animals would not have time to adapt and the environment would then be harmful to their animals..