Smithsonian scientists discover new marine species in eastern Pacific
...o thoroughly sample the entire fauna, not just the corals and fishes. Since most studies of the Eastern Pacific date back 100 years, it is vital to obtain current data from the area....Regardless of global warming, rising CO2 levels threaten marine life
...he higher acidity threatens marine life, including corals and shellfish, which may become extinct later this... With less carbonate ions available, the growth of corals and shellfish could be significantly reduced. "In our study, the increase in ocean acidity and decre...Corals that can fight global warming may one day help fragile reefs
...ve large temperature fluctuations, such species as corals are only comfortable within a 12-degree temperatur...an Francisco, Feb. 18, Caribbean gorgonian sea fan corals show surprising warm-weather tenacity -- they not only are somewhat temperature resilient but can al...The last wild hunt -- Deep-sea fisheries scrape bottom of the sea
...ttom and weigh up to 15 tons, can destroy deep-sea corals and sponge beds that have taken centuries or mille...surviving." Ecosystem Impacts Ancient deep-sea corals suffer collateral damage from bottom trawlers. "In some places skippers have replaced their nets wit...Plant-grazing fish boost resilience of coral reefs facing stress
...s exhibited resilience in recovery, recruiting new corals to the reef and keeping algal growth in check, the reef areas from which large fish were excluded showed a distinct erosion in reef quality, with assemblages of algae and plant life overgrowing the reef and preventing the recruitment of new coral. ...Risk of extinction accelerated due to interacting human threats
...tion, all of which directly or indirectly kill the corals and leave them vulnerable to erosion and loss of their complex matrix. Habitat loss is also occurring in areas that are very important to the ecological functioning of coral reefs such as estuaries and mangroves. Finally, it, is the widespread effect...In many habitats, competition is the drama, but benefactors set the stage
...use they are similar to other habitat species like corals and kelps but are more easily subjected to experiments in their natural setting. Cordgrass, which can establish and persist without the aid of other foundation species, facilitates a dense assemblage of inhabitants (e.g., mussels, snails, seaweeds...Fish species plays surprise role in aiding coral reef recovery
...ely documented shift from a healthy state in which corals dominate to a weedy state in which algae (so-called macro algae") dominate. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that this phase shift can be triggered by a loss of algae-consuming herbivores, especially parrotfishes and surgeonfishes. However, the cr...Coral stress 'like never in history'
...ng as little as 100 years to be repopulated by the corals that normally occurred there. Although they are struck by more high impact events, some of todays reefs are still proving to be able to bounce back to good health with a little help. "The recovery of the Great Barrier Reef from the devastating ...Ocean sampling yields environmental sources of coral symbionts
...elling places of the symbiotic organisms that reef corals need for survival. The symbiosis between special algal species and reef corals is the foundation of a highly productive and biologically complex ecosystem, but our understanding o...Stormy days ahead for coral reefs
...same scale, allowing scientists to determine which corals will live and which will die. The most vulnerable corals are the table corals which have a broad flat top supported by a narrow stalk, making them more susce......ter temperatures off Geraldton today, allowing the corals to flourish and reefs to form. The discovery is of...inty and concern lies. Now from the Margaret River corals we have evidence of not only unusually warm ocean temperatures, but that that this was associated wi...... compounds). However some communities of deep-sea corals associated with many seeps are probably filter feeders. Recent research findings indicate that the corals around the seeps may be much more widespread at seeps than previously realised. This fact adds to th...Philippines president enacts new national conservation policy
... species including fish, shrimp, crabs, seaweeds, corals sea turtles, sea snakes and others. "Several studies confirm that the central Philippines region, from Luzon to Mindanao, has more marine species per unit area than any other place on the planet," said Kent Carpenter, CI's Global Marine Species Ass...Tiny 'housekeeper' crabs help prevent coral death in South Pacific
...g to the study. Thus the relationship between the corals and the trapeziid crabs is mutually beneficial, or...ly a centimeter wide, make their home in branching corals like Acropora or Pocillopora. The research was done on coral reefs near the shore of the French Poly......t considers the early life stage dynamics of stony corals (i.e. brain corals) within their natural environment to help scientists aid in coral's survival in the face of modern-world challenges, including an increasingly acidic marine environment and global warming. As a part of the National Center for Cora...NASA satellite data helps assess the health of Florida's coral reef
...nd species of coral and the extent of bleaching -- corals turn white when tiny algae that live inside them d...y some to be a modest success story as many of the corals persist despite the many stressors including impacts from human coastal development and recreation."...Economic crisis, civil war and tsunami no problem if reefs well managed
...fish assemblages at these sites." "Damage to the corals was surprisingly limited and trivial when compared to pre-existing damage, probably caused by destructive fishing practices," says Dr Andrew Baird of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, JCU who was a member of...Earth's most diverse marine life found off Indonesia's Papua Province
...hools of reef fish populating abundant and healthy corals of all shapes and sizes. Threats from over-fishing with dynamite and cyanide, as well as deforestation and mining that degrade coastal waters, require immediate steps to protect the unique marine life that sustains local communities. The seascape'...Ecological change, climate variation addressed at international conference, September 20-24
...lt in high rates of sediment deposit.Although many corals can remove sediment from their surfaces, increasin...ziid crabs in reducing the effects of sediments on corals at the Moorea Coral Reef LTER site.Removing the crabs from the corals resulted in the death of 50 to...