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Wetlands remove pollutants and slow the flow of water, boosting clean water resources. Our global ocean provides equally essential ecosystem services—including half of the oxygen we breathe—and coral reefs are among the primary sources of these services. A healthy reef protects coastlines from wave damage, plays a critical role in providing ...
The fishes that inhabit a coral reef play essential roles in the reef ecosystem, and recent research has shown that reefs without fish struggle to recover from bleaching or other events that damage the coral. When corals die from bleaching, pollution, infection, or some other cause, herbivorous fishes play a critical role in nursing the reef ...
The techniques, which look at microbes and dissolved metabolites – i.e., chemicals that are produced during metabolism –were broadly applied to coral reefs off Florida as a new means to examine reef features, with these techniques also having conservation applications, according to a journal article, “Microorganisms and dissolved ...
4 Octopus. Though many octopus prefer sandy or rocky bottoms and seagrass meadows, a few species make coral reefs home. The most widespread is the common octopus, whose range extends from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean. In Pacific reefs, the day octopus reigns supreme.
Hurricanes and disease outbreaks affect coral reef water microbial communities, leading to changes that may support further reef decline. Microbial analysis enables prompt assessment of disturbances' impacts on coral reefs, facilitating timely interventions to support reef ecosystems.
Stressors can affect organisms living on the reef or they can affect the corals, themselves. When corals die, other organisms must relocate or struggle to survive. Stressors the world over stem from human activity. A three-week-old coral polyp (left), and its delicate skeleton (right). Researchers study the way corals respond to increasing ...
The observatory system enables real-time monitoring of temperature, salinity, and other chemical, biological and physical data critical to understanding the health of and changes in the coral reef ecosystem. Okinawa is situated at the northernmost end of the border between the Pacific and the Indian Oceans.
Puerto Ayora, Ecuador– Scientists examining underwater cliff ecosystems onboard research vessel Falkor (too) using the 4,500 meter robot, ROV SuBastian, have discovered two pristine coral reefs in the waters surrounding the Galápagos Islands. These newly identified cold-water reefs are situated at depths ranging from 370 to 420 meters.
If coral reefs are going to survive they need people to understand the problems, science to develop solutions, and technology to scale up the solutions to reach all reefs. We have a plan to help corals in crisis and, with your support, give reefs a chance. Amy Apprill. Microbial Ecologist, WHOI. Lead, Reef Solutions Initiative.
Corals’ Indispensable Bacterial Buddies. Coral reefs have long been viewed as complex undersea communities, bustling with life. But that vibrant image is more than skin deep, says Amy Apprill. “Generally, when people think of reefs, they think of corals and fish, but there is much more there,” said Apprill, a microbiologist and marine ...