Tag: coral reefs
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Parasitic Flatworm Could Decimate Coral Reefs Worldwide
A coral-eating flatworm with a unique camouflaging strategy could be a major threat to the world’s coral reefs, according to researchers in the U.K. The parasite, called Amakusaplana acroporae, infects a type of staghorn coral known as acropora, a major component of reefs, and can destroy its coral host very quickly. [caption id="attachment_330349" align="alignnone" width="500"] Acropora grandis (Staghorn…
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Coral Skeletons Reveal Centuries of Rising Sea Levels
A new study published in the international journal Nature Communications has revealed how Western Australia’s coral reefs have been affected by changing ocean currents, rising sea surface temperatures and sea level variability. Scientists from The University of Western Australia (UWA), the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), CSIRO and the University of San Diego analyzed coral cores from…
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Coral Reef Ecosystems Devastated by Climate Change
Corals are peculiarly sensitive to sea temperatures—they tend to bleach if seas get hotter—and many corals live and flourish near the limits of their tolerance. Coral reefs are also home to an estimated 25 percent of all marine species, so the loss of a reef has a serious effect on marine biodiversity, as well as…