All articles tagged with #coral reef
Invasive rats on tropical islands decimate seabird populations and their nutrient-rich guano subsidies to surrounding coral reefs. This reduces nutrient input and reshapes the reef cryptofauna: rat-free reefs are dominated by tiny cryptobenthic fishes, while rat-infested reefs see relatively more invertebrates and altered predator–prey dynamics, signaling cascading changes through the reef food web.
New research shows invasive rats on Indian Ocean islands decimate seabirds, cutting nutrient inputs to coral reefs and rewiring reef food webs. The loss of seabird-derived nutrients shifts the base of the ecosystem from cryptobenthic fishes to invertebrates, altering predator energy pathways and illustrating a complex, uneven nutrient impact across rat-infested and rat-free reefs.
A coral reef off Benin long thought dead has been found alive in a mesophotic, deeper low-light zone. Researchers used 1960s records to guide sonar surveys and underwater drone footage, revealing a living ecosystem with eight fish species and eight coral types. The find highlights gaps in reef mapping and conservation planning and sets the stage for further fieldwork to confirm species and health, with potential implications for regional biodiversity and local fisheries.
Scientists rediscovered a healthy mesophotic reef off Benin, West Africa, more than 60 years after it was first hinted at, hosting at least eight coral types and eight fish species (including soft corals and black corals). The reef lies about 175 feet below the surface and bridges shallow and deep habitats, offering opportunities for paleoclimatic study and carbon dating, with plans to seek protection and hopes that the Gulf of Guinea becomes a regional hub for marine science.
A coral reef long presumed dead off the West African coast was found to be alive and teeming with life after modern sonar surveys and an underwater drone revealed a mesophotic coral ecosystem with eight coral types and eight fish species, marking the first confirmed living reef in the Gulf of Guinea shelf and highlighting how little is known about coastal West African ecosystems, with further sampling still needed to confirm species identities and extent.
A deep-water coral reef off Benin, previously deemed dead from 1960s surveys, has been rediscovered thriving thanks to modern sonar, an underwater drone, and the Deep Sea Camera System. The researchers mapped 11.5 km of seabed, found eight coral types and eight fish species (including golden African snappers and Guinean angelfish), and identified it as a mesophotic ecosystem. Further sampling is needed to confirm coral vitality and historical status, but the find points to an underexplored reef habitat with implications for ocean history and conservation.
Crown-of-thorns starfish are large, venomous sea stars with up to 21 spines that can reach 80 cm; their toxins can cause severe pain and, in rare cases, fatal reactions. More pressingly, they voraciously eat hard coral—up to about 10 square meters per starfish per year—threatening reefs like the Great Barrier Reef and capable of wiping out reef sections in weeks when populations surge. They regrow from fragments, making culling ineffective, so management favors injections of vinegar or bile salts. Natural predators such as giant triton snails and many reef fish help limit outbreaks, and the presence of giant tritons can even drive COTS away. They feed by everting their stomachs to digest coral tissue, turning it into a coral soup before retracting it.
Jamaican researchers are testing underwater speakers that play healthy reef sounds to attract fish to bleached corals, following a similar Great Barrier Reef study that boosted fish on sound-equipped artificial reefs; the effort also involves 3D-printed artificial reefs and lab-grown coral with the Alligator Head Foundation, but it's too early to know if Jamaica will see recovery, and volunteers can support via the foundation.
Nature's annual Scientists at Work photo contest showcases striking scenes from research—from coral reef incubation chambers measuring oxygen to algal blooms, a fluorescent mosquito study, microbes on a whale shark, and the winning ibises-with-guides image—highlighting the people and ecosystems behind modern science.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake off southern Mindanao caused coastal uplift of up to about 2 meters, exposing seabed and damaging coral reefs and seagrass beds, as at least 61 people died and many more are missing.
Diver Jamie Wilson filming the Great Barrier Reef captured hundreds of pale surgeonfish visiting a cleaning station, and one fish abruptly darkened from white to black. Scientists say such color changes may signal to cleaner wrasse that the fish is ready for a cleaning and not a threat, aiding parasite removal and communication in reef ecosystems.
Scientists have discovered a largely undisturbed deep-sea coral reef in a submerged canyon off Naples, offering a rare glimpse of Mediterranean biodiversity and a baseline for conservation as researchers map the habitat with advanced imaging and ROVs.
A Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition off Argentina found unexpectedly rich deep-sea biodiversity beyond a single seep, identifying 28 potential new species around a vast Bathelia candida coral reef and capturing rare sightings such as the phantom jellyfish and Argentina’s first deep-sea whale fall.
A stunning new image captured by marine biologist Phil Dustan reveals a vibrant coral reef thriving around the wreck of the Frederick W. Day schooner, located 11 miles off Charleston. The wreck, which sank in 1914, has become an artificial reef supporting diverse tropical marine life, but overfishing threatens its ecosystem. Dustan and diver Tom Robinson advocate for marine protected areas to preserve this unique underwater habitat, highlighting its ecological and climate significance.
Scientists have discovered the largest deep coral reef off the US Atlantic coast, stretching for about 310 miles from Florida to South Carolina and reaching 68 miles wide at some points. This reef, found at depths ranging from 655 feet to 3,280 feet, is nearly three times the size of Yellowstone National Park and provides habitat for a variety of marine life. Using new underwater mapping technology, researchers identified 83,908 individual coral mound peak features in the Blake Plateau, highlighting the significance of this previously unknown reef ecosystem.