Coral Reefs News

November 20, 2024

Top Headlines

New Genetic Web Tool to Help Restore Climate-Resilient Marine Ecosystems

Oct. 30, 2024 — In the face of increased human pressures and climate change, a team of scientists have launched a new online tool to assist marine managers and restoration experts to bolster the resilience of marine habitat-forming species. The 'Reef Adapt' ...

Researchers Use the Sounds of Healthy Coral Reefs to Encourage Growth of a New Species of Coral Larvae

Oct. 23, 2024 — Healthy coral reefs echo with a chorus of grunts and purrs from fish feeding, looking for mates, or defending their territories, underscored by the persistent crackling of snapping shrimp. Larval ...

Symbiosis in Ancient Corals

Oct. 23, 2024 — A research team has used nitrogen isotope analysis to demonstrate that 385 million years old corals from the Eifel and Sauerland regions had symbionts. This finding represents the earliest evidence of photosymbiosis in corals. Photosymbiosis might ...

Better Ocean Connectivity Boosts Reef Fish Populations

Oct. 18, 2024 — A new study has found that oceanographic connectivity (the movement and exchange of water between different parts of the ocean) is a key influence for fish abundance across the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). Connectivity particularly impacted ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:24pm EST

Young Coral Use Metabolic Tricks to Resist Bleaching

Nov. 12, 2024 — Coral larvae reduce their metabolism and increase nitrogen uptake to resist bleaching in high temperatures, according to a new ...

Scientists Have Successfully Bred Corals to Improve Their Heat Tolerance

Oct. 14, 2024 — A new study has shown that selective breeding can lead to a modest rise in coral heat tolerance. The study documents the world s first effort to selectively breed adult corals for enhanced heat ...

Severe Cold-Water Bleaching and Mortality of Deep-Water Reef Observed in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

Oct. 11, 2024 — New study documents a severe coral bleaching event occurring in a deep coral reef that resulted in high rates of coral mortality. Unlike many ...

Plenty More Fish in the Sea? Environmental Protections Account for Around 10 Percent of Fish Stocks on Coral Reefs

Oct. 7, 2024 — New research shows that international conservation efforts account for approximately 10 percent of fish stocks on coral ...

Coral Reef Destruction a Threat to Human Rights

Sep. 30, 2024 — A human rights-based approach to coral reef protection could ensure governments are held to account for safeguarding marine ...

Humbug Damselfish Use 'Motion Dazzle' to Evade Predators

Sep. 25, 2024 — New research reveals how small coral-reef dwelling humbug damselfish use 'motion dazzle' and adaptive behaviors to confuse potential ...

Dead Coral Skeletons Hinder Reef Regeneration by Sheltering Seaweed

Sep. 26, 2024 — The structural complexity of coral reefs creates a vibrant underwater city populated by a diverse assortment of characters. Ironically, this same complexity can impede coral recovery after ...

Ancient Reef-Builders Dodged Extinction -- At Least Temporarily

Sep. 25, 2024 — Scientists discovered that ancient reef-building stromatoporoids survived the Late Devonian extinction, contrary to previous beliefs, and continued to thrive. The findings reveal how these organisms ...

How Remarkable Diversity in Heat Tolerance Can Help Protect Coral Reefs

Sep. 23, 2024 — New research has found previously undocumented variation in coral heat tolerance on the Great Barrier Reef, giving hope that corals' own genetic resources may hold the key for us to help in its ...

Deeper Corals May Help Shallow Reefs Recover in the Florida Keys

Sep. 23, 2024 — Using blushing coral star and genomic DNA analyses, researchers have uncovered vital links between coral populations at varying depths. They identified four distinct genetic lineages, finding strong ...

Improved Water Quality Offsets in Growing Cities Could Protect Reef

Oct. 3, 2024 — New research shows how growing Queensland regions can learn from biodiversity and carbon offsetting efforts to better meet water quality ...

Microplastics Found in Coral Skeletons

Sep. 20, 2024 — Researchers have found microplastics less than 300 m in size in coral skeletons. The team developed a new protocol to extract and detect microplastics and applied it to coral samples from the Gulf of ...

Sea Surface Temperature Record in the Southwestern Pacific: Coral Colony from Fiji Reveals Warmest Temperatures in Over 600 Years

Sep. 18, 2024 — The sea surface temperature in the Fijian archipelago in the southwestern Pacific is now at its maximum for more than 600 years. This finding is the result of an international research team's ...

New 'Grumpy' Fish Species Discovered in the Red Sea

Sep. 16, 2024 — Scientists have discovered a new species of fish, the 'grumpy dwarfgoby'. Found among coral reefs in the Red Sea, it has large canines and a fierce expression, even though it is only 2 cm ...

Crown-of-Thorns Sea Stars Thrive in Degraded Coral Habitats

Sep. 9, 2024 — A new theory explains how juvenile crown-of-thorns sea stars (commonly known as starfish) can destabilize coral reefs. The 'degraded reef framework' explains how the loss of live coral, ...

Sharks Are Abandoning Stressed Coral Reefs in Warming Oceans

Sep. 9, 2024 — Grey reef sharks are having to abandon the coral reefs they call home in the face of warming oceans, new research finds. Scientists, using a combination of satellite remote sensing and a network of ...

Reef Tourism Encourages Climate Action

Sep. 3, 2024 — New research has revealed that informing tourists visiting the Great Barrier Reef about climate impact doesn't negatively affect their experience and can help encourage climate ...

South Florida Estuaries Warming Faster Than Gulf of Mexico, Global Ocean, USF Research Shows

Aug. 7, 2024 — Estuaries in South Florida have experienced rapid warming over the past two decades, including a record-breaking marine heat wave in 2023, research shows. The findings paint a troubling picture for ...

New Report on Great Barrier Reef Shows Coral Cover Increases Before Onset of Serious Bleaching, Cyclones

Aug. 7, 2024 — Coral cover has increased in all three regions on the Great Barrier Reef and is at regional highs in two of the three regions, according to a new report. But the results come with a note of ...

Warming Stops Tiny Organisms Working Together

Aug. 1, 2024 — Hotter conditions prevent two tiny organisms working together for mutual benefit, new research ...

3D Models Provide Unprecedented Look at Corals' Response to Bleaching Events

July 31, 2024 — Marine biologists are providing a glimpse into coral 'bleaching' responses to stress, using imaging technology to pinpoint coral survival rates following multiple bleaching events off the ...

The Most Endangered Fish Are the Least Studied

July 17, 2024 — The most threatened reef fishes are also the most overlooked by scientists and the general public. Scientists measured the level of human interest in 2,408 species of marine reef fish and found that ...

Reef Pest Feasts on 'Sea Sawdust'

July 17, 2024 — Researchers have uncovered an under the sea phenomenon where coral-destroying crown-of-thorns starfish larvae have been feasting on blue-green algae bacteria known as 'sea ...

Coral Reefs: Battlegrounds for Survival in a Changing Climate

July 8, 2024 — Coral reefs, those vibrant underwater cities, stand on the precipice of collapse. While rising ocean temperatures and coral bleaching grab headlines, a new essay reveals a hidden layer of complexity ...

Ocean Acidification Turns Fish Off Coral Reefs

July 1, 2024 — A new study of coral reefs in Papua New Guinea shows ocean acidification simplifies coral structure, making crucial habitat less appealing to certain fish ...

Researchers Identify Unique Survival Strategies Adopted by Fish in the World's Warmest Waters

July 1, 2024 — A team of researchers have identified unexpected ways coral reef fish living in the warmest waters on earth, in the Arabian Gulf, have adapted to survive extreme ...

Ecologists Reconstruct the History of Biodiversity in the Indo-Australian Archipelago and Its Rise as a Hotspot

June 28, 2024 — The Coral Triangle, also known as the Indo-Australian Archipelago, is renowned for having the greatest marine biodiversity on our planet. Despite its importance, the detailed evolutionary history of ...

To Protect Corals from Summer Heatwaves, We Should Help Their Microbial Symbionts Evolve Heat Tolerance in the Lab

June 27, 2024 — Most coral reef restoration efforts involve restocking reefs with nursery-grown corals. However, if these corals are of the same stock as their wild counterparts, they will be equally vulnerable to ...

Future Risk of Coral Bleaching Set to Intensify Globally

June 26, 2024 — Researchers have projected future marine heatwaves will cause coral reefs to be at severe risk of bleaching for longer periods than previously ...

Restored Rat-Free Islands Could Support Hundreds of Thousands More Breeding Seabirds

June 18, 2024 — Archipelago case-study shows that removing invasive rats and restoring native vegetation could help bring back hundreds of thousands of breeding pairs of seabirds lost to tropical islands. ...