Several rare varieties of staghorn coral have begun mating across species lines and are creating surprisingly robust hybrids, according to a new study; researchers believe the unusual step is an effort to adapt to changing ocean conditions and avoid extinction. The findings are an unexpected piece of promising news about coral reefs, which usually make the headlines for their potential fate as one of the first victims of global warming.
Coral reefs around the world are under pressure from pollution and gradually warming oceans, and researchers have worried that rare species are particularly vulnerable to extinction. But in the case of these staghorns, the new study shows that when faced with a shortage of mates of their own kind, these rare corals have cast a wider net and started cross-breeding with other coral species, producing hybrids. “It pushes the boundaries of our traditional understanding of species,” said a researcher, Zoe Richards. “They are being a little promiscuous” [Sydney Morning-Herald].
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President Bush has proposed protecting vast swaths of marine territory in the South Pacific from commercial fishing and offshore drilling, in a move that some environmentalists have said could earn him a legacy as the “Teddy Roosevelt of the seas.” This week, Bush is expected to ask his Cabinet for comments on conservation proposals for marine ecosystems around the Northern Mariana islands, the Line Islands, and American Samoa.
While the Bush administration’s environmental record has generally received harsh criticism from environmentalists, these proposals are being seen as a cause for celebration. “We have every expectation that the president will move forward on protecting these places sometime in the fall,” said Diane Regas, ocean program director at Environmental Defense Fund. “Today, we put the champagne on ice, and we will pop it open.” Two years ago, the president made a huge swath of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a national monument, barring fishing, oil and gas extraction and tourism from its waters and coral reefs. The area is the single largest conservation area on the planet [AP].
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Coral reefs can resemble underwater monuments, with strong towers and meandering walls that stand firm against the tides. But a new study says that if global warming causes ocean water to become more acidic those elaborate structures may crumble because the cement-like binding agent that holds the reefs together won’t be able to form in those inhospitable waters.
Most of the world’s coral reefs aren’t yet showing signs of this degradation, as ocean pH is slow to change and reefs form slowly. But researchers got a chance to peer into the possible future in an area of the eastern Pacific off Central America… where the water is more acidic than elsewhere, thanks to the upwelling of carbon-dioxide-rich waters. Coral reefs in this region are poorly developed and tend to erode rapidly [The New York Times].
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Researchers are sounding the alarm about the world’s coral reefs, declaring that one-third of reef-building species are now threatened with extinction. If the news sounds familiar, it’s because researchers published a separate report about the dire condition of reef ecosystems in U.S. waters earlier this week.
The new study widens the focus to look at all coral reefs throughout the world’s oceans, and also issues a terrifying diagnosis: Unless action is taken, it is conceivable that the “rainforests of the ocean” could be wiped out this century.… “Whether corals actually go extinct this century will depend on the continued severity of climate change, extent of other environmental disturbances, and the ability of corals to adapt” [Telegraph], researchers write in the journal Science [subscription required].
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Put this one in the bad news file: A new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states that half of the coral reef ecosystems in U.S. waters are ailing, and that their condition has declined precipitously in the three years since the last report. Since 2005 the Caribbean has lost 50 percent of its corals primarily because of rising ocean temperatures, which are linked to global warming, the report says.
Besides being a marvel of the natural world, the coral reefs serve as breeding grounds for many of the world’s seafood species and act as indicators of overall ocean health…. [NOAA official Timothy] Keeney said 25 percent of all marine species need coral reefs to live and grow, while 40 percent of the fish caught commercially use reefs to breed. “If we lose the reefs, you lose a very significant and important habitat,” Keeney said [AP].
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