A new study of coral reefs in Papua New Guinea shows ocean acidification simplifies coral structure, making crucial habitat less appealing to certain fish species.
While much media attention has focused on heat stress-induced coral bleaching, this finding, by a University of Adelaide research team led by Professor Ivan Nagelkerken, adds nuance to concerns about how global warming affects coral reefs .
Researchers observed two reefs in Upa-Upasina, Papua New Guinea: one located next to a volcanic seep releasing a steady stream of carbon dioxide, causing natural acidification, and another located 500 metres away unaffected by the volcanic gases. Of the five damselfish species Professor Nagelkerken's research team observed, two displayed a preference for complex, branched structures; while two others were not disinclined to interact with simplified coral structures but still sought out complex habitats even as they became scarce. A fifth rubble-specialist species associated most strongly with rubble.
"If we continue to emit carbon dioxide unabated, at some point in the future we could see such levels of ocean acidification in Australia," says Professor Nagelkerken, who worked alongside colleagues from James Cook University as part of an international team that included researchers from New Caledonia, Hong Kong and Japan.
The way to avoid this looming future, according to Professor Nagelkerken, is simple."We should increase our efforts to reduce COJamie Priest, Camilo M. Ferreira, Philip L. Munday, Amelia Roberts, Riccardo Rodolfo‐Metalpa, Jodie L. Rummer, Celia Schunter, Timothy Ravasi, Ivan Nagelkerken.New research in the southwestern part of Hawai'i Island shows that identifying and protecting marine ecosystems both down-current and up-current of coral reefs, specifically areas where coral larvae ...
Marine Biology Nature Ecology Research Ecology Coral Reefs Global Warming Oceanography
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