coral Archives - Science Connected Magazine

How Can Caribbean Corals Cope with Climate Change?

November 9, 2017November 9, 2017 Science ConnectedCaribbean corals, climate change, coral, coral reefs

By Justin Baumann @jbaumann3 The planet is warming. This is a fact we should all be comfortable with by now. As a result of this warming (and other human-caused stressors such as overfishing and nutrient pollution coupled with disease), coral reefs are in decline globally. Corals are animals that live in a symbiotic relationship with algae from the genus Symbiodinium. These symbionts are photosynthetic and transfer sugars to the coral host. While corals can also capture prey using their stinging cells and tentacles, most reef-building corals rely heavily on the…

Animals Citizen Science Environment Oceanography

Underwater Gardening: Coral Reefs and Aquaculture

August 31, 2017August 31, 2017 Science Connectedaquaculture, coral, coral farming, coral reefs, restoration

By Shayna Keyles Twitter @shaynakeyles Instagram @shaynakeyles Our oceans are home to most of the world’s biodiversity, and 25 percent of its diversity thrives in coral reefs—that’s about two million species that call the reefs their home. But as reefs suffer the effects of climate change and globalization (several Caribbean reef-building species are now considered endangered), their ecosystems suffer, too. Fish colonies that provide food for coastal communities dry up, and the natural barriers that the reefs create become less effective, leading to more destruction in the wake of tropical…

Biology Environment Oceanography

Coral Gardening Effectively Restores Staghorn Corals

August 22, 2017August 22, 2017 Science Connectedcoral, coral reefs, gardening

By Neha Jain @lifesciexplore Staghorn corals (Acropora cervicornis)—a threatened species that resembles deer antlers—are effectively restored by coral gardening, a process that involves cutting coral fragments from healthy, wild donor colonies, rearing the coral fragments in underwater nurseries, and outplanting or reattaching onto degraded reefs, finds a study conducted in the Caribbean. The study demonstrates that current restoration methods are very effective, that no excess damage is done to donor colonies, and that once outplanted, the corals behave like wild colonies. Stephanie Schopmeyer, a coral biologist at the University of…

Environment Oceanography

Coral Bleaching: Reefs Continue to Suffer

October 9, 2015October 9, 2015 Science Connectedclimate change, coral, coral reefs, marine animals, oceanography

By Kate Stone Waters are warming in the Caribbean, threatening coral reefs in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, scientists report. As record-high ocean temperatures cause widespread coral bleaching across Hawaii, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists have confirmed that the same stressful conditions are impacting the Caribbean and may last into 2016, prompting the declaration of the third global coral bleaching event ever on record. What is Happening to the Coral Reefs? “Last year’s bleaching at Lisianski Atoll was the worst our scientists have seen,” says Randy…