How a coral bleaching event impacts marine life
Today’s Video of the Day comes from the Arc Centre for Excellence in Coral Reef Studies and features a look at how a coral bleaching event affects all of the marine life that inhabit that reef. Once the corals die from bleaching, many young fish will die too.
Corals build structures that provide shelter, food and habitat for an entire ecosystem. When corals are lost, the ecosystem ultimately collapses. Rising levels of carbon dioxide combined with both natural and human-induced pressures continue to intensify the struggle for corals.
“There is still a lot to understand about corals,” says lead author Dr. Torda of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. “While our only real chance for their survival is to reverse climate change, a nugget of hope exists – that the corals may be able to adapt to their changing environment.”
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By Rory Arnold, Earth.com
Video Credit: G. Torda
