Reef ecosystems are complex, three-dimensional marine habitats, typically structured by biogenic reef-builders such as scleractinian corals, coralline algae, or oysters, that support highly diverse, spatially structured communities of microorganisms, algae, invertebrates, and vertebrates. They are characterized by strong environmental gradients (light, nutrients, hydrodynamics), tight biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, and intricate trophic networks linking primary producers, detritivores, and higher consumers. Research on reef ecosystems focuses on processes such as calcification, bioerosion, symbiosis (e.g., coral–Symbiodiniaceae associations), connectivity among reef patches, and responses to stressors including warming, acidification, eutrophication, and overfishing, with implications for ecosystem resilience and regime shifts.
They are beautiful, they are everywhere, and they are absurdly unknown: you are entirely forgiven if you've never heard of foraminifera before. But they play a huge role in the functioning of marine ecosystems, and they are ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 23, 2025
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Coral reefs are renowned for their beauty as well as their diversity. But not many people know that most of the diversity found around coral reefs is completely hidden to the naked eye. Welcome to the world of microbes.
Ecology
Sep 18, 2025
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27
Most coral reefs will soon stop growing and may begin to erode—and almost all will do so if global warming hits 2°C, according to a new study in the western Atlantic. An international team, led by scientists from the University ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 17, 2025
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New study reveals that corals in the Gulf of Aqaba have withstood four consecutive and intensifying marine heat waves, including the world's most extreme 2024 event, without suffering mass bleaching—a resilience unmatched ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 17, 2025
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66
A new deep-sea coral species in the tropical western Pacific that resembles a highly recognizable character from Star Wars has been discovered and named by a team of researchers including an expert from the University of ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 17, 2025
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Many corals and sponges form skeletons that support and shape their bodies. Whereas biomineralization—the formation of these skeletons—has been intensively studied in corals, the main ecosystem engineers of today's hyperdiverse ...
Evolution
Sep 9, 2025
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A living ink containing bacteria attracts coral larvae and could help rebuild reefs. The paper is published in the journal PNAS Nexus.
Ecology
Sep 9, 2025
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29
In the heart of French Polynesia, a narrow channel carves its way through the Fakarava Atoll, connecting a vast lagoon to the open ocean. To the casual eye, it's a beautiful stretch of turquoise water. To a thriving community ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 9, 2025
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48
Corals may lack eyes, but they are far from blind. These delicate animals sense light in ways that continue to amaze and inspire the scientific community.
Ecology
Sep 5, 2025
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70
As coral reefs decline at unprecedented rates, new research has revealed that some coral species may be more resilient to warming temperatures than others.
Ecology
Sep 4, 2025
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