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.
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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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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43
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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26
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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30
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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18
When Andrew Baker looks out at the vacant lot next to his office on Virginia Key, he doesn't see the trees or grass that are there now. He sees a factory of the future. One story tall, roughly the size of half a football ...
Ecology
Sep 4, 2025
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26
Coral reefs are in crisis. Rising ocean temperatures driven by climate change are pushing these ecosystems to the brink, with mass bleaching events becoming more frequent and severe.
Plants & Animals
Sep 1, 2025
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27
Marine biologists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography have released a new database of size parameters for 1,308 species of Pacific coral reef fishes, advancing scientists' understanding of fish health and ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 27, 2025
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