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.
Climate-driven disturbances such as marine heat waves are rapidly reducing coral cover and degrading reef ecosystems worldwide. Using a mathematical model, a research team led by Subhendu Chakraborty at the Leibniz Center ...
Ecology
Mar 25, 2026
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According to the authors of a study published in the journal Coral Reefs, fire corals may be undergoing a "silent extinction." Coral bleaching occurs when seawater temperatures rise, causing the zooxanthellae (microalgae ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 25, 2026
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New research led by James Cook University (JCU) emphasizes that the success of marine protected areas (MPAs) depends largely on understanding and influencing people's behaviors within their borders. The study demonstrates ...
Ecology
Mar 20, 2026
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The Indo-Pacific is the largest marine biogeographical region on Earth and a global center of marine biodiversity. Nevertheless, there are gaps remaining in our understanding of the diversity, distribution, and endemism of ...
Ecology
Mar 17, 2026
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An antibiotic treatment used in many parts of the Caribbean and on Florida's Coral Reef to combat stony coral tissue loss disease does not exhibit negative side effects, scientists at Nova Southeastern University, in collaboration ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 17, 2026
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From sea turtles to birds and the gentle dugong, the Persian Gulf's diverse but fragile marine life is threatened by the bombs and oil of the war in the Middle East.
Ecology
Mar 17, 2026
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Coral reefs over the past 12,000 years grew best when the ocean temperature was 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius), according to new research from Florida Tech. Recent ocean warming and regional and local disturbances ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 12, 2026
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In April 2019, a marine heat wave struck a coral reef on the island of Moorea in French Polynesia, killing much of the coral and the beneficial algae that colonized it. This "bleaching" event reduced live coral populations ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 11, 2026
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New genetic testing from the University of the Sunshine Coast has uncovered the extraordinary lengths a group of Queensland seabirds will travel to keep love blossoming on their little island. It's a common complaint for ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 11, 2026
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Somewhere in the North Atlantic, more than a kilometer beneath its surface, a cold-water coral reef stretches across an unnamed seamount. Despite never appearing on a chart, this underwater forest has existed for centuries, ...
Ecology
Mar 9, 2026
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