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.
A recent report on global tipping points warned that coral reefs face widespread dieback and have reached a point from which they cannot recover.
Ecology
Mar 8, 2026
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Why does a Caribbean angelfish sometimes resemble its Indo-Pacific cousin, even though they have never lived in the same ocean? Why do coral reefs harbor such a wide range of stripes, spots and patterns? A study conducted ...
Evolution
Mar 5, 2026
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The European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) was once widespread in the North Sea. However, overfishing, habitat destruction and infectious diseases pushed the species to the brink of extinction in some regions nearly one hundred ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 5, 2026
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New Zealand's earlier efforts to safeguard marine or coastal environments, particularly as marine reserves and marine protected areas, typically focused on shallow ecosystems, largely because that is where most data exists.
Ecology
Feb 27, 2026
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Giant clams (Tridacna gigas), members of the family Tridacnidae and among the most striking inhabitants of tropical coral reefs, are being driven toward extinction. Over-harvesting for jewelry, the aquarium trade, and food, ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 26, 2026
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Coral reefs are teeming with life: they are home to over a third of all marine animal and plant species on Earth, despite covering less than one percent of the ocean floor. However, this immense diversity is under threat ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 25, 2026
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Rising sea temperatures are causing coral reefs around the world to bleach. For the first time, a research team at the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has ...
Ecology
Feb 25, 2026
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A new study from NYU Abu Dhabi has found that small coral reef fish in the Arabian Gulf are facing a hidden but growing source of stress. When oxygen levels drop at night, a common occurrence on some of the world's hottest ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 24, 2026
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13
Just like a human newborn, coral larvae need just the right environment to settle and begin their new life. Understanding the ideal surface geometry for coral settlement and early growth was the shared goal of a new research ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 23, 2026
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12
Growing up, you probably changed your style based on your social influences. It turns out, such pressures affect the appearance of young clownfish (anemonefish) too. A new study from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology ...
Evolution
Feb 19, 2026
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