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 new study led by researchers at UH Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) ToBo Lab has revealed that giant clam populations in American Sāmoa are far more stable and abundant than previously thought, demonstrating ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 22, 2025
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25
When a ship sinks, it is often in tragic circumstances. Beneath the waves, however, a different story unfolds: shipwrecks become the foundations of new life.
Ecology
Dec 22, 2025
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22
Oxygen tank strapped to his back, Michael del Rosario moves his fins delicately as he glides along an underwater nursery just off the Dominican Republic coast, proudly showing off the "coral babies" growing on metal structures ...
Ecology
Dec 16, 2025
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9
Sea urchins are ecosystem engineers, the marine equivalent of mega-herbivores on land. By grazing and shredding seaweed and seagrass, they control algal growth and promote the survival of slow-growing organisms like corals ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 11, 2025
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83
Coral reefs may seem like paradise, but they are being degraded by a range of global and local factors, including climate change, poor water quality, and overfishing. New research reveals that connections between reefs help ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 9, 2025
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50
Coral reefs have long been celebrated as biodiversity hotspots—but new research shows they have also played a much deeper role: conducting the rhythm of Earth's carbon and climate cycles for more than 250 million years.
Earth Sciences
Dec 1, 2025
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247
New research reveals that one of the largest-ever marine conservation initiatives has helped to prevent more frequent crown-of-thorns starfish (CoTS) outbreaks on the Great Barrier Reef.
Plants & Animals
Dec 1, 2025
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28
One of the most comprehensive surveys to date of shark and other large predator fish in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) ocean finds that remote marine protected areas (MPAs)—including the Galapagos, Malpelo, Clipperton, ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 26, 2025
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225
Floridians are not used to hearing the word "extinct" applied to species that play significant roles in the state's ecological and economic landscape.
Plants & Animals
Nov 24, 2025
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16
A new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) published in Coral Reefs reveals why many coral reef fishers remain in poverty, even as fish stocks decline and some fishers leave the profession. The research shows ...
Environment
Nov 24, 2025
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13
