In recent years, numerous scientific studies have been published that warn that the increase in temperatures and the acidification of the oceans, a phenomenon that seriously disturbs the development of corals, could cause the disappearance of a large part of these marine organisms throughout of this century . Now, a team of researchers from different institutions coordinated by Cheryl M. Woodley, a biologist with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has found that many other coral populations, which until now were considered healthy, have lost their reproductive capacity.
In a report presented during the last international symposium on coral reefs, held in Honolulu (Hawaii), these experts point out that this circumstance will negatively affect their possible recovery. Some ecologists have proposed using healthy corals to repopulate the hardest hit reefs , but if, as it seems, many of them cannot reproduce, it will be impossible to do so. As they indicate, these, in essence, behave like undead.
To determine this, Woodley and his collaborators have studied 327 colonies of these animals, especially of the Acropora palmata species, one of the most threatened, between Florida and the Virgin Islands, east of Puerto Rico. In the most remote areas near this last enclave, the corals kept their reproductive capacity intact, but in several points near the Keys they had lost it completely.
“In general, the most touristy and divers-frequented places are those that have suffered the most damage,” says John Fauth, a biologist at the University of Central Florida who participated in this study. In 2015, Fauth and other scientists discovered that a chemical compound in certain sunscreen had a devastating effect on corals . This had been found in high concentrations in the Caribbean and Hawaii.
“Urgent action is necessary. For example, the use of these compounds should be prevented near corals, ”says Fauth. “ Reefs are the most valuable marine ecosystems in every way , also for sport fishing and tourism. We have to make sure they survive for generations to come, ”he says.
Image: Toby Hudson / GNU / CC
