Up to 25% of marine species depend on coral reefs, one of the most important animals in the ocean. This organism is vital for life in the oceans, but they are fragile ecosystems and, in recent years, highly threatened.
Despite this, there may still be hope for coral reefs: According to joint research by the University of Queensland, the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences and the University of Sheffield, there are still 100 reefs in the Great Barrier Reef that they are key to promoting the regional recovery of the ecosystem.
What happens to coral reefs?
Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef, a large coral ecosystem consisting of more than 3,800 individual reefs , has recently suffered severe damage, including unprecedented coral bleaching in the past two years.
The seriousness of this fact has drawn the attention of the scientific community to the current state of coral reefs around the world and the challenges that must be faced to preserve them.
The results of the new research suggest that these reefs not only appear to be less exposed to the damaging effects of starfish bleaching and predation, but are also well connected to other reefs by ocean currents , and therefore possess the potential to provide coral larvae to support the recovery of other reefs.
These 100 reefs that meet three essential criteria to promote coral recovery:
First, reefs must be in cool areas and are rarely damaged by coral bleaching; this means that corals are relatively healthy on these reefs and capable of supplying larvae (fertilized eggs) to other reefs.
Second, because larvae travel in ocean currents, reefs should be located in areas that supply as many reefs with larvae as possible.
Finally, although these reefs should supply coral larvae, they should not spread crown-of-thorns starfish larvae.
Although the 100 reefs only make up 3% of the entire Great Barrier Reef, they have the potential to supply larvae to almost half (45%) of the entire ecosystem in a single year.
Reefs are in serious danger
Still, these findings in no way suggest that the Great Barrier Reef corals are safe and in perfect condition, warns Dr. Hock: “The fact that the study only identified about a hundred of these reefs along along the 2,300 kilometer length of the Great Barrier Reef emphasizes the need for effective local protection of hotspots and reduced carbon emissions to support this majestic ecosystem ” .
Researchers agree that it is possible to save the Great Barrier Reef, but to do so, it is necessary to seriously mitigate climate change.
Focusing efforts on these well-connected reefs and monitoring their health may be a step in the right direction, but the ecosystem remains vulnerable to the impacts of multiple stressors.
