Biodiversité : étudier la biologie des coraux précieux | Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer (2024)

FAQs

What kills coral reefs? ›

Pollution, overfishing, destructive fishing practices using dynamite or cyanide, collecting live corals for the aquarium market, mining coral for building materials, and a warming climate are some of the many ways that people damage reefs all around the world every day.

Coral bleaching matters because once these corals die, reefs rarely come back. With few corals surviving, they struggle to reproduce, and entire reef ecosystems, on which people and wildlife depend, deteriorate.

Conservation methods such as NTAs help to maintain the balance of life on the coral reef, and healthy populations of herbivorous fish assist in preventing seaweed blooms, allowing corals to re-grow after a disturbance.

This is known as 'coral bleaching'. Some corals can feed themselves, but without the zooxanthellae, most corals starve. A healthy Reef can recover from coral bleaching, but it needs time and the right conditions. Coral reefs take around a decade to fully recover.

When bleaching is localised, healthy coral nearby can also help repopulate the area. But in instances of more severe, extensive or repeated bleaching events, or when additional stresses such as pollution or ocean acidification come into play, large swathes of coral may die and recovery can take decades.

Even the slightest change in pH, temperature, salinity, calcium, alkalinity, nutrient levels, PAR levels, light spectrum, or water flow can throw off that stability that corals need. So the advice here is to stop making regular changes to these things and just let the tank stabilize.

Fish, marine worms, barnacles, crabs, snails and sea stars all prey on the soft inner tissues of coral polyps. In extreme cases, entire reefs can be devastated if predator populations become too high.

Globally, coral reefs have declined by half since the 1950s, largely due to climate change. Indeed, the leading scientific authority on climate change suggests that if the world warms by 1.5 degrees Celsius, relative to pre-industrial times, coral reefs could decline by 70 percent to 90 percent.

Coral bleaching events that lead to significant coral mortality can drive large shifts in fish communities. This can translate into reduced catches for fishers targeting reef fish species, which in turn leads to impacts on food supply and associated economic activities.

Increased ocean temperatures and changing ocean chemistry are the greatest global threats to coral reef ecosystems. These threats are caused by warmer atmospheric temperatures and increasing levels of carbon dioxide dissolved in seawater. As atmospheric temperatures rise, so do seawater temperatures.

How do coral reefs dying affect humans? ›

According to the United Nations, around one billion people globally depend on coral reefs for their food and livelihoods. Let that sink in for a second. Their disappearance would be catastrophic; resulting in hundreds of millions of people around the world losing their main source of food and income.

The repercussions of a world without corals would be dire. More than a quarter of the planet's sea life depends on reefs, and 1 billion humans need them and the creatures they support for food and livelihood. Reefs protect coastal settlements from storms and floods.

Coral reefs protect coastlines from storms and erosion, provide jobs for local communities, and offer opportunities for recreation. They are also are a source of food and new medicines. Over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income, and protection.

A library of corals, brought in from the wild, could be an insurance policy in the face of climate change, providing the genetic material to restore the reefs of the future. For long-term storage, some corals could end up in the deep freezer. Scientists are working on preserving corals by cryogenically freezing them.

Coral reefs are hotbeds of biodiversity, acting as sites for shelter, reproduction, feeding, and nursery areas for a diversity of marine species. Although these reefs make up less than 1% of the ocean floor, they support an estimated 25% of all marine species.

improving the quality of water flowing to the Reef. supporting world-leading reef management. accelerating the development of restoration and adaptation measures to help the Reef adapt to climate change; and. empowering people to care for the reef through strong partnerships and collaboration.