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Staghorn and elkhorn coral have become threatened species. These corals are the building blocks of reefs in the Caribbean and Florida Keys. Part of the "Coral Comeback" series.
(Source: DCMP)
Describes how coral reefs form and their importance to the sea life they sustain. Gives characteristics of hard and soft coral and shows examples, pointing out that both grow extremely slowly. Locates major coral reefs on a map and restates reefs' contributions to humans. Names several different threats that could destroy these wonderful phenomena.
Home to 25% of all marine species, coral reefs protect the coastlines of more than 100 countries and provide 500 million people with jobs. However, reefs are experiencing damage due to climate change, ocean acidification, and other pressures. Mote Tropical Research Lab and the Coral Restoration Foundation, both in the Florida Keys, are performing groundbreaking work by accelerating coral growth in the lab, creating nurseries in the ocean, and replanting on damaged reefs. Their efforts create hope for the future of sustainable coral reefs around the globe.
What are coral? They are part animal, vegetable, and mineral. These marine invertebrates typically live in compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Corals species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton. Part of the "Coral Comeback" series.
Corals have been devastated by the past few years of intense ocean heat. However, coral scientists are getting closer to understanding what makes certain species of coral able to withstand high temperatures. Part of the "Coral Comeback" series.
Symone Johnson, educator at National Aquarium, provides an overview of the series "Coral Comeback." She outlines coral reefs and discusses their importance to healthy ocean ecosystems. Part of the "Coral Comeback" series.
Societal change and growth is impacting the ocean ecosystem. One of these consequences is the rapid decline and death of coral reefs. Part of the "Coral Comeback" series.
Marine biologists in Hawaii investigate “super corals,” which thrive even as ocean temperatures rise. In this episode, the scientists reveal how corals create underwater cities bustling with life and explain how healthy and dying corals live side by side. Part of the "Super Corals" series.
This animation zooms into a coral reef to explore the tiny animals that build reefs, the photosynthetic algae inside their cells, and the damaging process of coral bleaching. Corals get much of their energy from symbiotic algae that live inside their cells. When ocean temperatures rise beyond a certain threshold, the algae’s photosynthetic machinery may be damaged and produce harmful reactive oxygen molecules. This animation shows how corals subsequently eject their algae in a process called coral bleaching, which causes the corals to turn white and often eventually die.
In this episode, marine biologists take a close look at microscopic images of "super corals." The images reveal a dynamic interaction between colorful algae and the coral they inhabit. Part of the "Super Corals" series.
Corals get much of their energy from symbiotic algae that live inside their cells. When ocean temperatures rise beyond a certain threshold, the algae’s photosynthetic machinery may be damaged and produce harmful reactive oxygen molecules. This animation shows how corals subsequently eject their algae in a process called coral bleaching, which causes the corals to turn white and often eventually die.
In this episode, scientists try to uncover what makes 25 percent of individual corals tolerant of warmer water. Can these "super corals" be strategically planted to help reefs withstand climate change? Part of the "Super Corals" series.
Learn about some of the bold and brilliant ideas researchers and conservationists have to rescue corals and coral reefs from disaster. Part of the "Coral Comeback" series.
Can damage to coral reefs be repaired? Two researchers are looking for solutions to this question. Dr. Steve Palumbi conducts research on the corals around Ofu Island in American Samoa. He is trying to determine why these native corals can withstand ocean temperatures that, in other coral species, would lead to coral bleaching. Along with graduate student Megan Morikawa, Palumbi is testing whether these heat-resistant corals can be transplanted to reefs that have been damaged or destroyed.
We often hear about insects and other animals passing on diseases to humans, so-called zoonotic diseases, such as rabies, cholera, and West Nile virus. Now, for the first time, researchers are examining a disease that humans are spreading to an animal, specifically Elkhorn coral off the Florida Keys. With support from the National Science Foundation, Rollins College biologist Kathryn Sutherland is tracing this emerging infectious disease phenomenon, known as “reverse zoonosis.” Elkhorn coral was once the most common coral in the Caribbean, but it's now a threatened species due to population losses from White pox disease. Sutherland believes undertreated sewage, possibly from leaking septic tanks or illegal cruise ship discharge, could be the source of this disease.
Part of "The Living Oceans" series. Captures the ecological balance established between animals and plants on a Caribbean coral reef. Details the symbiotic and commensally symbiotic relationships along with the predator/prey relationship.
Corals are important ecosystem engineers, providing habitat and nutrient recycling to tropical reefs. However, coral species’ richness and abundance are in decline worldwide, due in large part to the impacts from global industrialization and human population growth. Coral disease is a major contributor to this decline of tropical reefs, and therefore, investigations into the causes of and remedies to these diseases are of critical importance. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
What great discovery is yet to be made from coral reef habitats? Some researchers believe they may hold the key to new developments in medicine. Part of the "Coral Comeback" series.
Coral reefs are some of the most precious habitats in the ocean, which has earned them the nickname "rainforests of the sea." They're a complicated ecosystem where thousands of species are supported by some of the smallest life-forms. Part of the "Coral Comeback" series.
Coral reefs are particularly sensitive to ocean acidification, which has decreased their ability to form skeletons. Ocean acidification is also causing reefs to crumble and disappear. Part of the "Coral Comeback" series.
