• These coral reefs in the middle of the Pacific are coming back to life after 10+ years of being dead
    18 replies, posted
[quote][B]In 2003, researchers declared Coral Castles dead. [/B] On the floor of a remote island lagoon halfway between Hawaii and Fiji, the giant reef site had been devastated by unusually warm water. Its remains looked like a pile of drab dinner plates tossed into the sea. Research dives in 2009 and 2012 had shown little improvement in the coral colonies. Then in 2015, a team of marine biologists was stunned and overjoyed to find Coral Castles, genus Acropora, once again teeming with life. But the rebound came with a big question: Could the enormous and presumably still fragile coral survive what would be the hottest year on record? This month, the Massachusetts-based research team finished a new exploration of the reefs in the secluded Phoenix Islands, a tiny Pacific archipelago, and were thrilled by what they saw. When they splashed out of an inflatable dinghy to examine Coral Castles closely, [B]they were greeted with a vista of bright greens and purples — unmistakable signs of life. “Everything looked just magnificent,”[/B] said Jan Witting, the expedition’s chief scientist and a researcher at Sea Education Association, based in Woods Hole, Mass. Global climate change is wreaking havoc on corals worldwide. Coral bleaching has caused extensive damage to regions extending from the Great Barrier Reef to the Caribbean and nearly everywhere in between. [img]https://thelittleislandthatcould.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/map-kiribati1.gif[/img] [img]https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/08/16/science/16CORALJP1/16CORALJP1-master675.jpg[/img][/quote] [url]http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/16/science/coral-reef-climate-change.html[/url]
Wondering why they're coming back. Is 'going green' really working or is it something else?
The reefs were bleached with a "near 100%" mortality rate. the reef didn't outright die, and acropora breed through broadcast spawning. If I had to guess, the ones that survived seeded the reef once again. It's good news, but will probably be politically misconstrued to spin in either which direction. I can already hear the chorus of [I]"so much for climate change amirte?"[/I] ringing in the back of my head. [editline]19th August 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Ryu-Gi;50911900]Wondering why they're coming back. Is 'going green' really working or is it something else?[/QUOTE] [quote]To understand the stresses facing corals — from pollution and climate change, for example — researchers would like to isolate each problem. Almost everywhere on Earth, corals must endure climate change and human activity. But not in the 157,626-square-mile Phoenix Islands Protected Area, created by the government in 2008. Shipping lanes skirt the preservation area. Commercial fishing there ceased last year. Dr. Rotjan, who is also the chief scientist for the area’s conservation trust, said the recent protections might have fostered the coral rebound. The algae that live in corals may also be evolving to cope with warmer temperatures, or hardier coral species may be supplanting others, she said.[/quote] It's probably not one thing. Conditions probably just weren't mega shitty for this particular section of ocean at the right time.
Lets hope they keep this up and give us a second chance. Also hope that we actually use the second chance properly. That's a lot to hope for...
Even though they're bouncing back, I have to imagine that a huge amount of the variety of species in the reef were permanently exterminated. This is good to hear, but the genetic diversity won't be the same for dozens of years, if not centuries.
My assumption is science we can't really explain because we've simply not been researching coral long enough to have a substantial enough idea how it behaves.
[QUOTE=OvB;50911944]The reefs were bleached with a "near 100%" mortality rate. the reef didn't outright die, and acropora breed through broadcast spawning. If I had to guess, the ones that survived seeded the reef once again. It's good news, but will probably be politically misconstrued to spin in either which direction. I can already hear the chorus of [I]"so much for climate change amirte?"[/I] ringing in the back of my head. [editline]19th August 2016[/editline] It's probably not one thing. Conditions probably just weren't mega shitty for this particular section of ocean at the right time.[/QUOTE] would it be possible to artificially reseed dead reefs if conditions can be improved?
[QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;50911990]would it be possible to artificially reseed dead reefs if conditions can be improved?[/QUOTE] Probably, but reefs have flora/fauna that are unique to them. There's so much life in reefs that it's very likely we never even categorized entire species living in them. If they're extinct now, you won't get the same reef, even if you do reseed it with transplants from living reefs.
[QUOTE=pentium;50911985]My assumption is science we can't really explain because we've simply not been researching coral long enough to have a substantial enough idea how it behaves.[/QUOTE] OvB knows. He knows everything about coral reefs. Some say his father was a coral reef, and that one day the ocean will call him home to assume his ultimate destiny: providing food and shelter to a diverse spectrum of life as divers marvel at his beauty.
It would be great if they could eliminate some of the lion fish populations destroying reefs near the US and cuba those things are spreading and decimating local wildlife. I don't even know why people buy lion fish if they can't look after them? It really makes me wonder why they are allowed to be sold.
[QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;50911990]would it be possible to artificially reseed dead reefs if conditions can be improved?[/QUOTE] To an extent. But it would take years to regrow to it's prime. Corals are colonies of animals. So you can take one, cut it into 5 pieces, and now you got 5 separate corals which you can attach to rocks and toss into the ocean. You can also grow these corals in a tank, and keep cutting them up, making more and more as time goes on. Commonly done in the aquarium hobby. [img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/657MJ9q.jpg[/img_thumb] [img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/2XDm5Wp.jpg[/img_thumb] I think we should maintain a library of coral frags of known species so that we have a record to replenish the ocean with when it comes time. I'm unsure of such a thing existing officially. But the aquarium hobby has a ton of people that do this as a hobby. I tried, but it's very expensive. Growth rate depends on conditions. Typically from "years" to a [I]lot[/I] of years. It would probably take decades to get a full reef going from frags alone. But assuming shit doesn't go south, once it's up it should maintain itself. [editline]19th August 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Big Dumb American;50912013]OvB knows. He knows everything about coral reefs. Some say his father was a coral reef, and that one day the ocean will call him home to assume his ultimate destiny: providing food and shelter to a diverse spectrum of life as divers marvel at his beauty.[/QUOTE] Whose to say I haven't already. [img]http://i.imgur.com/wa2ZdR9.jpg[/img]
Can't help but feel this has to do with some shit being dumped into the ocean that the organisms now feed on and this whole thing is a bad omen if anything.
[QUOTE=OvB;50912037]To an extent. But it would take years to regrow to it's prime. Corals are colonies of animals. So you can take one, cut it into 5 pieces, and now you got 5 separate corals which you can attach to rocks and toss into the ocean. You can also grow these corals in a tank, and keep cutting them up, making more and more as time goes on. Commonly done in the aquarium hobby. [img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/657MJ9q.jpg[/img_thumb] [img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/2XDm5Wp.jpg[/img_thumb] I think we should maintain a library of coral frags of known species so that we have a record to replenish the ocean with when it comes time. I'm unsure of such a thing existing officially. But the aquarium hobby has a ton of people that do this as a hobby. I tried, but it's very expensive. Growth rate depends on conditions. Typically from "years" to a [I]lot[/I] of years. It would probably take decades to get a full reef going from frags alone. But assuming shit doesn't go south, once it's up it should maintain itself. [editline]19th August 2016[/editline] Whose to say I haven't already. [img]http://i.imgur.com/wa2ZdR9.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] Would it be possible to selectively breed corals and get one that can handle warmer temperatures better? I am a biologist but I don't focus on corals, so it would be quite cool to know.
[QUOTE=!LORD M!;50912988]Would it be possible to selectively breed corals and get one that can handle warmer temperatures better? I am a biologist but I don't focus on corals, so it would be quite cool to know.[/QUOTE] I have a suspicion this is happening automatically to some extent already, but for the most part they seem to be unable to keep up.
[QUOTE=Sims_doc;50912019]It would be great if they could eliminate some of the lion fish populations destroying reefs near the US and cuba those things are spreading and decimating local wildlife. I don't even know why people buy lion fish if they can't look after them? It really makes me wonder why they are allowed to be sold.[/QUOTE] I have one at my work that I feed. She's pretty spooky. She's always right at the top with the others, and she has even learned to jump a little bit to get the food.
[QUOTE=Tamschi;50913974]I have a suspicion this is happening automatically to some extent already, but for the most part they seem to be unable to keep up.[/QUOTE] This, basically. Evolution by natural selection is a slow process, even for relatively subtle genetic changes. The rate at which the climate is changing is fairly rapid. I don't think natural evolution is capable of keeping up.
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;50917282]This, basically. Evolution by natural selection is a slow process, even for relatively subtle genetic changes. The rate at which the climate is changing is fairly rapid. I don't think natural evolution is capable of keeping up.[/QUOTE] I guess we'd better make like herdsmen and breed the heat intolerance out of them.
[QUOTE=OvB;50911944]The reefs were bleached with a "near 100%" mortality rate. the reef didn't outright die, and acropora breed through broadcast spawning. If I had to guess, the ones that survived seeded the reef once again. It's good news, but will probably be politically misconstrued to spin in either which direction. I can already hear the chorus of [I]"so much for climate change amirte?"[/I] ringing in the back of my head. [editline]19th August 2016[/editline] It's probably not one thing. Conditions probably just weren't mega shitty for this particular section of ocean at the right time.[/QUOTE] so much for climate change amirite [editline]20th August 2016[/editline] In all seriousness though, this is fascinating. I wonder how they're reviving?
[QUOTE=!LORD M!;50912988]Would it be possible to selectively breed corals and get one that can handle warmer temperatures better? I am a biologist but I don't focus on corals, so it would be quite cool to know.[/QUOTE] reef tank service guy here, i'm afraid not at the moment, the most you can do is frag and propagate. It is incredibly difficult to achieve the right conditions for coral spawning, even if then; there's no saying if we can 'selectively breed' any corals. that being said, it may be possible in the future, but its uncertain for now.. :eng101: there are some strange examples with fragging though, some SPS corals, such as the encrusting Montipora family can be grafted to one another, if fragged and placed directly on each other. I've been successful with grafting only once, but the colony was sold to a client. as far as i can tell its 'selective fragging' [i][b]here is an example of grafted monti:[/i][/b] [t]http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p148/werdlone/mixedcaps.jpg[/t] [t]http://www.reefedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/DSC_0030.jpg[/t]
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