Like tropical rain forests, coral forests below the sea are home to some of nature's loveliest creations.A sad observation is that coral forests are getting wiped out at rates 20 times faster than normal rates. Corals of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia seem to be especially affected by a peculiar disease called “white syndrome”.
A recent study led by Dr John Bruno at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill has explored the striking links between coral deaths and rising ocean temperatures. The 6 year, 48 coral reef site study looked at observations made by the Australian Institute of Marine Science Long-term Monitoring Program, the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies and several other collaborating institutions.
The observations were then compared with data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to calculate weekly sea surface temperatures changes. The investigators have found that “white syndrome” is a stress related disease that hits the coral populations whenever the sea surface temperature rises.
If you would like to know more about this study or you wish to collaborate with Dr John Bruno and his team, you can email him at jbruno@unc.edu
The team have published their findings in PLOS Biology.
Source: Bruno JF, Selig ER, Casey KS, Page CA, Willis BL, et al. (2007) Thermal Stress and Coral Cover as Drivers of Coral Disease Outbreaks . PLoS Biol 5(6): e124 doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0050124.
http://biology.plosjournals.org/image source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net
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