{"id":115650,"date":"2024-10-18T18:24:47","date_gmt":"2024-10-18T11:24:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=115650"},"modified":"2024-10-18T18:24:47","modified_gmt":"2024-10-18T11:24:47","slug":"the-secret-of-the-worlds-richest-underwater-habitat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=115650","title":{"rendered":"The secret of the world&#8217;s richest underwater habitat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 EXUng\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/160xn\/p0jxxcl1.jpg.webp 160w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/240xn\/p0jxxcl1.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/320xn\/p0jxxcl1.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/480xn\/p0jxxcl1.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/640xn\/p0jxxcl1.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/800xn\/p0jxxcl1.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/1024xn\/p0jxxcl1.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/1376xn\/p0jxxcl1.jpg.webp 1376w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/1920xn\/p0jxxcl1.jpg.webp 1920w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/480xn\/p0jxxcl1.jpg.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Getty Images A coral triangle sheltering marine life (Credit: Getty Images)\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\"\/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 fxQYxK\">Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\"><b id=\"researchers-are-unlocking-the-ancient-secrets-of-the-world's-most-diverse-marine-habitat.-could-their-discoveries-help-us-save-our-oceans?\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kVRnKf\">Researchers are unlocking the ancient secrets of the world&#8217;s most diverse marine habitat. Could their discoveries help us save our oceans?<!-- --><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">In an office wing of the Natural History Museum in London, two researchers slide open a plain storage cupboard door to reveal a hidden treasure: shelves of fossilised corals, up to <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.icrs2022.de\/fileadmin\/user_upload\/ICRS2022_BookOfAbstracts_July2.pdf\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">30 million years old<!-- --><\/a>, from the world&#8217;s most diverse marine habitat. Some look like petrified brains, others like rocks with filigrane patterns.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;I like to look at things in the past and see if we can learn lessons from them,&#8221; says Ken Johnson, with an eye on the fossils. Johnson is a paleontologist and principal researcher at the museum&#8217;s Earth Sciences department. Next to him stands Nadia Santodomingo, a marine biologist and geoscientist, and curator at the museum. They and their team collected the fossils in Indonesia more than a decade ago, working with colleagues from the Indonesian Geological Agency. The goal was to try and crack the secrets of an expanse of ocean known as the &#8220;<!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ipaeg.myspecies.info\/throughflow\/science\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">coral triangle<!-- --><\/a>&#8221; \u2013 and, they hoped, to use those secrets to protect reefs today.\u00a0<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;Understanding how corals have responded to previous environmental changes can help us see how they might respond to future changes,&#8221; says Johnson. In fact, the fossils not only led to a completely new perspective on marine life, but drew attention to important coral sanctuaries that had previously been overlooked \u2013 and which could become crucial refuges for species as the planet warms, the researchers say.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/160xn\/p0jxvjzj.jpg.webp 160w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/240xn\/p0jxvjzj.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/320xn\/p0jxvjzj.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/480xn\/p0jxvjzj.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/640xn\/p0jxvjzj.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/800xn\/p0jxvjzj.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/1024xn\/p0jxvjzj.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/1376xn\/p0jxvjzj.jpg.webp 1376w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/1920xn\/p0jxvjzj.jpg.webp 1920w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/480xn\/p0jxvjzj.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Sophie Hardach Coral experts Ken Johnson and Nadia Santodomingo display up to 30-million-year-old coral fossils at the Natural History Museum in London (Credit: Sophie Hardach)\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\"\/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 fxQYxK\">Sophie Hardach<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-8353772e-0 cvNhQw\">Coral experts Ken Johnson and Nadia Santodomingo display up to 30-million-year-old coral fossils at the Natural History Museum in London (Credit: Sophie Hardach)<!-- --><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p><h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 kRvAla\"><span id=\"the-'amazon-of-the-seas'\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kPypaC\"><b id=\"the-'amazon-of-the-seas'\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kVRnKf\">The &#8216;Amazon of the Seas&#8217;<!-- --><\/b><\/span><span id=\"\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kPypaC\">\u00a0<!-- --><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;The coral triangle in South East Asia is the most diverse place on Earth,&#8221; in terms of marine habitats, says Johnson. &#8220;There are more marine species there than anywhere else. My colleagues and I wondered: why? What caused the diversity?&#8221;\u00a0<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Individual corals, known as <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/oceanservice.noaa.gov\/education\/tutorial_corals\/media\/supp_coral01a.html\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">polyps<!-- --><\/a>, are spineless little marine animals measuring only a few millimetres, and are related to jellyfish and sea anemones. They build hard external <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nhm.ac.uk\/discover\/quick-questions\/what-is-a-coral-reef.html\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">skeletons<!-- --><\/a>, and together with tens of thousands of other polyps, form the dazzling structures we know as coral reefs. The skeleton remains after the polyp dies.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"quote-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<div class=\"sc-9967660-0 WkJHg\"><span class=\"sc-9967660-2 bBAxiJ\">Coral reefs are the cities of the sea \u2013 Ken Johnson<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">The fossils lined up in the cabinet are in a surprisingly pristine state, with each delicate swirl and dent still intact. In the coral triangle and other reefs, these complex structures support an abundance of life, says Santodomingo.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;[Corals] are like small buildings,&#8221; she says. &#8220;One isolated building wouldn&#8217;t do anything, but when they all grow together, like big cities, they can host a lot of other animals. Baby fish can hide there, so large predators can&#8217;t reach them.&#8221; When corals die, they leave their skeletons behind, like empty houses, she explains. &#8220;And then other animals can colonise the reef \u2013 sponges, or snails, or clams \u2013 who use these empty &#8216;buildings&#8217; and transform it into their own home.&#8221;\u00a0<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Johnson adds: &#8220;The metaphor we always use [for coral reefs] is &#8216;cities of the sea&#8217;.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/160xn\/p0jxxcpv.jpg.webp 160w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/240xn\/p0jxxcpv.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/320xn\/p0jxxcpv.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/480xn\/p0jxxcpv.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/640xn\/p0jxxcpv.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/800xn\/p0jxxcpv.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/1024xn\/p0jxxcpv.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/1376xn\/p0jxxcpv.jpg.webp 1376w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/1920xn\/p0jxxcpv.jpg.webp 1920w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/480xn\/p0jxxcpv.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Zarinah Waheed, University Malaysia Sabah A diver collects coral fragments in turbid reefs in Darvel Bay, Malaysia (Credit: Zarinah Waheed, University Malaysia Sabah)\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\"\/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 fxQYxK\">Zarinah Waheed, University Malaysia Sabah<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-8353772e-0 cvNhQw\">A diver collects coral fragments in turbid reefs in Darvel Bay, Malaysia (Credit: Zarinah Waheed, University Malaysia Sabah)<!-- --><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">In the early 2010s, the team and their Indonesian colleagues collected about <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nhm.ac.uk\/discover\/coral-reefs-lessons-from-past.html\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">eight tonnes of fossil-rich rock from Indonesian Borneo<!-- --><\/a>, which yielded 70,000 coral specimens \u2013 over 200 coral species, from up to 30 million years ago. When they <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/zoj.12295\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">compared them<!-- --><\/a> to the species living in the coral triangle today, they made a surprising discovery: many of them are still there.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"quote-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<div class=\"sc-9967660-0 WkJHg\"><span class=\"sc-9967660-2 bBAxiJ\">This coral has been in the coral triangle for 18 million years or so \u2013 Nadia Santodomingo<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Santodomingo carefully lifts a huge fossilised coral out of the cabinet, a Porites coral, and holds it up: &#8220;This one here is about 10 million years old.&#8221; Today, Porites corals, which build enormous reefs, are still thriving in the coral triangle, she says.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">She gives another example, the antler-like <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nhm.ac.uk\/discover\/staghorn-survivors-most-successful-coral.html\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">staghorn coral<!-- --><\/a>, called <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/zoj.12295\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">Acropora<!-- --><\/a> monticulosa, which is among the collected fossils from Indonesia. Acropora corals still <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fisheries.noaa.gov\/species\/acropora-lokani-coral\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">live in the coral triangle<!-- --><\/a> today. These staghorn corals &#8220;have been there for 18 million years or so&#8221;, she says. Other acropora species found in the coral triangle are even older.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">This extraordinary resilience can help explain why there are so many species in the coral triangle today, says Johnson. &#8220;The reason it&#8217;s the most diverse place on Earth is that once [a coral] gets there, it doesn&#8217;t go extinct,&#8221; he says. This is very different from how corals fared elsewhere, including in places like the Caribbean that we might think of as vibrant coral habitats, says Johnson. &#8220;In other parts of the world where there are coral reefs, like the Caribbean, there were extinction events in the past,&#8221; he says, caused by dramatic changes in the environment and climate. &#8220;So, <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S096098221631123X#:~:text=Our%252520study%252520suggests%252520that%252520populations,to%252520adapt%252520to%252520climate%252520change.\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">two million years ago, half of the coral species in the Caribbean went extinct<!-- --><\/a>. And so it&#8217;s much lower diversity there.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">In some places, corals were wiped out altogether: &#8220;The Mediterranean used to have lots of corals,&#8221; he continues. &#8220;But the Mediterranean dried up, and <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/chapter\/10.1007\/978-94-007-6704-1_14#:~:text=At%252520the%252520end%252520of%252520the,%25252Dwater%252520coral%25252Dreef%252520province.\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">corals went extinct<!-- --><\/a>.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">In South East Asia, the researchers say, the fossil record suggests there wasn&#8217;t such an extinction event. But, it appears, the corals also had another advantage, one that might even help us protect marine habitats today: they lived in <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s00338-016-1427-y#:~:text=The%252520murky%252520history%252520of%252520the%252520early%252520Coral%252520Triangle,Barrier%252520Reef%252520(DeVantier%252520et%252520al.\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">murky water<!-- --><\/a>.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/160xn\/p0jxxcqy.jpg.webp 160w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/240xn\/p0jxxcqy.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/320xn\/p0jxxcqy.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/480xn\/p0jxxcqy.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/640xn\/p0jxxcqy.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/800xn\/p0jxxcqy.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/1024xn\/p0jxxcqy.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/1376xn\/p0jxxcqy.jpg.webp 1376w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/1920xn\/p0jxxcqy.jpg.webp 1920w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/480xn\/p0jxxcqy.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Getty Images A huge variety of marine life flourishes in the coral triangle (Credit: Getty Images)\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\"\/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 fxQYxK\">Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-8353772e-0 cvNhQw\">A huge variety of marine life flourishes in the coral triangle (Credit: Getty Images)<!-- --><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p><h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 kRvAla\"><span id=\"the-power-of-mud\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kPypaC\"><b id=\"the-power-of-mud\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kVRnKf\">The power of mud<!-- --><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">When we think of an ideal coral habitat, the picture that comes to mind is usually &#8220;clear water, palm tree on the beach&#8221;, Johnson says \u2013 a perfect holiday snapshot of those famous reefs in sparkling colours.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">But as he and Santodomingo point out, that&#8217;s partly just a reflection of where we&#8217;ve traditionally looked for corals: in clear waters, where it&#8217;s easy to see them. The fossils from Indonesia, however, told a different story. Research suggests that they <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s00338-016-1427-y#:~:text=The%252520murky%252520history%252520of%252520the%252520early%252520Coral%252520Triangle,Barrier%252520Reef%252520(DeVantier%252520et%252520al.\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">lived in cloudy, turbid water<!-- --><\/a>, amid swirling sediment and rainwater wash-off.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"quote-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<div class=\"sc-9967660-0 WkJHg\"><span class=\"sc-9967660-2 bBAxiJ\">These murky environments helped corals survive \u2013 Nadia Santodomingo<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;We think there were these murky environments that helped corals survive,&#8221; says Santodomingo, perhaps because the relatively dark, challenging environment encouraged an especially tough and <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s00338-016-1427-y#:~:text=The%252520murky%252520history%252520of%252520the%252520early%252520Coral%252520Triangle,Barrier%252520Reef%252520(DeVantier%252520et%252520al.\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">resilient<!-- --><\/a> pool of species to form, all with different traits that allowed them to cope over millions of years.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">With global warming devastating coral reefs around the world, this insight from the fossils led to another question: if murky water had helped corals in the past, could it still do so today, in an era of global warming and decimated reefs? Specifically, could the muddiness protect reefs from the dramatic phenomenon known as <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/oceanservice.noaa.gov\/facts\/coral_bleach.html#:~:text=When%252520water%252520is%252520too%252520warm,and%252520are%252520subject%252520to%252520mortality.\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">coral bleaching<!-- --><\/a> \u2013 when entire reefs turn a ghostly white as a result of heat stress?\u00a0<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 kRvAla\"><span id=\"when-relationships-turn-toxic\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kPypaC\"><b id=\"when-relationships-turn-toxic\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kVRnKf\">When relationships turn toxic<!-- --><\/b><\/span><span id=\"\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kPypaC\">\u00a0<!-- --><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Bleaching happens when there is a breakdown in a crucial relationship. Corals house tiny <!-- --><a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/science-environment-45133197\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">colourful algae<!-- --><\/a>, a mutually beneficial relationship that has been around since long before dinosaurs became extinct \u2013 and which makes the reefs so famously rainbow-like.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;Corals are basically farmers, but their crops live inside their bodies,&#8221; says Johnson. &#8220;So the coral gets food from the plants living inside of it, and it fertilises the plants with its animal waste. It&#8217;s a circle between the plant and the animal.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">When seawater warms to a level that stresses the corals, for example during a marine heatwave, the coral <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/journals.biologists.com\/jeb\/article\/211\/19\/3059\/18247\/Cellular-mechanisms-of-Cnidarian-bleaching-stress\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">expels the colourful plant<!-- --><\/a>, and turns white. &#8220;It becomes like a toxic relationship,&#8221; says Santodomingo, in which the coral decides it&#8217;s better to weather the crisis on its own. Scientists are still figuring out why exactly this usually beneficial relationship breaks down under stress \u2013 one reason may be that the algae starts to behave <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/ismej\/article\/12\/3\/921\/7475341\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">more like a parasite<!-- --><\/a> than an ally, taking up more energy and nutrients for their own growth. Another explanation is that under higher temperatures, the plant produces substances that are <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-3921\/12\/5\/1057\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">harmful<!-- --><\/a> to the coral. Reefs can recover from bleaching \u2013 essentially, the stressful event passes, and the plant moves back in \u2013 but if the stress is <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.noaa.gov\/news-release\/noaa-confirms-4th-global-coral-bleaching-event\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">too severe or goes on for too long<!-- --><\/a>, the corals will die.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"quote-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<div class=\"sc-9967660-0 WkJHg\"><span class=\"sc-9967660-2 bBAxiJ\">In clear waters, 37% of coral colonies bleached in a heatwave \u2013 in murky waters reefs, it was only 10%<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Murky water may buffer that impact, and make corals more resistant to bleaching, research suggests. In 2020, scientists from the University of Malaysia Sabah investigated how reefs in murky and clear water in the coral triangle responded to a heatwave. They surveyed two habitats in Malaysia: <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S2352485523004589\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">the turbid reef of Sakar and the clear-water reef of Blue Lagoon<!-- --><\/a>. In the turbid reefs, less than 10% of colonies bleached. In the clear-water reef, an average of 37% of coral colonies bleached. The result supports &#8220;the hypothesis of turbid reefs hosting resilient coral communities in the face of climate change&#8221;, the study&#8217;s authors concluded.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">One possible explanation for this protective effect is that bleaching may be caused not only by the warming sea water, but also, by <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/journals\/marine-science\/articles\/10.3389\/fmars.2022.919382\/full\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">intense sunlight<!-- --><\/a>, says Johnson. &#8220;When the water is turbid, there&#8217;s less light,&#8221; he says, and this could protect the corals.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">A study of a 2016 marine heatwave that caused widespread bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef also found that <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/journals\/marine-science\/articles\/10.3389\/fmars.2017.00224\/full\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">corals in turbid water<!-- --><\/a>, near the shore, were more resistant to bleaching than those in clear water. The authors argued that this showed &#8220;the importance of these resilient but often overlooked coral reef habitats as potential refugia during climate-related disturbances&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 kRvAla\"><span id=\"protecting-murky-coral-havens-from-plastic\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kPypaC\"><b id=\"protecting-murky-coral-havens-from-plastic\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kVRnKf\">Protecting murky coral havens from plastic<!-- --><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Separately, a 2020 analysis of data on bleaching, temperature and turbidity from more than 3,600 coral sites worldwide found that <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/gcb.14948\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">turbidity reduced coral bleaching<!-- --><\/a> during heat stress. &#8220;We suggest that these turbid nearshore environments may provide some refuge through climate change, but these reefs will need high conservation status to sustain them close to dense human populations,&#8221; the authors warned. Since murky waters tend to be close to the shore, where rain washes soil into the sea, they are more affected by human pollution, such as <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0025326X21010328\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">plastic waste<!-- --><\/a> from single-use plastics like dumped plastic bottles.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">As Johnson gently shuts the fossil cabinet of wonders, he turns towards other cabinets, filled with corals collected by previous generations of researchers and explorers, as far back as the 19th Century. Some of these old collections are now being analysed using modern scientific methods, to learn more about reefs and their history, such as <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nhm.ac.uk\/discover\/coral-reefs-lessons-from-past.html\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">CT scans<!-- --><\/a> to examine the fossils&#8217; insides without cutting them open. One day, future researchers may do the same with the recent fossil collection, he says \u2013 using methods we can barely fathom today.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;That&#8217;s why museum collections are important,&#8221; he says. &#8220;We can&#8217;t imagine what will be possible [in the future]. Just like when they collected these corals in 1850s, they couldn&#8217;t imagine what we can do with them now.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\"><i id=\"for-more-science,-technology-and-health-stories-from-the-bbc,-follow-us-on\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kKcaog\">For more science, technology and health stories from the BBC, follow us on\u00a0<!-- --><\/i><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BBCFuture\/\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\"><i id=\"facebook\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kKcaog\">Facebook<!-- --><\/i><\/a><i id=\"and\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kKcaog\">\u00a0and\u00a0<!-- --><\/i><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BBC_Future\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\"><i id=\"x\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kKcaog\">X<!-- --><\/i><\/a><i id=\".\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kKcaog\">.<!-- --><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future\/article\/20241015-the-secret-of-the-worlds-richest-underwater-habitat\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getty Images Researchers are unlocking the ancient secrets of the world&#8217;s most diverse marine habitat. 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