Context
As per a latest study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, corals will withstand climate change caused by human activities, based on the precision, robustness and resilience of their impressive process for forming rock-hard skeletons.
What does the study found?
- The study suggests stony coral could survive climate change.
- Predicting the survival of corals based on how they adapted to global climate change over millions of years requires understanding, among other things, how they build reefs by secreting calcium carbonate.
- That process is called
- The study shows for the first time that several proteins are organized spatially - a process that's critical to forming a rock-hard coral skeleton.
What are Stony corals?
- Stony corals have evolved over more than 400 million years, forming enormous reefs in shallow subtropical and tropical seas.
- They have been called the "rainforests of the sea."
Coral Reefs
- Coral reefs are large underwater structures composed of the skeletons of coral, which are marine invertebrate animals.
- Coral reefs-
- protect shorelines threatened by erosion and storms
- provide fish habitat, nursery and spawning grounds
- provide food for about a half-billion people, who also depend on them to make a living.
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Threats to Corals
- Warming ocean waters due to climate change put corals at risk from deadly bleaching and disease.
- More acidic ocean waters, sea-level rise, unsustainable fishing, vessels that damage reefs, invasive species, marine debris and tropical cyclones pose additional threats.
