Marine biologists never get tired of warning about the dangers human actions pose to one of the most amazing ecosystems on the planet, the coral reefs. The complex associations of marine organisms (plants, fish) need certain conditions to develop (temperature, water composition, light), and as soon as these conditions change, they become vulnerable to diseases, degradation and eventually death.
A study published on Thursday in the online journal Science Express revealed a troubling fact: one third of the world’s reef-building corals face extinction. Together with them, a large number of marine species could also disappear, as coral reefs are home to over 4,000 species of fish, as well as other organisms (sponges, jellyfish, sea cucumbers etc.) The extinction of coral reefs would trigger devastating effects for marine biology, and if that’s not enough to draw attention on the matter, maybe the fact that it will also trigger serious economic consequences will. More
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