Algae Vs. Corals
By Matt J. Weiss, September 7, 2008 @ 02:00 AM (EST)
It seems as if algae is having a profound effect on the coral reefs. Apparently, chemicals produced by certain species inhibit larval coral from settling on the hard substrates they need. Those that do settle seem stressed by the algal chemicals. This was found in at least two different species.
One species, however, seems to send out chemicals the attracts the algae. Clearly the interdependence of the animals is important to understand and hopefully more research will be done.
Comments
Be the first to add a comment to this article.
You must be logged in to comment.
Related Content
January 14, 2010, 1:41AM
Coral reefs have a higher evolutionary rate than other habitats, study finds more
January 4, 2010, 2:48PM
Balikpapan Bay in East Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of Borneo, is home to a diverse marine ecosystem that is being more
December 11, 2009, 10:00AM
Report from COP15 says oceans acidity has increased by 30% since Industrial Revolution more
July 29, 2009, 6:25PM
The single-celled algae that set up house inside hard corals and give reefs their vibrant colors may be able to see, a new study more
July 16, 2009, 6:05PM
Researchers from NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have more
Sponsors
What's New
