Coral skeletons may resist the effects of acidifying oceans

said braka 8:53 AM
New research from Pupa Gilbert, a professor of physics

at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides evidence that at least one species of , Stylophora pistillata, and possibly others, build their hard, calcium carbonate skeletons faster, and in bigger pieces, than previously thought. Instead of slowly adding material molecule by molecule, the coral animal actively constructs large chunks of minerals that it adds to its growing skeleton, helping it grow much faster than it otherwise could, and with greater control.
The new research suggests that because the minerals are first formed inside the coral tissue, they may continue to do so even in acidifying oceans. If other  build their skeletons in a similar way, then the oceans could avoid a large-scale crisis in coral skeleton formation that scientists have worried would unravel reef ecosystems. Other stresses, like warmer waters and , still endanger coral, however.
The work is published this week (Aug. 28, 2017) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Collaborators from the University of Haifa and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory contributed to the research.
"Coral reefs only cover one percent of ocean floors, but they host 25 percent of all marine species, so they're incredibly diverse and important from a biological point of view," says Gilbert. "But they're also economically important for the fishing industry, tourism, and because of their role in providing coastlines with protection from tropical storms."
Corals are colonies of small, tentacled animals that encase themselves in bony structures made of the mineral calcium carbonate, the same material that makes up the shells of other sea creatures. Their role in creating habitat for diverse ecosystems has drawn attention to corals and how they build their rocky skeletons.


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-08-coral-skeletons-resist-effects-acidifying.html#jCp