Australian scientists have urged greater consideration for the brilliantly-hued parrot fishes that tend and renew the world’s imperilled coral reefs.
“Parrotfishes are the constant gardeners of the reef. They play a crucial role in keeping it healthy, suppressing weed, removing sediment and helping the corals to regrow after a setback,” explains Professor David Bellwood of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University.
In a major new study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, Prof. Bellwood, Dr Andrew Hoey and Prof. Terry Hughes have investigated parrot fish populations on 18 coral island reefs extending from Mauritius in the west Indian Ocean to Tahiti in the central Pacific.
“Parrot fish fulfill a number of key roles on the reef. They remove sick and dead corals and clean areas for new corals to settle, they remove weedy growth, and they cart away literally tonnes of sand and sediment that would otherwise smother the corals,” Prof Bellwood explains.
Read the rest of this article at ARC Coral Reef Studies…
Note: Newswire stories are provided as a courtesy of OceanDoctor.org. Content of these articles is provided by external sources.
Parrot Fish: The Constant Gardeners of the World’s Reefs
/in Ocean Newswire/by Ocean DoctorAustralian scientists have urged greater consideration for the brilliantly-hued parrot fishes that tend and renew the world’s imperilled coral reefs.
“Parrotfishes are the constant gardeners of the reef. They play a crucial role in keeping it healthy, suppressing weed, removing sediment and helping the corals to regrow after a setback,” explains Professor David Bellwood of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University.
In a major new study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, Prof. Bellwood, Dr Andrew Hoey and Prof. Terry Hughes have investigated parrot fish populations on 18 coral island reefs extending from Mauritius in the west Indian Ocean to Tahiti in the central Pacific.
“Parrot fish fulfill a number of key roles on the reef. They remove sick and dead corals and clean areas for new corals to settle, they remove weedy growth, and they cart away literally tonnes of sand and sediment that would otherwise smother the corals,” Prof Bellwood explains.
Read the rest of this article at ARC Coral Reef Studies…
Note: Newswire stories are provided as a courtesy of OceanDoctor.org. Content of these articles is provided by external sources.
U.S. Autumn and November Both Warmer Than Average – Nation Sets Record with Dozen Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters in One Year
/in Ocean Newswire/by NewswireNovember and the September-November autumn season were warmer than average across the contiguous U.S., according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville, N.C. Precipitation totals across the country were also above average during November, but near the long-term average for the autumn season.
Read the NOAA News Release.
Note: Newswire stories are provided as a courtesy of OceanDoctor.org. Content of these articles is provided by external sources.
New Pacific Trade Deal Could Help Save Marine Species (Reuters)
/in Ocean Newswire/by NewswireNew Pacific trade deal could help save marine species. (Reuters)
Ocean Today
Note: Newswire stories are provided as a courtesy of OceanDoctor.org. Content of these articles is provided by external sources.
Video: 49 Penguins Freed After Oil Spill Cleanup in New Zealand
/in Ocean Newswire/by NewswireNearly 100 happy feet waddle to the shoreline of a beach near Tauranga, New Zealand. The 49 little blue penguins were released back into the wild after being rescued and cleaned up following the oil spill from the cargo ship, Rena, grounded off the coast.
Full story and video at MSNBC
Note: Newswire stories are provided as a courtesy of OceanDoctor.org. Content of these articles is provided by external sources.
Manta Ray Added to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCNRedList.org)
/in Ocean Newswire/by NewswireManta ray added to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (IUCNRedList.org)
Full story from SouthernFriedScience.com
Note: Newswire stories are provided as a courtesy of OceanDoctor.org. Content of these articles is provided by external sources.
NOAA Awards a Total of $10.8 Million to Four Minority Serving Institutions to Train Next Generation of Scientists
/in Ocean Newswire/by NewswireNOAA’s Office of Education announced that it has awarded grants totaling $ 10.8 million to four lead minority-serving institutions across the country to train and graduate students who pursue applied research in NOAA-related scientific fields.
Read the NOAA news release.
Note: Newswire stories are provided as a courtesy of OceanDoctor.org. Content of these articles is provided by external sources.
France Building World’s Largest Tidal Energy Farm (News.Discovery.com)
/in Ocean Newswire/by NewswireFrance building world’s largest Tidal Energy Farm. (news.discovery.com)
Ocean Today
Note: Newswire stories are provided as a courtesy of OceanDoctor.org. Content of these articles is provided by external sources.
Wave Glider, a Floating Robot, Seeks to Network the Oceans
/in Ocean Newswire/by NewswireRead the full article in the New York Times…
Note: Newswire stories are provided as a courtesy of OceanDoctor.org. Content of these articles is provided by external sources.
Connecting Children to the Outdoors – Ocean Education Programs Rekindle Our Bond with Nature
/in Ocean Newswire/by NewswireThe gust of wind carried the grand arch of balloons away from the confines of the city garbage bin. The students of Pacific Grove Middle School in Pacific Grove, Calif., did not delight in their flight. Not cheers, but gasps, escaped from the children’s mouths as they watched the balloons drift away beyond their reach.
Read the full story at NOAA National Marine Sanctuary News.
Note: Newswire stories are provided as a courtesy of OceanDoctor.org. Content of these articles is provided by external sources.
World’s Oceans in ‘Shocking’ Decline
/in Ocean Newswire/by NewswireThe oceans are in a worse state than previously suspected, according to an expert panel of scientists.
In a new report, they warn that ocean life is “at high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history”.
They conclude that issues such as over-fishing, pollution and climate change are acting together in ways that have not previously been recognised.
The impacts, they say, are already affecting humanity.
Full story from BBC News
Note: Newswire stories are provided as a courtesy of OceanDoctor.org. Content of these articles is provided by external sources.