CNN article on waning coral reef diversity

[Chad]

CNN

[Sham]

We're like a cancer on the earth.

[Incredible Corals]

More like a parasite

[Mountaineer]

I forgot the thread title and only read the first, second, and third posts one after the other. I then laughed out loud.

[Sham]

We need to get some shrimp to clean it up.

[OUsnakebyte]

"With 75% of the world's reefs situated near human settlements -- whose populations are expected to double over the coming century -- the situation can only deteriorate if no action is taken, which poses some uncomfortable questions, Mora thinks. 'Human overpopulation is a very sensitive topic across endeavors from science to religion and politics. Unfortunately, we find again and again that our global population cannot be sustainably supported with the deterioration of the world's natural resources...' Mora said."

 

Yup, treat the problem, not the symptoms. But... it's more that just a "touchy" subject, I agree.

 

 

"'In coral reefs we found the complete opposite. Ecosystems work much better if they have more biodiversity. Every single species has a unique contribution to how well an ecosystem functions.'"

 

Exactly. Competitive exclusion principle - and this has been documented several times. Loss of Diadema urchins (compounding a century or more of overfishing) in the Caribbean -> algal reefs.

 

Loss of sea otters on the west coast from hunting -> increased urchin populations -> loss of kelp beds

 

The examples are numerous.

 

 

Mike