Some coral species monitored had a mortality rate of 95%, with researchers observing the start of “colony collapse” where the dead skeleton detaches from the reef and turns to rubble.
Without them, the reef would quickly become a lifeless moonscape. One important algal group, benthic (bottom-dwelling) algae, rapidly grows over dead coral and other inert objects, providing a ...
resembling a dead tree branch. This coral species, known as acropora hemprichii, grows in the shallow reefs of the Maldives in tapered branches which eventually look like a bush or dome as they grow.
Marine scientists tracked coral colonies in a remote area of the Great Barrier Reef and found that corals previously more resilient to bleaching suffered devastating and fatal bleaching during ...