A study of ancient fossil corals suggests that reef ecosystems may be able to cope with the stresses imposed by modern environmental conditions and human activity.
The study conducted by an international scientific collaboration was carried out on eight fossil coral reefs—some of up to 500,000 years-old—in Papua New Guinea’s Huon Gulf region.
The findings published in the March 2010 issue of the journal Ecology revealed that reef ecosystems were able to persist through dramatic environmental changes imposed by sharply declining sea levels during previous ice ages and that their ability to withstand human impacts may be greater than initially thought.
Professor John Pandolfi of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and the University of Queensland stated: “Of course, sea levels then were falling—and today they are rising. But if we want to know how corals cope with hostile conditions, then we have to study what happens under all circumstances ... We’ve seen what happens to corals in the past when sea levels rose and conditions were favourable to coral growth. We wanted to see what happened when they fell and conditions were adverse.”
When sea levels drop, a catastrophic reduction in coral habitat occurs with a loss of connectivity between reefs, he said. “Those circumstances are in some respects similar to what corals are experiencing today due to human impacts— so there are useful parallels.”
“The fossil record shows that reefs have been remarkably successful in surviving large environmental disturbances. However the combination of drastic environmental changes that we’re seeing today, such as degraded water quality, depleted fish stocks, coral bleaching, ocean acidification and loss of habitat are unprecedented in the history of coral reefs.” Although the study highlights the resilience of reef ecosystems, Professor Pandolfi said it is important not to underestimate the magnitude of challenges reefs are currently facing.
The study conducted by an international scientific collaboration was carried out on eight fossil coral reefs—some of up to 500,000 years-old—in Papua New Guinea’s Huon Gulf region.
The findings published in the March 2010 issue of the journal Ecology revealed that reef ecosystems were able to persist through dramatic environmental changes imposed by sharply declining sea levels during previous ice ages and that their ability to withstand human impacts may be greater than initially thought.
Professor John Pandolfi of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and the University of Queensland stated: “Of course, sea levels then were falling—and today they are rising. But if we want to know how corals cope with hostile conditions, then we have to study what happens under all circumstances ... We’ve seen what happens to corals in the past when sea levels rose and conditions were favourable to coral growth. We wanted to see what happened when they fell and conditions were adverse.”
When sea levels drop, a catastrophic reduction in coral habitat occurs with a loss of connectivity between reefs, he said. “Those circumstances are in some respects similar to what corals are experiencing today due to human impacts— so there are useful parallels.”
“The fossil record shows that reefs have been remarkably successful in surviving large environmental disturbances. However the combination of drastic environmental changes that we’re seeing today, such as degraded water quality, depleted fish stocks, coral bleaching, ocean acidification and loss of habitat are unprecedented in the history of coral reefs.” Although the study highlights the resilience of reef ecosystems, Professor Pandolfi said it is important not to underestimate the magnitude of challenges reefs are currently facing.
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