Thirty years of unique data reveal what's
really killing coral reefs
Coral reefs are considered one of the most
threatened ecosystems on the planet and are dying
at alarming rates around the world. Scientists
attribute coral bleaching and ultimately massive
coral death to a number of environmental stressors,
in particular, warming water temperatures due to
climate change.
A study published in the international journal Marine
Biology, reveals what's really killing coral reefs. With
30 years of unique data from Looe Key Reef in the
lower Florida Keys, researchers from Florida Atlantic
University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
and collaborators have discovered that the problem
of coral bleaching is not just due to a warming
planet, but also a planet that is simultaneously being
enriched with reactive nitrogen from multiple
sources.
Improperly treated sewage, fertilizers and top soil
are elevating nitrogen levels, which are causing
phosphorus starvation in the corals, reducing their
temperature threshold for "bleaching." These coral
reefs were dying off long before they were impacted
by rising water temperatures. This study represents
the longest record of reactive nutrients and algae
concentrations for coral reefs anywhere in the
world.
"Our results provide compelling evidence that
nitrogen loading from the Florida Keys and greater
Everglades ecosystem caused by humans, rather
than warming temperatures, is the primary driver of
coral reef degradation at Looe Key Sanctuary
Preservation Area during our long-term study," said
Brian Lapointe, Ph.D., senior author and a research
professor at FAU's Harbor Branch.
A key finding from the study is that land-based
nutrient runoff has increased the
nitrogen:phosphorus ratio (N:P) in reef algae, which
indicates an increasing degree of phosphorus
limitation known to cause metabolic stress and
eventually starvation in corals. Concentrations of
reactive nitrogen are above critical ecosystem
threshold levels previously established for the
Florida Keys as are phytoplankton levels for offshore
reefs as evidenced by the presence of macroalgae
and other harmful algal blooms due to excessive
levels of nutrients.
Researchers gathered data from 1984 to 2014 and
collected seawater samples during wet and dry
seasons. Lapointe and collaborators from the
University of Georgia and the University of South
Florida also monitored the living coral and collected
abundant species of seaweed (macroalgae) for tissue
nutrient analysis. They monitored seawater salinity,
temperature and nutrient gradients between the
Everglades and Looe Key. They wanted to better
understand how nitrogen traveled from the
Everglades downstream to the coral reefs of the
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which now
has the lowest amount of coral cover of any reefs in
the wider Caribbean region.
Data revealed that living coral cover at Looe Key
Sanctuary Preservation Area declined from nearly 33
percent in 1984 to less than 6 percent in 2008. The
annual rate of coral loss varied during the study, but
increased from 1985 to 1987 and 1996 to 1999
following periods of heavy rainfall and increased
water deliveries from the Everglades. Between 1991
to 1995, significant increases in Everglades runoff
and heavy rainfall resulted in increases of reactive
nitrogen and phytoplankton levels at Looe Key above
levels known to stress and cause die-off of coral
reefs. Despite reduced Everglades flows, the water
quality has not yet recovered to the levels of the
1980s.
Nitrogen loading to the coast is predicted to increase
by 19 percent globally simply as a result of changes
in rainfall due to climate change, which suggests the
need for urgent management actions to prevent
further degradation.
"The future success of the Comprehensive
Everglades Restoration Plan will rely on recognizing
the hydrological and nitrogen linkages between the
Everglades, Florida Bay and the Florida Keys," said
Lapointe. "The good news is that we can do
something about the nitrogen problem such as
better sewage treatment, reducing fertilizer inputs,
and increasing storage and treatment of stormwater
on the Florida mainland."
The impact of local land-based nitrogen
contributions from sewage treatment plants that
service 76,000 year-round residents and an
estimated 3.8 million tourists annually is currently
being mitigated by completion of centralized
wastewater collection and advanced wastewater
treatment plants and nutrient removal facilities
throughout the Florida Keys.
According to the Florida Keys National Marine
Sanctuary, ocean-related activities associated with
coral reefs add more than $8.5 billion each year and
70,400 jobs to the local economy in southeast
Florida.
"The Bonaire coral reefs in the Caribbean
Netherlands is a great example of effective nitrogen
pollution mitigation. These coral reefs are beginning
to recover following the construction of a new
sewage treatment plant in 2011, which has
significantly reduced nitrogen loading from septic
tanks," said Lapointe.
The study's co-authors are Rachel A. Brewton and
Laura W. Herren of FAU's Harbor Branch; James W.
Porter, Ph.D., emeritus professor of ecology at the
University of Georgia; and Chuanmin Hu, Ph.D., of
the College of Marine Science at the University of
South Florida.
"Citing climate change as the exclusive cause of coral
reef demise worldwide misses the critical point that
water quality plays a role, too," said Porter. "While
there is little that communities living near coral reefs
can do to stop global warming, there is a lot they can
do to reduce nitrogen runoff. Our study shows that
the fight to preserve coral reefs requires local, not
just global, action."
Title of the Text: Thirty years of unique data
reveal what's really killing coral reefs
Author/s of the Text: Gisele Galoustian
Title of the Journal/Publication: ScienceDaily
URL or web address:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/0
7/190715164652.htm
Main Idea: Thirty years of unique data reveal
what's really killing coral reefs
Evidence that supports the main idea:
 Scientists attribute coral bleaching and
ultimately massive coral death to a
number of environmental stressors, in
particular, warming water temperatures
due to climate change.
 With 30 years of unique data from Looe
Key Reef in the lower Florida Keys,
researchers from Florida Atlantic
University's Harbor Branch
Oceanographic Institute and
collaborators have discovered that the
problem of coral bleaching is not just
due to a warming planet, but also a
planet that is simultaneously being
enriched with reactive nitrogen from
multiple sources.
Big fish, and their urine, are key parts of
coral reef ecosystems
Coral reefs wouldn't be the same without their
beautiful fish.
A diversity of colorful, beautifully patterned
species lives in tandem with coral reefs around
the world, having adapted their appearance,
body structure and lifestyle to take refuge in
the folds of spiny, spongy, slippery reefs.
Recent studies suggest that coral reefs,
however, are just as dependent on these fish
for key nutrients that help coral grow. When
fish urinate, they release phosphorus into the
water. This phosphorus, along with nitrogen
excreted as ammonium through the gills of fish,
is crucial to the survival and growth of coral
reefs.
A new study appearing Aug. 16 in Nature
Communications takes this a step further,
finding that in coral reefs where fishing occurs,
nearly half of these key nutrients are absent
from the ecosystem.
The main reason? Fewer large-bodied and
predator fish to urinate nutrients into the
water, the study found.
"Part of the reason coral reefs work is because
animals play a big role in moving nutrients
around," said lead author Jacob Allgeier, a
postdoctoral researcher at the University of
Washington's School of Aquatic and Fishery
Sciences.
"Fish hold a large proportion, if not most of the
nutrients in a coral reef in their tissue, and
they're also in charge of recycling them. If you
take the big fish out, you're removing all of
those nutrients from the ecosystem."
Paper co-authors Abel Valdivia at the Center for
Biological Diversity in San Francisco and
Courtney Cox at Smithsonian Marine Station at
Fort Pierce, Florida, surveyed 143 fish species at
110 sites across 43 Caribbean coral reefs that
varied in the amount of fishing pressure
sustained -- ranging from marine preserves that
banned all fishing to heavily fished reefs where
large predator fish are almost gone.
The researchers found that reefs with more
large, predator fish had healthy levels of
nutrients, while reefs depleted of large fish had
nearly 50 percent fewer nutrients, including
phosphorus and nitrogen, essential to their
survival.
"This study is useful to understand alternative
ways fishing is affecting coral reef ecosystems,"
Allgeier said.
The researchers determined that, despite the
substantial reduction in fish-mediated nutrients,
fishing didn't substantially reduce the number
of fish species present. Instead, the large
reductions in fish urine were driven by the
reduction of large-bodied fish and predator fish
such as grouper, snapper or barracuda that
occurs through selective fishing practices.
"Simply stated, fish biomass in coral reefs is
being reduced by fishing pressure. If biomass is
shrinking, there are fewer fish to pee," Allgeier
said.
Phosphorus in fish urine and nitrogen excreted
through their gills are important nutrients for
coral reefs to grow. In many reef communities,
fish will take shelter in and around coral during
the day -- urinating out valuable nutrients --
then forage for prey in and around the reef by
night.
A Science paper in the 1980s showed that coral
reefs where fish were present grew at more
than double the speed of reefs where fish were
absent. It was this study, undertaken by now
emeritus research professor Judith Meyer at the
University of Georgia, that inspired Allgeier to
figure out why fish help coral reefs grow.
Coral reefs are the very definition of a delicate
ecosystem. They are highly productive in terms
of the biodiversity they support, but there
aren't a lot of nutrients to spare. Reefs operate
on what scientists call a "tight" nutrient cycle,
meaning there must be an efficient transfer of
nutrients for coral to grow. This cycle is largely
controlled by fish, which hold nutrients in their
tissue and then excrete them through their gills
and urine.
Allgeier spent four years measuring the amount
of nutrients in fish urine and fish tissue to
eventually build a massive dataset that tracks
fish size and nutrient output and the amount
they store in their tissue.
As a graduate student, Allgeier's kitchen on
Abaco Island in the Bahamas became his lab,
and he caught hundreds of live fish, put them in
plastic bags for half an hour, then measured the
nutrients in the water before and after. He
found that nitrogen output varied consistently
with body size among all fish, and that
carnivorous fish would urinate more
phosphorus than smaller herbivores.
Now, with these data serving as the basis for
their models, Allgeier and collaborators can
estimate the total amount of nutrient output
from fish by knowing the species and body size
of fish in a coral reef community.
"It's remarkable how robust the models are just
from knowing fish size and species," he added.
Coral reefs continue to decline in the Caribbean
and worldwide, but curbing fishing practices
that target large predator fish could help reefs
recover, Allgeier said.
The researchers expect this relationship
between fish and coral exists in other reefs
around the world. Allgeier is currently working
with researchers at the University of California,
Santa Barbara, to collect data next on fish urine
in tropical Pacific Ocean reefs, essentially
building upon the data collection Allgeier did as
a graduate student.
Title of the Text: Big fish, and their urine, are
key parts of coral reef ecosystems
Author/s of the Text: Michelle Ma
Title of the Journal/Publication: ScienceDaily
URL or web address:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/0
8/160816152917.htm
Main Idea:
Coral reefs wouldn't be the same without their
beautiful fish.
Evidence that supports the main idea:
 A new study appearing Aug. 16 in Nature
Communications takes this a step further,
finding that in coral reefs where fishing
occurs, nearly half of these key nutrients
are absent from the ecosystem.
 "Fish hold a large proportion, if not most of
the nutrients in a coral reef in their tissue,
and they're also in charge of recycling them.
If you take the big fish out, you're removing
all of those nutrients from the ecosystem."
Large study shows pollution impact on
coral reefs—and offers solution
One of the largest and longest experiments ever
done to test the impact of nutrient loading on
coral reefs today confirmed what scientists
have long suspected – that this type of pollution
from sewage, agricultural practices or other
sources can lead to coral disease and bleaching.
A three-year, controlled exposure of corals to
elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphorus at a
study site in the Florida Keys, done from 2009-
12, showed that the prevalence of disease
doubled and the amount of coral bleaching, an
early sign of stress, more than tripled.
However, the study also found that once the
injection of pollutants was stopped, the corals
were able to recover in a surprisingly short
time.
"We were shocked to see the rapid increase in
disease and bleaching from a level of pollution
that's fairly common in areas affected by
sewage discharge, or fertilizers from agricultural
or urban use," said Rebecca Vega-Thurber, an
assistant professor in the College of Science at
Oregon State University.
"But what was even more surprising is that
corals were able to make a strong recovery
within 10 months after the nutrient enrichment
was stopped," Vega-Thurber said. "The
problems disappeared. This provides real
evidence that not only can nutrient overload
cause coral problems, but programs to reduce
or eliminate this pollution should help restore
coral health. This is actually very good news."
The findings were published today in Global
Change Biology, and offer a glimmer of hope for
addressing at least some of the problems that
have crippled coral reefs around the world. In
the Caribbean Sea, more than 80 percent of the
corals have disappeared in recent decades.
These reefs, which host thousands of species of
fish and other marine life, are a major
component of biodiversity in the tropics.
This coral, which was part of a scientific study, is
bleached as a result of exposure to elevated
levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. Credit:
Oregon State University
Researchers have observed for years the
decline in coral reef health where sewage
outflows or use of fertilizers, in either urban or
agricultural areas, have caused an increase in
the loading of nutrients such as nitrogen and
phosphorus. But until now almost no large,
long-term experiments have actually been done
to pin down the impact of nutrient overloads
and separate them from other possible causes
of coral reef decline.
This research examined the effect of nutrient
pollution on more than 1,200 corals in study
plots near Key Largo, Fla., for signs of coral
disease and bleaching, and removed other
factors such as water depth, salinity or
temperature that have complicated some
previous surveys. Following regular injections of
nutrients at the study sites, levels of coral
disease and bleaching surged.
One disease that was particularly common was
"dark spot syndrome," found on about 50
percent of diseased individual corals. But
researchers also noted that within one year
after nutrient injections were stopped at the
study site, the level of dark spot syndrome had
receded to the same level as control study plots
in which no nutrients had been injected.
The exact mechanism by which nutrient
overload can affect corals is still unproven,
researchers say, although there are theories. offer practical approaches to mitigate some
The nutrients may add pathogens, may provide coral reef declines, she said.
the nutrients needed for existing pathogens to
grow, may be directly toxic to corals and make
them more vulnerable to pathogens – or some
combination of these factors.
Title of the Text: Large study shows pollution
This is an interview with Rebecca Vega-Thurber impact on coral reefs—and offers solution
about new findings in a coral reef study off the
Florida Keys. Credit: Oregon State University Author/s of the Text: Oregon State University

"A combination of increased stress and a higher Title of the Journal/Publication: Phys Org
level of pathogens is probably the mechanism
URL or web address:
that affects coral health," Vega-Thurber said.
https://phys.org/news/2013-11-large-pollution-
"What's exciting about this research is the clear
impact-coral-reefsand.html?
experimental evidence that stopping the
utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&ut
pollution can lead to coral recovery. A lot of
m_campaign=Phys.org_TrendMD_1
people have been hoping for some news like
this. Main Idea:
"Some of the corals left in the world are actually One of the largest and longest experiments ever
among the species that are most hardy," she done to test the impact of nutrient loading on
said. "The others are already dead. We're coral reefs today confirmed what scientists
desperately trying to save what's left, and have long suspected – that this type of pollution
cleaning up the water may be one mechanism from sewage, agricultural practices or other
that has the most promise." sources can lead to coral disease and bleaching.
Nutrient overloads can increase disease Evidence that supports the main idea:
prevalence or severity on many organisms,
including plants, amphibians and fish. They've  This research examined the effect of
also long been suspected in coral reef problems, nutrient pollution on more than 1,200
corals in study plots near Key Largo, Fla., for
along with other factors such as temperature
signs of coral disease and bleaching, and
stress, reduced fish abundance, increasing
removed other factors such as water depth,
human population, and other concerns.
salinity or temperature that have
complicated some previous surveys.
However, unlike factors such as global warming
 One disease that was particularly common
or human population growth, nutrient loading is
was "dark spot syndrome," found on about
something that might be more easily addressed
50 percent of diseased individual corals.
on at least a local basis, Vega-Thurber said.
Improved sewage treatment or best-
management practices to minimize fertilizer
runoff from agricultural or urban use might
Acid oceans demand greater reef care
The more humanity acidifies and warms the
world's oceans with carbon emissions, the
harder we will have to work to save our coral
reefs.
That's the blunt message from a major new
study by an international scientific team, which
finds that ocean acidification and global
warming will combine with local impacts like
overfishing and nutrient runoff to weaken the
world's coral reefs right when they are
struggling to survive.
Modelling by a team led by Dr Ken Anthony of
the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef
Studies and The University of Queensland's
Global Change Institute has found that reefs
already overfished and affected by land runoff
are likely to be more vulnerable to increasing
CO2 in the atmosphere caused by the burning
of fossil fuels.
Their study is the first to integrate global scale
processes, such as warming and acidification,
with the local factors overfishing and runoff, to
predict the combined impact on coral reefs.
“As CO2 levels climb to 450-500 parts per
million – as they are now expected to do by
2050 – how well we manage local impacts on
reefs like fishing and runoff will become
absolutely critical as to whether they survive as
coral reefs, or are overtaken by algae that
compete with corals for space on reefs,” Dr
Anthony says.
Warmer conditions cause periodic mass coral
deaths by bleaching, while acidifying sea water
– due to CO2 dissolving out of the atmosphere –
weakens the corals by interfering with their
ability to form their skeletons, making them
more vulnerable to impact by storms.
If the corals are also affected by heavy nutrient
runoff from the land – which fertilizes the algae
– and overfishing of parrot fishes and others
that keep the reefs clear of weed, then corals
can struggle to re-establish after a setback, he
said.
“In those situations, the reef can become
completely overgrown by algae.”
The team's modelling, which they say is on the
conservative side, has far-reaching implications
for the preservation even of well-managed
reefs such as Australia's Great Barrier Reef –
and extremely serious implications for reefs in
developing countries, where most reefs are
located and where reefs face high levels of
stress from human activities.
“Put simply, our model indicates that the more
CO2 we humans liberate, the harder it will
become for coral reefs, as we know them, to
survive," he said.
"This means they will need all the help they can
get in the way of good management to prevent
their being overgrown by sea weeds,” he said.
“Coral reefs in developing nations, where most
of the world's reefs occur and overfishing and
nutrification remain key concerns, are
particularly vulnerable, highlighting the need to
continue to build capacity amongst reef
managers and governments in areas like SE
Asia,” the team warns in their report, which was
recently published in the journal Global Change
Biology.
“A failure to rapidly stabilize and reduce the
concentration of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere
is likely to lead to significant loss of key (coral)
framework builders such as Acropora,
irrespective of the effectiveness of local
management,” the scientists conclude.
“However local reef management efforts to already overfished and affected by land
maintain high grazing fish populations and runoff are likely to be more vulnerable
prevent runoff of silt, fertilisers and sewage to increasing CO2 in the atmosphere
from the land will play a critical role in caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
maintaining coral resilience while CO2  Their study is the first to integrate
concentrations are stabilized”, they add. global scale processes, such as warming
and acidification, with the local factors
The study, which is the first to quantify the
overfishing and runoff, to predict the
relative importance of carbon emissions and
combined impact on coral reefs.
local disturbances in compromising reef health,
can be used to optimise future management
practises of coral reefs. It makes clear that both
policy changes on emissions and local
management measures are required to secure a
future for coral reefs.

Title of the Text: Acid oceans demand greater

reef care

Author/s of the Text: University of Queensland

Title of the Journal/Publication: Phys Org

URL or web address:

https://phys.org/news/2011-02-acid-oceans-
demand-greater-reef.html?
utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&ut
m_campaign=Phys.org_TrendMD_1

Main Idea:

The more humanity acidifies and warms the

world's oceans with carbon emissions, the
harder we will have to work to save our coral
reefs.

Evidence that supports the main idea:

 Modelling by a team led by Dr Ken

Anthony of the ARC Centre of
Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and
The University of Queensland's Global
Change Institute has found that reefs