(CN) — Earth’s ongoing climate crisis has put a trio of critical stony coral species on a path towards an uncertain future that could have dire ramifications for their underwater biodomes, according to new research released Monday.
Few underwater denizens put as much effort into keeping their watery homes healthy and functional as stony coral. Populated around their famed reefs, coral are responsible with providing food, protection and crucial deposits of calcium to their habitats, ultimately helping to forge their coral reefs into some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet.
But, like countless other underwater creatures, many stony coral species have been put on the defensive due to the environmental meddling of humans. Ocean pollution, fishery operations and even irresponsible tourism have all taken a drastic toll on health of coral reef habitats throughout the decades.
Now, new research highlights what experts fear will be the next serious threat to these crucial coral groups – Earth’s ongoing climate crisis.
In a study published Monday in Frontiers of Marine Science, researchers reveal they amassed a vast collection of data on three stony coral species in the tropical Atlantic to project what likely futures are in store for the threatened creatures as a result of climate change. Researchers found that even under their most optimist scenarios, all three of the coral species are likely to see major upcoming downgrades to their homes.
According to new projection models, the Mussismilia hispida, Montastraea cavernosa and the Siderastrea complex species of stony coral are all set to lose some of their habitat cover as more of them relocate to temperate waters within the tropics. Researchers say key areas in the Western Atlantic like the Brazilian and Caribbean coastlines are likely to get hit the hardest these changes, with much of these areas projected to lose habitat suitability under all of the tested scenarios.
Silas Principe, lead author of the study and PhD candidate from the University of São Paulo says given the pivotal roles stony coral play for these environments, these changes could be devastating.
"Coral reefs provide essential ecosystem services such as food provision, coastal protection and nutrient cycling, that benefit millions of people - including those who live far from any coral reef," Principe said. "If species that are important in structuring the coral reefs are lost, the provision of all those services is consequently also threatened."
While researchers created a trio of different scenarios ranging from best to worst, they found that in all of them certain Atlantic areas are likely to completely lose at least one species of coral. This could be especially damning for the Abrolhos region off the coast of Brazil where there are fewer coral species capable of building habitats to begin with.
Experts say Monday’s results should guide coral conservation efforts to these Brazilian and Caribbean locations where coral groups are likely to face the brunt of climate change the hardest.
Researchers stress however that hope is not lost for coral just yet. While none of their scenarios projected a completely painless future for the underwater builders, experts still found several areas where little-to-no change for some coral species is anticipated, with some coral even capable of increasing their habitat range off the coast of Africa.
These findings, according to researchers, show that coral species can still thrive in a world gripped by a climate crisis provided that humans are willing to do their part in offering the right protections and resources to help coral survive.
“Managers and policy makers can use this to support the planning process of conservation areas." Principe said. "Researchers and conservationists can use these results to focus research efforts on the so-called 'refuge areas' that may constitute safe areas for coral species in the future."
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