How Researchers Are Using Baby Urchins to Protect Coral Reefs
Summary
Record-breaking sea temperatures since March 2023 have severely affected coral reefs, leading to mass bleaching and extreme thermal stress across the Atlantic. Scientists are experimenting with methods to restore coral and make it more resilient to rising temperatures, including efforts in Florida and Puerto Rico. These projects involve planting coral fragments and supporting sea urchins, which help control harmful algae. Despite some promising results, such as heat-resistant coral fragments surviving, experts warn that without immediate intervention and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, many coral species face extinction.
Interesting or Important Facts
The NOAA declared the world’s 4th mass bleaching event.
Normally healthy coral reefs produce “chatter”, which sounds like static to the human ear.
Corals are sessile creatures meaning they are rooted in one place.
Corals rely on algae that live in their tissues, providing nutrients and their color. When water temperatures rise, the algae become harmful and stop providing enough food, which stresses the corals. As a result, the corals get rid of the algae, thus turning white (a process called bleaching) and becoming more likely to die.
Sea urchins feed on harmful algae
In the 1980s, long-spined sea urchins vanished from Puerto Rican reefs and now struggle in La Parguera. To help, ISER Caribe researchers put AstroTurf-like material on 25-foot lines anchored to the ocean floor, giving baby urchins a place to hold on. Divers collect these squares and move the urchins to a land nursery to grow. Once they’re bigger, the researchers return them to coral reefs that need help.
My Opinion
I believe the efforts by scientists to save the coral reefs are very innovative and necessary. The global temperatures are rising at a faster speed than scientists had expected in the past. This gives a chance to to try to save the coral reefs and the sea creatures that in habitat them. So, while introducing the sea urchins might impact the ecosystem in the long run, it is worth to take the chance to try to save as many coral reefs as possible before it is too late.