Part I. The Natural History Quest, 1600-1900. 1. The coral reef enigma ; 2. The scientific revolution of the 17th century ; 3. Discovery of the polyp ; 4. Origin and structure of coral reefs ; 5. The ...

An influential paradigm in coral reef ecology is that fishing causes trophic cascades through reef fish assemblages, resulting in reduced herbivory and thus benthic phase shifts from coral to algal ...

Reefs have been battered by cyclones and starfish that eat coral, but heat stress driven by climate change is the main cause of damage.

Some of these management strategies could include outplanting corals to help restore lost structure, explained co-author Erica Towle, coordinator of NOAA’s National Coral Reef Monitoring Program.

Curiosity has discovered many small structures like this one, formed billions of years ago, when water was still liquid on ...