Are tiny grazers the new hope for Caribbean reefs?
Thursday, January 5, 2017 - 16:21
in Biology & Nature
Thirty years ago a mysterious disease wiped out long-spined black sea urchins across the Caribbean, leading to massive algal overgrowth that smothered already overfished coral reefs. Now, marine biologists report that smaller sea urchins and parrotfish may be taking the place of the large sea urchins, restoring the balance on degraded reefs.