Coastal pollution reduces genetic diversity of corals, reef resilience
Friday, April 3, 2020 - 08:10
in Earth & Climate
A new study found that human-induced environmental stressors have a large effect on the genetic composition of coral reef populations in Hawai'i. They confirmed that there is an ongoing loss of sensitive genotypes in nearshore coral populations due to stressors resulting from poor land-use practices and coastal pollution. This reduced genetic diversity compromises reef resilience.