Warmer, acidifying ocean brings extinction for reef-building corals, renewal for relatives
Tuesday, September 1, 2020 - 07:30
in Earth & Climate
A new study finds that reef-building corals emerged only when ocean conditions supported the construction of these creatures' stony skeletons, whereas diverse softer corals and sea anemones flourished at other times. Without a significant change to anthropogenic carbon emissions, the new findings present stark implications for the present and future of hard-bodied corals while suggesting a silver lining for the diversity of some of their softer-bodied relatives.