British scientists from the University of Derby (UD) have concluded that around half of the Earth’s reef coral species may disappear in the near future. The research was published in the official gazette website scientific institution.
The team conducted a new conservation assessment of 892 species of coral that make up warm-water reefs and found that 44% of them were at risk of extinction. The previous analysis of this kind was conducted in 2008, and at that time the number of corals in a vulnerable state was around 30%.
“Corals are vital ecosystems that host more than 30% of all marine life, support nearly 1 billion people, and provide trillions of dollars of ecosystem services from fisheries to coastal protection. Corals provide many benefits and our world depends on them, so it is vital that we take action now to protect them,” said study co-author and molecular biologist Michael Sweet.
Experts explained that the main threat to the preservation of corals is environmental and climatic factors associated with the warming of waters in the world’s oceans. This leads to bleaching of coral colonies, disease and death of coral polyp colonies.
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Source: Gazeta
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