It seems that the first casualties of large-scale change in the natural
world are often the largest and most important representatives of any
particular group of organisms - the largest trees, the biggest marine
mammals, the largest fish species, the largest (and most fertile)
individuals in many fish species.... coral, it seems, is no exeption:
(and yes, this is VERY relevant to a mollusc-related discussion group:
molluscan communities are most diverse in coral-related habitats: if
these habitats are in danger, molluscan diversity is correspondingly
threatened. I submit that good conchology necessarily involves good
stewardship of habitats which support molluscan diversity. Conchologists
have several vested interests in protecting, preserving and restoring
natural ecosystems.)

http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11563


      Scientist Says Large Coral Disappearing
      <http://bs.serving-sys.com//BurstingPipe/BurstingInteractionsPipe.asp?interactionsStr=323663%7eUnSpecified%7e0%5e%5feyeblaster%7e0%7e1%7e1%7e1%7e2%7e0%7e0%5eebdefaultclick%7e0%7e1%7e1%7e1%7e2%7e0%7e0&jumpURL=http%3a//www.rolexawards.com/laureates/laureates%2d2006/index.html>


      /November 01, 2006 — By Mat Probasco, Associated Press/

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands — Large species of coral that form
underwater reefs and create rich habitat for marine life are
disappearing from around the U.S. Virgin Islands, Jamaica and elsewhere
in the Caribbean, a leading researcher said Tuesday.

The larger species are being replaced by smaller varieties, which don't
grow high enough to protect the fish, lobster and other sea life that
rely on the underwater reefs, said Peter Edmunds, a biology professor at
California State University, Northridge.

Abnormally warm weather, coupled with pollution and overfishing, have
contributed to a rapid decline in large coral, Edmunds said during a
talk at the University of the Virgin Islands.

Species such as the boulder star coral, which stretch several yards
across, take hundreds of years to grow. Edmunds predicted the boulder
star coral could be gone from much of the U.S. Virgin Islands in less
than 50 years. In Jamaica, the species has almost been replaced by
mustard hill coral, a smaller species unable to make large reefs, he said.

"The big guys are becoming rarer. The small guys are becoming more
common," said Edmunds, who recently began projects near Tahiti and
Taiwan, where he plans to compare Pacific data with that gathered in the
U.S. Caribbean territory.

Mark Eakin, director of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's Coral Reef Watch, said the coral study documents an
even more widespread phenomenon.

"That's a general pattern we have seen in other places as well," Eakin
said, referring to the Caribbean. "The remaining large coral, such as
star coral, is dropping away" and the smaller coral is moving in.

A vital building block of marine life, coral grows and reproduce best at
about 81.5 degrees Fahrenheit in the Caribbean, said Edmunds, who has
studied Virgin Islands coral for two decades.

Edmunds said his research suggests coral in warmer water grows more slowly.

U.S. government scientists also warned for a second time this year on
Tuesday that sea temperatures around Puerto Rico have exceeded healthy
levels for coral, saying the fragile undersea life could become more
susceptible to damage and disease during overheating.

Seas reached 85.3 degrees Fahrenheit, temperatures at which coral can be
damaged if waters do not cool after a few weeks, Eakin said.

The U.S. atmospheric administration issued a similar warning in
September, when seas reached 85.5 degrees Fahrenheit around the U.S.
Virgin Islands and 85.1 degrees Fahrenheit in waters off Puerto Rico.

After hot summers, sea temperatures usually cool in late October, Eakin
said in a telephone interview.

"We'd expect it to start cooling down soon," he said. "Hopefully we're
right."

The government warning urges scuba-dive operators and underwater
researchers in the U.S. Caribbean territories to look for coral damage
and use caution around the fragile reefs, which are easily damaged by
physical contact.

At the Coral Reef Task Force's biannual meeting in St. Thomas last week,
top researchers backed an Australian study that said up to 60 percent of
the worlds coral reefs could die by 2030.

/Source: Associated Press
/

 From a mild November night in New Scotland,
Ross Mayhew.

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