Laura is a science news writer, covering a wide variety of subjects, but she is particularly fascinated by all things aquatic, paleontology, nanotechnology, and exploring how science influences daily life. Laura is a proud former resident of the New Jersey shore, a competitive swimmer, and a fierce defender of the Oxford comma.
Coral reefs all over the world are in serious danger. However, a critical way to keep reefs healthy likely comes from a lowly animal, some of whom spray goo out of their butts in self-defense. According to a study published February 26 in the journal Nature Communications, about 25 percent of coral reef’s health is dependent on sea cucumbers that keep the reefs clean.
Georgia Tech/Clements et. al. 2024. Between 2022 and 2020, annual wild harvests of sea cucumbers increased by about 30 percent. According to the authors of this study, this overharvesting is likely having direct effects on reefs, since removing predators from the ecosystem can have cascading effects on the ecosystem. Overhunting of otters for their pelts has led to degradation of kelp forests in California.
Georgia Tech/Clements et. al. 2024. The presence of sea cucumbers appeared to suppress the spread of coral disease. Hays and Clements found that corals without sea cucumbers present were 15 times more likely to die. They conducted a similar experiment in Palmyra Atoll, part of the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands. This experiment used different coral species and different sea cucumbers, but yielded similar results.
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