Rising water temperatures due to climate change are putting coral reefs in jeopardy, but a surprising discovery by a team of marine biologists suggests that very similar looking coral species differ in how they survive in harsh environments. “We’ve found that previously unrecognized species diversity was hiding some corals’ ability to respond to climate change,” said Iliana Baums, associate professor of biology at Penn State University. 
A scientific paper describing the team’s discovery will be published in the print edition of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B on 7 February 2014. Coral reefs protect shorelines from battering hurricanes and generate millions of dollars in recreation revenue each year. They also provide habitat for an abundance of seafood and serve as a discovery ground for new drugs and medicines. Read more here!… More:
The post Marine Biologists Unmask Species Diversity in Coral Reefs appeared first on reefs.com.