Small Species Restore Ecological Balance in the Caribbean
Small Species Restore Ecological Balance in the Caribbean
Panama, Jan 25 (Prensa Latina) Small sea urchins and parrot-fishes are recovering the ecological balance in the Caribbean coasts where the coral reefs disappeared, according to a research conducted in the deep waters of Bocas del Toro, in the Panamanian Atlantic.
The sea urchins, Echinometra viridis, about a size of a ping pong ball, and the scarred parrotfish, Scarus iseri, which is not of interest for fishermen, may prevent the replacement of the coral reef by algae on the degraded reefs because they are herbivores, marine biologists concluded.
A mysterious disease 30 years ago exterminated the long-spiked black sea urchins in this part of the Caribbean, causing overgrowth of algae that harms deteriorating the coral reefs, according to a report by experts at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI).
Marine biologists, Andrew Altieri and Catie Kuempel, expressed their surprise that the dead corals in the area explored were not replaced by the presence of algae, while the mentioned small species comprise about 95 percent of the herbivorous biomass in the area.
Other STRI experts warned ahead of the slow recovery of the black sea urchin, estimated at 12 percent of the population before 1984, with fatal consequences for the coral reefs.
http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id=8453&SEO=small-species-restore-ecological-balance-in-the-caribbean
(Short article, no more at link.)
Environment & Energy:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1127107832
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