How Will Coral Reef Biodiversity Survive In A Warmer World?

What We Can't Sea

As the world's oceans warm, coral reefs are struggling to survive. But what does this mean for the incredible biodiversity that exists on these reefs? Listen now to learn more.

When most people hear the words “coral reef” they picture brightly colored fish and the strange, other-worldly shapes of the three-dimensional coral structure. Although these larger organisms are characteristic of coral reefs and highly relevant to the fisheries and tourism economies, coral reefs are also home to much greater biodiversity that is largely hidden from our eye’s first glance. Biodiversity is crucial in ecosystem resilience because it provides a sort of “insurance” against stressors – losing one species will be less likely to cause ecosystem collapse if biodiversity is high. Coral reefs’ hidden biodiversity is made up of millions of tiny organisms called “cryptobiota”.