Humans are wonderful creatures; our intellect has allowed us to thrive in this planet through impressive technological and scientific advances. However, this success has come at a cost. For example, most marine ecosystems are now under pressure from a variety of stressors mostly linked to human activities. In the case of coral reefs, these stressors include a combination of global pressures in the form of warming and ocean acidification, and local pressures which include overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, increased sedimentation, to name just a few. This pressure has caused a worldwide loss and degradation of coral reefs; however, there are still questions about the full scale of these changes and on the ability of corals to withstand them. For example, we know that extreme heat can kill corals, but it is not fully understood how quickly corals can increase their tolerance to thermal stress, or how local and global stressors interact with each other. The latter is crucial because while fixing global warming and ocean acidification requires a global effort, but local governments and managers can implement policies to remove or reduce local stressors and give corals a better fighting chance in the face of climate change.

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from: https://macobios.eu/

(Marine Coastal Ecosystems Biodiversity and Services in a Changing World)

Kontakt

Dr. Juan Pablo D’Olivo Cordero

Telefon: +49 30 838 686 51

E-Mail: juan.dolivo@fu-berlin.de