A discovery made by researchers at
the Center of Biological Research of the Northeast Cibnor, have found that
certain types of corals
have been adaptive towards the ocean’s acidification that has been increasing
since the industrial revolution. This study was preformed along the Gulf of
California and the coast of the Mexican Pacific because of its natural
acidification. The researchers observed the radiographic plates, taken over a
22-year span, from samples of Porites panamensis. These images enabled the
group to view the changes in extension, destiny, and calcification throughout
time in the coralline skeleton. They even removed DNA from the coral to get a
better understanding of its genetic diversity.
From the study, they were able to
discover that the ocean’s acidification had not dramatically affected the
coral’s growth, which also depends on the gender of the coral as well.
Therefore not all corals are affected in the same way by the increase in
acidification. The leader of the team, Eduardo Balart Paez, says that these
corals are healthy for the moment because of it’s large energetic expense given
by a genetic adaption. As the ocean turns more acid due to the rise in carbon
dioxide emission released into the atmosphere, it is crucial for scientists to find out which coral species are able to adapt. Artificial reefs do exist, but conserving natural reefs have a less adverse affect on certain species and maintains a stable ecosystem.
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