Some Sea cucumbers like the Stichopus Herrmanni have the ability to counter the negative effects of ocean water acidification on coral growth through their natural digestive processes. Scientists at One Tree Island - the University of Sydney's research station believe that the Sea cucumbers found in tropical regions could play a key role in saving coral reefs from the climatic effects which wastes them.
Professor Maria Byrne, the director of One Tree Island Research Station said that they have found the cause for which they can counter the negative effects. When the Sea Cucumbers take in sand as their food the gut increases the pH levels of water on the reef where they defecate due to their natural digestive system.
Calcium carbonate is considered as a key component of coral obtained as a by-product of sea cucumber's digestion of sand. In order to survive they must accumulate Calcium Carbonate at a greater rate or equal to the calcium carbonate eroded from the reef. The ammonia waste produced by them when they digest sand also serves to fertilise the sorrounding area . They provide nutrients for coral growth.
The research at One Tree Island showed that in healthy reef, dissolution of calcium carbonate sediment by sea cucumbers and other bioeroders appear to be an important component of the natural calcium carbonate turnover. The research was recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research which was carried out by an international group of scientists from the University of Sydney, the Carnegie Institute for Science at Stanford, and various other institutions studying the effects of climate change on coral reefs. Sea cucumbers are among the largest invertebrates found on the reefs of tropical areas. The fishery industry commercially harvests some 25 species along the Great Barrier Reef and throughout the tropics.
It must be very urgently understood by us the impact of removing sea cucumbers and other invertebrates on reef health and resilience at a time when the coral reefs face an uncertain future.
[via:Physorg]
No comments:
Post a Comment