Australian scientists have sequenced the genome of the staghorn coral Acropora millepora, a major component of the Great Barrier Reef and coral reefs worldwide. This is the first animal genome project to be carried out entirely in Australia, and is an important milestone in Australian biotechnology and in the study of coral reefs.

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New article examines the impact of sharks on coastal economies and the importance of including conservation efforts in long term management plans.

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Fish communities in the 21st century live fast and die young. That's the main finding of a recent study that compared fish recently caught in coastal Kenya with the bones of fish contained in ancient Swahili refuse heaps.

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Researchers have discovered a potent and highly-debilitating toxin in the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, a first-of-its-kind chemical finding that is now prompting investigations of other marine mammals in the state.

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Baby clownfish use hearing to detect and avoid predator-rich coral reefs during the daytime, but new research demonstrates that ocean acidification could threaten this crucial behavior within the next few decades.

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Ocean acidification, along with increased ocean temperatures, will likely severely reduce the diversity and resilience of coral reef ecosystems within this century, new research suggests.

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Climate change is already widely recognized to be negatively affecting coral reef ecosystems around the world, yet the long-term effects are difficult to predict. Scientists are now using the geologic record of Caribbean corals to understand how reef ecosystems might respond to climate change expected for this century.

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Coral reefs provide a range of critical goods and services to humanity -- everything from nutrient cycling to food production to coast protection to economic revenues through tourism, according to researchers. Yet, they say, the complex nature and large-scale distribution of coral reefs is challenging scientists to understand if this natural ecosystem will continue working to deliver goods and services given the ongoing loss of biodiversity in coral reefs.

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