Coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Great Barrier Reef, recover faster from major stresses than their Caribbean counterparts, leading marine scientists say.

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President Barack Obama has one. Comedian Stephen Colbert has one. Elvis Presley has one. Even computer software magnate Bill Gates has one. And now, Bob Marley -- the late popular Jamaican singer and guitarist -- also has one. So what is it that each of these luminaries have? The answer: they each have a biological species that has been named after them.

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Marine scientists have linked the decline in growth of Caribbean forereef corals -- due to recent warming -- to long-term trends in seawater temperature experienced by these corals located on the ocean-side of the reef. The research was conducted on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System in southern Belize.

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New insight has been provided into the basic immune response and repair mechanisms of corals to disease and changing environmental conditions. The study found that increased growth is the underlying physiological process associated with disease, wounding and stress-related color changes in reef-building corals.

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A new article shows how natural climatic shifts stopped reef growth in the eastern Pacific for 2,500 years. The reef shutdown, which began 4,000 years ago, corresponds to a period of dramatic swings in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

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Some coral reef fish may be better prepared to cope with rising carbon dioxide in the world's oceans -- thanks to their parents. Encouraging new findings show that some fish may be less vulnerable to high CO₂ and an acidifying ocean than previously feared.

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Coral reefs might seem to be tranquil environments but in fact a battle is constantly waged between corals and seaweeds fighting over space. Scientists have known for some time that seaweeds can gain the upper hand if corals are damaged by hurricanes or excessively warm sea temperatures that cause coral bleaching. But a new study reveals that Caribbean seaweeds are the equivalent of Olympian athletes compared those found on coral reefs elsewhere.

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Scientists from the Stanford and elsewhere joined to create a mini-lab in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The device can simulate predicted future ocean conditions – such as rising carbon dioxide levels – and their effects on ecosystems such as coral.

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