Fringe dwellers hold secrets of survival

3:33 PM Sat 3 Jul 2010 GMT

'An extinct platy species of the Caribbean Montastraea 'annularis' coral species complex from the >500,000 year reef terraces in Barbados' John Pandolfi Click Here to view large photo

Corals right out on the exposed edges of the world's great coral reef zones may hold an important clue to the survival of coral ecosystems facing intensifying pressure from human activities and climate change. In a paper in the international journal Science, researchers Professor John Pandolfi of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and University of Queensland and Professor Ann Budd of the University of Iowa have released new evidence showing that the evolutionary action on coral reefs is not in their 'hot spots' - but out on the fringes, where corals struggle to survive. Their trailblazing ...

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by ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies