A new study shows that ocean acidification is changing the mix of microbes in coral reef systems, which can be used to assess ecosystem health.
A new study shows that ocean acidification is changing the mix of microbes in coral reef systems, which can be used to assess ecosystem health.
The study, published today in Microbiome, looked at coral reefs specifically, but the researchers say it could be widely applicable as a method for measuring how ecosystems are responding to human activities.
Understanding how ecosystems are changing in response to human activity allows predictions of their future, and how to conserve them. Although microbes are crucial for ecosystems – supporting critical functions such as nutrition and immune system modulation – changes in microbial communities are rarely measured when assessing ecosystem health.
Read more at: Imperial College London
CO2 venting from the seabed at volcanic vent sites in Papua New Guinea. (Photo Credit: Emma Ransome)
