Researchers from James Cook University in Queensland and Uppsala University in Sweden have been studying coral reefs and the effects bleaching and death has on the reef ecosystems.
What they found was that reef-dwelling fish in particular were less able to avoid predators showing that the bleaching process and dead coral is having a huge negative effect on their senses according to the BBC.
The team created simulated reefs to mimic the environment they were studying and used damselfish in both a healthy coral reef and one that contained dead coral. They trained the fish to sense the scent of a predator and using the smell a damselfish releases when under attack. They found that the fish living in the healthy reef were able to sense the predator and adapt accordingly but in the dead reef the fish continued to explore unable to sense the predator and leaving themselves vulnerable to attack.
“If the process of cataloguing and avoiding predators is hindered in some species by coral degradation and loss, then much of the diversity of reef fish could be lost too,” said Oona Lönnstedt of Uppsala University and senior author of the study. “Many reef fish need specific habitats that only healthy coral reefs can provide.”
The findings that were published in the journal Biological Sciences, show the devastating decline of our reefs and the influence it is having on the ecosystems that it contains. The Great Barrier Reef in particular is quickly disappearing due to climate change and these studies show that the way in which the reefs are altering means fish are facing difficult challenges to survive.