Coral reefs wouldn’t be the same without their beautiful fish. A diversity of colorful, beautifully patterned species lives in tandem with coral reefs around the world, having adapted their appearance, body structure and lifestyle to take refuge in the folds of spiny, spongy, slippery reefs.
Recent studies suggest that coral reefs are just as dependent on fish for key nutrients that help coral grow. When fish urinate, they release phosphorus into the water. This phosphorus, along with nitrogen excreted as ammonium through the gills of fish, is crucial to the survival and growth of coral reefs.
A new study from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences postdoc Jacob Allgeier takes that research a step further. Appearing Aug. 16 in Nature Communications, Allgeier and his team found that in coral reefs where fishing occurs, nearly half of these key nutrients are absent from the ecosystem.
The main reason? Fewer large-bodied and predator fish to pee nutrients into the water, the study found.
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