Wednesday, March 19, 2014 BY ROBERT SILK Free Press Staff [email protected] SOUTH FLORIDA — A blue-green algae bloom caused a sponge die-off in a portion of southwest Florida Bay over the fall and winter. "All the large sponges died, the ones larger than five inches," said Gabe Delgado, an assistant research scientist based at the […]
Dr. Ir. J.M. de Goeij. University of Amsterdam (UvA). Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics – Aquatic Ecology and Ecotoxicology (IBED-AEE) Sponges retain the majority of energy and nutrients produced on coral reefs, dissolved organic matter (DOM), and transfer it to reef fauna as cellular debris through a rapid cell turnover. DOM transfer through th […]
By James Morgan Science reporter, BBC News. 7 October 2013 The mystery of how coral reefs thrive in "ocean deserts" has been solved, scientists say. Reefs are among Earth's most vibrant ecosystems, yet they flourish in waters lacking nutrients – a phenomenon known as Darwin's Paradox. A team found that sponges keep the reef alive […]