Just because coral is dying, doesn’t mean marine life in reefs will end. New research found dead coral hosted 100 times more microscopic invertebrates than healthy coral.

When corals die, their skeletons are quickly overgrown by fine, thread-like "turfing algae". Turf-covered coral skeletons then break down into beds of rubble. We wanted to find out how the tiny epifaunal invertebrates - upon which many fish depend - might respond to the widespread replacement of live healthy coral with dead, turf-covered coral.

Similarly, coral polyps, tiny invertebrates that build massive coral reefs, provide essential habitats for thousands of marine species.Coral reefs, often referred to as the “rainforests of the sea,” support more biodiversity than any other marine ecosystem. Reefs are home to fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and a host of other organisms, many of which are interdependent with the coral itself.

“And just like on land with small insects and bugs, biodiversity in the sea can be dominated by these tiny invertebrates.” As these creatures try to remain hidden, finding and surveying them requires particular care and attention.

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