On this day, October 12th, ( 4 years ago ) the discovery described below was first reported in the news.
Scientists Discover New Cave-Dwelling Corals In the Indo-Pacific Marine zoologists studying marine biodiversity in the Indo-Pacific were surprised to discover a new species of coral thriving on the ceilings of caves in the area, part of which overlaps the Coral Sea. The corals discovered were devoid of "zooxanthellae" (alga that depend on sunlight to exist) that common reef corals coexist with to survive. This factor led scientists to make a connection instead with the species Leptoseris, a deep-dwelling coral that is found in the “twilight zone”, a depth of the ocean where very little sunlight penetrates. With typical reef corals, if ocean temperatures rise by just a few degrees, the zooxanthellae will vacate coral polyps, leading to coral death in what is widely known as bleaching. However, the absence of these alga is not a detriment to these cave-dwelling species; the corals, though small, have adapted to survive without them, and are flourishing within these caves. The new species has been named Leptoseris troglodyta, the latter half of which is derived from ancient Greek, meaning “one who dwells in holes.” I assume they made the discovery prior to Oct. 12th. David Locklear dlocklea...@gmail.com Ref. The Daily Reel
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