One-third of reef-building corals face elevated extinction risk from climate change and local impacts
College
College of Science
Department/Unit
Biology
Document Type
Article
Source Title
Science
Volume
321
Issue
5888
First Page
560
Last Page
563
Abstract
The conservation status of 845 zooxanthellate reef-building coral species was assessed by using International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List Criteria. Of the 704 species that could be assigned conservation status, 32.8% are in categories with elevated risk of extinction. Declines in abundance are associated with bleaching and diseases driven by elevated sea surface temperatures, with extinction risk further exacerbated by local-scale anthropogenic disturbances. The proportion of corals threatened with extinction has increased dramatically in recent decades and exceeds that of most terrestrial groups. The Caribbean has the largest proportion of corals in high extinction risk categories, whereas the Coral Triangle (western Pacific) has the highest proportion of species in all categories of elevated extinction risk. Our results emphasize the widespread plight of coral reefs and the urgent need to enact conservation measures.
html
Digitial Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1126/science.1159196
Recommended Citation
Carpenter, K. E., Abrar, M., Aeby, G., Aronson, R. B., Banks, S., Bruckner, A., Chiriboga, A., Cortés, J., Delbeek, J., DeVantier, L., Edgar, G. J., Edwards, A. J., Fenner, D., Guzmán, H. M., Hoeksema, B. W., Hodgson, G., Johan, O., Licuanan, W. Y., Livingstone, S. R., Lovell, E. R., Moore, J. A., Obura, D. O., Ochavillo, D., Polidoro, B. A., Precht, W. F., Quibilan, M. C., Reboton, C., Richards, Z. T., Rogers, A. D., & Sanciangco, J. (2022). One-third of reef-building corals face elevated extinction risk from climate change and local impacts. Science, 321 (5888), 560-563. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1159196
Disciplines
Biology
Keywords
Coral reef conservation; Coral reef ecology; Coral declines
Upload File
wf_no
