Nearly 200 Great Barrier Reef coral species also live in the deep sea

Author: Cassie Martin / Source: Science News

divers in deep ocean near Australia — DEEP DIVE Researchers have found a plethora of shallow water coral species in the deep ocean off Australia’s northeastern coast. Deep ocean reefs might protect corals from severe bleaching and storms.

Nearly 200 species of Great Barrier Reef corals have found a second home in the deep ocean.

That’s six times as many species as previously thought to be living in the dark, cold waters off northeastern Australia, researchers report December 11 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Perhaps more important than the number of species cataloged at those depths is the fact that every coral evolutionary family is represented, offering a potential boon for conservation efforts.

“The deep reef is a lot more diverse and interesting than we thought,” says coauthor Paul Muir, a coral biologist at the Museum of Tropical Queensland in Townsville, Australia. “It’s a bit of a good news story, and there aren’t many of those around at the…

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