NEW Publication: Coral resilience in highly urbanized environments!

April 23 2025

Dr. Joana Figueiredo

Coral resilience in highly urbanized environments!

Despite experiencing higher nutrient concentrations and turbidity, colonies of massive starlet coral within the Port Everglades were as fecund and surprisingly more fertile than corals at the nearshore coral communities. 

This higher fertility may result from genetic adaptation, i.e. survival of highly resistant individuals. It may also be explained by higher availability of food for the corals and their algal symbionts. Specifically, the port has high concentrations of nitrates and phosphates, which serve as fertilizers for micro to macro algae. The nutrients in the water also fuel the growth of microscopic algae in the water and, by consequence, the microscopic animals which feed on them. The corals feed on both microscopic algae and animals in the water. Additionally, corals have a symbiosis with microscopic algae that live within their tissues and give the coral its color. These microscopic algae use the nutrients in the water to do photosynthesis, which products feed the coral. Thus, it is quite possible that the higher fertility in the Port is just a result greater nutrient assimilation. 

It is however important to notice that other reef building coral species, which provide greater coastal protection against wave action and flooding during severe storms and serve as nursery for fish are typically not found in these degraded, urban environments.