“The reefs provided us with a unique opportunity to isolate the impact of overfishing of sharks on reef resilience, and assess that impact coral reefs in the broader context of climate change pressures threatening coral reefs,” said Jonathan Ruppert, one of the researchers, in a news different types of coral release. “Shark fishing appears to have quite dramatic effects on coral reef ecosystems.” So how do sharks affect coral reefs? Sharks eat fish, which impacts the structure of the food chain on reefs. Without sharks, the balance of this food chain shifts and can alter the entire ecosystem. “Where shark numbers are reduced due to commercial fishing, there is also a decrease in the herbivorous fishes which play a key role in promoting reef health,” said Ruppert in a news release. In fact, the scientists saw increasing numbers of mid-level predators, such as snappers.
See Coral Reefs Like Never Before Thanks To Gorgeous New Panoramas
Since then, the team has traveled to more beautiful coastlines, including Belize, Mexico, and Aruba. To take such detailed (and scientifically useful) imagery, the survey team uses a specially built panoramic underwater camera .
The Knight Agency 