3 ms·
> Why are corals better than starfish? Corals as a habitat host a lot of species, creating biodiversity. People don't really seem to care about corals by thems
by derefr 4y ago
> Why are corals better than starfish?
Corals as a habitat host a lot of species, creating biodiversity. People don't really seem to care about corals by themselves; rather, they care about a few hundred species of pretty-looking tropical fish that exist nowhere other than within coral reefs. Anything that kills enough of the coral, is likely to make all of those very pretty fish go extinct.
(I've never heard about starfish as a threat to corals; the wellbeing of coral reefs is usually brought up mostly in relation to the impacts of ocean acidification and seafloor trawling.)
- SideburnsOfDoom 3y ago> I've never heard about starfish as a threat to corals; it's a well-known thing. 2023: https://www.scubadivermag.com/9-8-million-program-to-protect-corals-from-starfish/ https://www.scubadivermag.com/9-8-million-program-to-protect... 2020: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2258714-coral-eating-starfish-threaten-great-barrier-reef/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2258714-coral-eating-st... 2018: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/05/world/australia/starfish-coral-great-barrier-reef.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/05/world/australia/starfish-...