South Florida researchers trying to prevent predatory fish from devouring laboratory-grown coral are grasping at biodegradable straws in an effort to restore what some call the rainforest of the sea.

Until recently, fish that eat coral—corallivores—were thought to weaken reef structures, while fish that consume algae and detritus—grazers—were thought to keep reefs healthy. But ...

And the coral-eating fish feces contained roughly twice as many beneficial bacteria and fewer disease-causing microbes than the grazer feces. This complements previous research by the team, ...

For people who are not experts, what are the signs of a collapsing reef system? Firstly, less color, because there’s less ...

Researchers are working to prove that coral-eating fish spread corals’ symbiotic algae in their feces. If they’re right, it could open new opportunities for helping struggling reefs cope. By ...

Coral-eating fish are thought to weaken coral reefs because they consume coral tissue, whereas grazer fish are assumed to have positive effects because they eat algae that compete with corals.

The discovery has found that feces from coral-eating fish – corallivores – is packed with symbiotic dinoflagellate algae, which is essential for coral survival.

Fish Smell Like the Coral They Eat—Disguise Is New to Science. Filefish use chemical camouflage to hide from predators, study reveals for first time. By Carrie Arnold. December 9, 2014 ...

A coral-eating butterflyfish on a Moorea reef in July 2019. The feces of some algae-eating fish could be deadly to coral reefs while coral-eating fish could benefit reefs, according to a new study ...

According to National Geographic, these fish eat plankton. They also use their sharp teeth to scrape and eat algae from coral reefs. The bulk of the blue tang's diet, however, comes from algae.

The analyses showed that in the case of algae and detritus-eating fish, fresh feces caused 4.2 times greater lesions on corals, compared to those from sterilized feces.

Do fish bay at the moon? The answer to that question may also point to a way to protect the ocean’s damaged coral reefs. That's a vital goal for the approximately one billion people – most of ...