Natural History Wanderings

NPR  reports

he quest to slow the decline of the world’s coral reefs now seems to have a surprising ally: the humble sea cucumber. Georgia Tech marine ecologist Cody Clements noticed years ago that clearing the pickle-shaped marine invertebrates from study areas seemed to accelerate coral tissue death. He set out to test his theory, proving in newly-published research that there was a “15-fold more death” of whole corals in places where sea cucumbers were removed. The reason likely has to do with the vast amount of sand these “little Roombas” hoover up as they roam the sea floor. Read the story and listen here