Articles on Parrotfish

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Rainbow and midnight parrotfish feed at Alacranes Reef in the Gulf of Mexico. Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip

Parrotfish support healthy coral reefs, but they’re not a cure‑all, and sometimes cause harm

Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and Ana Lilia Molina Hernández, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)

A widely held view in ocean conservation asserts that parrotfish are key to healthy coral reefs. But evidence suggests that the relationship is more complicated.
Staghorn coral spawns near North Key Largo, Fla. Liv Williamson/University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science via AP

The world’s fourth mass coral bleaching is underway, but well‑connected reefs may have a better chance to recover

Annalisa Bracco, Georgia Institute of Technology

Coral reefs share genetic material across wide areas, with help from ocean currents. This ability is especially important during episodes like the mass bleaching currently occurring.

Related Topics

  1. Biodiversity
  2. Climate change
  3. Coral
  4. Coral bleaching
  5. Coral reefs
  6. Curious Kids US
  7. Ecosystems
  8. Fish
  9. Marine biology
  10. Ocean warming

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