Coral reef missing link found hidden in crevices (news bit)

[NikhilC]

New Scientist put up this article covering findings of how reefs survive in nutrient poor systems, such as the ones we tend to keep (skimmers, etc)...interesting...

 

[SPC]

Thanks for the article, very interesting!
Steve

 

[cubera]

FWIW Steve Tyree has been studying and writing about these "crevice communities" for years

 

[2poor2reef]

O'kay folks. Help me out here. Since corals are the primary reef builders, not sponge, what mechanisms pass the nutrients collected by super-efficient filter feeding sponges to the coral animals that ultimately build the reef? What unlocks the nutrients: sponge reproduction? sponge predation? sponge disintegration at death? Would having more sponges and feeding them more plankton enhance coral growth in captive systems?