Most coral dead in central section of Great Barrier Reef

[Scot Dutchy]

Most coral dead in central section of Great Barrier Reef, surveys reveal

As mass bleaching sweeps the world heritage site, scientists also find an average of 35% of coral dead or dying in the northern and central sections of the reef

The majority of coral is now dead on many reefs in the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, according to an underwater survey of 84 reefs, in the worst mass bleaching event to hit the world heritage site.

An average of 35% of coral was now dead or dying in the northern and central sections, according to the surveys led by the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.

But in good news for tourists and the tourism industry, only 5% of coral has died on reefs south of Cairns.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ ... eys-reveal

That is the GOOD news?

[pErvinalia]

No cunt in this cuntry really cares.

[Scot Dutchy]

No cunt in this cuntry really cares.

That was the attitude I found in Queensland. I was staying at Holiday Beach just north of Cairns. They dont seem to worry much about the environment just exploiting it.

[pErvinalia]

The truth is a lot of people do care, but like a lot of things in Australia, aren't willing to do anything much about it. We really are an apathetic bunch of people.

[Tyrannical]

Meh, it's just natural selection at work. As co2 and temperature levels change, as they always have, less fit coral dies until more robust coral takes hold. It's been that way for half a billion years.

[JimC]

However, anthropogenic climate change may occur much faster than previous warming episodes, so the time to adapt may not be there. In addition, the reefs are under additional stress from other human activities such as polluted run-off from Queensland intensive farming.

[Tyrannical]

Time to adapt lol. You've really no idea how natural selection even works. A half a billion years have given coral all the adaptations it needs to survive.

[JimC]

Time to adapt lol. You've really no idea how natural selection even works. A half a billion years have given coral all the adaptations it needs to survive.

So, what was your science degree in?

Mine was in the field of evolutionary biology and ecology...

[rasetsu]

They're supporting radical adaptation - fitness through being dead!

[pErvinalia]

Time to adapt lol. You've really no idea how natural selection even works. A half a billion years have given coral all the adaptations it needs to survive.

I'm afraid it's you who doesn't understand how ecology and evolution work. Organisms don't 'store' adaptations for future use. Where did you get that sort of silly idea from? When an organism's conditions for growth and survival change faster than they can genetically adapt and for natural selection to select enough individuals to continue to a viable breeding population, then the organisms die and the population becomes under threat of extinction.

[Sean Hayden]

but that ain't

[pErvinalia]

Yeah.

[Tyrannical]

Time to adapt lol. You've really no idea how natural selection even works. A half a billion years have given coral all the adaptations it needs to survive.

So, what was your science degree in?

Mine was in the field of evolutionary biology and ecology...

Computer Science, but you, Evolutionary biology, really? Peppered moth

[Tyrannical]

Time to adapt lol. You've really no idea how natural selection even works. A half a billion years have given coral all the adaptations it needs to survive.

I'm afraid it's you who doesn't understand how ecology and evolution work. Organisms don't 'store' adaptations for future use. Where did you get that sort of silly idea from? When an organism's conditions for growth and survival change faster than they can genetically adapt and for natural selection to select enough individuals to continue to a viable breeding population, then the organisms die and the population becomes under threat of extinction.

Sigh......

Populations of organisms do "store" adaptations for possible future use, that's what genetic diversity is and why it's important. Then natural selection alters the genetic variability based on environmental factors. Unless you are only referring to simple (mostly) single cell organisms.

[pErvinalia]

Genetic variability isn't an "adaptation" until it is selected for. As we said, the rate of change means that adaptations/variability can't we selected for quick enough.