A Stylaster Elegans (Elegant Lace Coral by Teresa Zubi (Sept. 2005).

Anyone who has been fortunate enough to see Lace corals up close and underwater might remember their delicate form and color. Researchers from the Universidade de Sao Paulo, Stanford University, and the Scottish Association for Marine Science have discovered unexpected connections between shallow-water coral and deep-sea coral species, and reasons for learning more about these organisms that may hold clues for improving underwater ecosystems.

The deep sea is a source of environmental diversity says Brendan Roark, a postdoctoral fellow of Professor Robert Dunbar in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Stanford at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting on Feb. 15, 2008. His interest in corals and related animals led him to study deep sea Lace corals in particular. This deep water Coral species has invaded the shallow water tropics in the past. His research shows that organisms have evolved from the deep sea to shallow waters as well as the other way around.

Some coral species have very long life spans–2,700 years in some cases. Very deep water corals have even longer life spans with growth rings like trees that create a kind of “archive” or record of climate change. One such deep water coral, gold coral, is harvested to make jewelry. We are “Just scratching the surface for the potential for deep sea corals.” Greater conservation efforts will be necessary to preserve these ancient living organisms.

Noting that some of the coral reefs off of Norway are 8-10 thousand years old, the Trans-Atlantic Coral Ecosystem Study ‘TRACES’ was also announced at AAAS. This study is a 2-year multinational effort to use advanced sonar and other technologies to use these techniques to look at climate history and genetic evolution. There is a general understanding that warming and acidification of oceans is a major issue with respect to sustaining marine species. TRACES aims to generate the experimental data to back up our understanding of ocean changes in relation to coral and other species.

Further reading on this issue:

Eureka Alert press release
Science Daily