Blanqueamiento coralino
¿Existe un futuro para los arrecifes de coral?
Palabras clave:
Arrecifes de coral, blanqueamiento coralino, MéxicoResumen
Los arrecifes de coral están seriamente amenazados por el aumento de las temperaturas oceánicas causadas por el calentamiento global. Un aumento de 1-2 ºC durante el verano, interfiere en la fotosíntesis de las microalgas endosimbiontes (zooxantelas), que viven en el interior de los corales formadores de arrecifes. Al perder la capacidad de producir compuestos orgánicos, que utilizan los corales como alimento, el coral las expulsa. Este fenómeno se conoce como blanqueamiento, y potencialmente causa la muerte coralina. El 2023 fue declarado el año más cálido en el registro climático reciente, y fue causa del cuarto evento global de blanqueamiento masivo coralino. Desafortunadamente este evento afecto los arrecifes coralinos de México, tanto en el Pacífico como en el Atlántico.
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