Could Coral Bleaching Combat Global Malnutrition?
Written by Victoria Stewart
Edited by Benjamin Blue
March 21, 2022
Edited by Benjamin Blue
March 21, 2022
In recent years, the detrimental warming effects of climate change have been felt throughout the globe, and the oceans are no exception. But in a research study by Robinson et al., researchers are looking into how such impacts can instead provide a possible opportunity to address malnutrition for global human populations. Coral bleaching, a phenomenon that stems from the rising sea water temperatures, is actively altering reef ecosystems. For example, as coral populations are increasingly depleted, macroalgae such as seaweed that can survive without coral populations, has begun to dominate the reef ecosystem. This seaweed growth causes the aquatic life on the reefs to shift primarily to those that feed on macroalgae instead of the mosaic of aquatic diets that thrive when the reef is healthy. The decrease in food availability on the reefs has led to macroalgae-feeding species to become increasingly dominant while resident species decline. With global reliance on fisheries, such concerns have looked to the decrease in diversity as another symptom of global warming. But can this species shift provide an opportunity for global nutrition?
While coral populations wane in response to rising temperatures, a 2022 study by Robinson et al. conducted research on the physiological impact of these bleaching events on local fish populations. The researchers examined muscle tissue in fish before and after coral bleaching events and measured the nutrient composition of the tissues. They found that the new algae-eating fish species had higher levels of micronutrients such as omega-3s, iron, zinc and selenium. These micronutrients serve to boost the human immune system, support bone health, energy production, and growth. With the human body’s inability to produce essential micronutrients, food sources that provide these nutrients are critical. The study also notes an increase in the overall biomass of these new reef species, finding not only more, but larger bodied fish supplemented by this unique, nutrient-rich physiology. These observations suggest possible solutions to global quality and quantity in fisheries in areas of coral decline.
The nutrients found in the post-bleaching populations, paired with the increase in biomass of herbivorous populations on the reefs, poses an opportunity to potentially provide high-nutrient food supply to populations suffering from malnutrition. While coral bleaching is detrimental to marine ecosystem dynamics and diversity, researchers believe that with species-specific fishing and regulations, a side effect of global warming could potentially benefit terrestrial populations experiencing food scarcity.