Coral Can 'Sniff Out' Damaged Reefs

You might say that pacific corals and fish can actually sniff out danger. These sea creatures use their sense of smell to avoid damaged reefs.

Researchers found that damaged coral reefs emit chemical cues that actually repulse some of the young coral and fish floating around the area to move away from degraded habitat.

The findings are the first to also show how coral larvae can smell the difference between a safe and healthy environment and damaged reefs that could pose potential hazards settlings.

"If you're setting up a marine protected area to seed recruitment into a degraded habitat, that recruitment may not happen if young fish and coral are not recognizing the degraded area as habitat," said Danielle Dixson, an assistant professor in the School of Biology at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, and the study's first author, in a news release. 

The study also examined marine areas in Fiji that had adjacent fished areas where the country has established no-fishing in order to protect their healthy habitats.

"Not only are coral smelling good areas versus bad areas, but they're nuanced about it," said Mark Hay, a professor in the School of Biology at Georgia Tech and the study's senior author. "They're making careful decisions and can say, 'settle or don't settle.'"

More information regarding the findings can be seen via that journal Science.