From spiky branches to dome-shaped species

How corals have evolved over 70 years

- Shabana Begum Correspondent

As more than two-thirds of Singapore's coral reefs have been lost to coastal development and reclamation since the 1960s, the characteristics of its remaining reefs have changed dramatically over the decades.

For one thing, there are fewer fast-growing and branching corals now, which means fewer marine animals are able to seek shelter within the reefs.

Coral species dominating the remaining 10 sq km stretches of reefs are mostly dome-shaped or flat, and they are expected to host a lower diversity of marine life, said marine biologist Huang Danwei, deputy head of the NUS Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.

However, these species tend to be more adaptable and tolerant of stressors like heated up waters, he added.

The declining ecological roles of Singapore's reefs were a key finding of the first study that tracked the species and functions of the island-state's coral reefs since the 1950s.

This study was published in a new book, Coral Reefs Of Singapore's Urbanised Sea, released in October.

In October, a global report by 160 scientists declared that the planet is facing its first catastrophic tipping point due to global warming, with warm-water coral reefs at risk of dying out. Marine biologist Huang Danwei, deputy head of the NUS Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, and his team are hoping that the findings from tracking the reefs over 70 years will lead to smarter ways of restoring the habitats.

The over 230-page tome - edited by Associate Professor Huang and Emeritus Professor Chou Loke Ming from the NUS Department of Biological Sciences - documents how reefs respond to decades of urbanisation impacts and marine heatwave episodes caused by climate change.