[Coral-List] Fact-checking on 25% of marine life on reefs

Peter Sale sale at uwindsor.ca
Fri Oct 21 14:03:45 EDT 2016


Hi Jeremy and list,
I do not know the source of the 25% estimate, but I've always found it a little misleading, because it includes (to my best knowledge) all those species that live on reefs as well as in other habitats.  In other words, while 25% of all marine species live on reefs, if reefs were to disappear entirely that would not automatically eliminate 25% of marine biodiversity.

Of course, it is also distinctly possible that reefs support more than 25% of all marine species once we factor in all the cryptic and tiny things that are so imperfectly known at present.

Peter Sale


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