Since Sonnier Bank is closer to the river, scientists expect to see higher levels of nutrients in that area than in the Flower Gardens, Dunton said. Coral reefs are a major economic engine for the tourist industry. They act as natural barriers, protecting beaches from erosion and storms, and serve as nurseries for economically important species of fish. Considered the equivalent of underwater rain forests, coral reefs also may be a potential source of new medicines. Some researchers believe that creatures living in reef environments may be sources of anti-tumor compounds, while coral themselves could prove useful in grafting bones.
Coral reefs support a tremendous array of plant and animal species.
Literally thousands of species of invertebrates and tropical fish live on coral reefs. The National Academy of Sciences estimates that algae blooms caused by excess nutrients are killing marine life and damaging marshlands along more than one third of the U.S. coast line. Scientists at the 9th Annual Coral Reef Symposium in Indonesia this fall warned that fully 25 percent of all coral reefs in the world already have been destroyed by pollution, global warming and other factors. Dunton, who won this year's Teaching Excellence Award, is an expert in the ecology of marine plants such as seagrasses, kelp, marsh plants and algae. His work on the Texas coast primarily has involved research on growth and productivity of seagrass and marsh communities.