New Study Reveals Coral Reef Food Webs Are More Siloed and Vulnerable than Previously Understood

A study led by Associate Professor Kelton McMahon at University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography has found that food webs on tropical reefs are more fragile than we once thought.

Instead of being part of a highly connected system where species can easily switch food sources, many reef creatures in these incredibly biodiverse ecosystems rely on surprisingly narrow, specialized energy pathways that link specific species to distinct sources of primary production.

Using compound-specific stable isotope analysis of amino acids (CSIA-AA), a cutting-edge technique McMahon helped pioneer that allows scientists to follow the path of nutrients as they flow through ecosystems over time, the team investigated three common reef-dwelling snapper species (Lutjanus kasmira, L. ehrenbergii, and L. fulviflamma). Read more: University of Rhode Island https://www.uri.edu/news/2025/07/new-study-reveals-coral-reef-food-webs-are-more-siloed-and-vulnerable-than-previously-understood/

Source: ENN