Fish's homing instinct a clue to coral reef diversity

James Randerson, science correspondent
Tuesday January 9, 2007
The Guardian


Scientists have discovered that a fish species on the Australian Great Barrier Reef can sniff its way back to the patch of reef where it hatched.
If the cardinal fish's remarkable odour-assisted homing abilities are common, the researchers suggest it might help to explain the diversity of marine life on coral reefs. "Coral reefs are famous like tropical rainforests for their diversity of species," said Jelle Atema at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole in Massachusetts. But that amazing biodiversity looks puzzling when you consider that many marine species reproduce by releasing their eggs into the water to be carried at the whim of the current, he said. That would mean species are dispersed widely, preventing the genetic isolation in local areas needed for new species to evolve.

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