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Hello, I am Sarah and this is the Weekly Dive.
A recent study has shown that sea cucumbers play an important role in the health of coral
reefs. Coral lays down a skeleton of calcium carbonate.
However, to grow they have to lay it down faster than it can erode. Because the ocean
is absorbing carbon dioxide, it is becoming more acidic, making it harder for reefs to
grow. Sea cucumbers can consume sediment, like earthworms
do, and they excrete what they can't digest. The study shows that the sea cucumber digestion
process turns the water around them less acidic and more habitable for corals. Highlighting
the impotence of preserving sea cucumbers, which are considered a delicacy and are over
harvested in some parts of the world.
Did you know that sea cucumber skin, though slimy, is embedded with tiny bony particles
called ossicles? Sea cucumbers, like their relatives, the sea stars, can regrow lost
body parts and then later they grow it back.
Thanks for joining us on the weekly dive.
We will see you next time.