New Coral Reef Book Reveals the Missing Link in the Health of Earth's Most Ancient Biodiverse Ecosystems

For millennia, coral reefs have flourished as one of the planet’s most magnificent natural wonders. As Earth's most biodiverse ecosystem–surpassing even the rainforests–they are home to a cooperative network ranging from immense fish to sunlight-capturing algae to invisible microbes. Coral Reefs In The Microbial Seas: The Influence of Fishing, Nutrients, Bacteria, Viruses, and Climate Change on Nature’s Most Wondrous Constructs is the first book to unveil the complete picture of how these relationships uphold coral reef health and just how critical the unseen role of microbes are on this ecosystem.

Internationally acclaimed and award-winning scientist Forest Rohwer tells the untold story of coral reefs that has puzzled investigators for decades by illuminating the interrelationships among the sharks, the microbes and the corals and how disturbances such as human activity challenge this delicate balance. With accessible prose and compelling illustrations, “this book brilliantly captures the lives of both coral reefs and the scientists that study them. It is a 21^st century version of the Log from the Sea of Cortez – full of wisdom and humor,” praises Nancy Knowlton, Ph.D., holder of the Sant Chair in Marine Science at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Coral Reefs In The Microbial Seas is published by Plaid Press, a subsidiary of Plaid Multimedia that specializes in scientific communication.