Deep reefs at risk

We've heard a lot about the deep plumes of oil and dispersants that are drifting through the Gulf as a result of the Deepwater Horizon disaster (although I suppose that BP is still denying their existence). One ecosystem that may be particularly at risk are the deep-sea coral reefs found in the Gulf and the Florida Straits. In this article at Science Daily, researchers from the University of Miami discuss the threat that the deep plumes represent for these particularly fragile systems. Unlike shallow-water corals, the deep-sea species lack photsynthetic symbionts and are dependent on food particles sinking down from surface waters. If food from the top has to drift through an undersea plume of oil, it will likely be toxic to the deep-dwelling corals. The figure at left, produced by the folks at UM, illustrates the problem.