About ‘hoovers’ and ‘killers’ in coral reefs

ReefExporer online lecture series on sponges as hoovers in the reef

Gert Wörheide has been researching the biodiversity and evolution of coral reef organisms for over 30 years. His enthusiasm for the incredible diversity of these habitats was awakened in the early 1990s, when he co-initiated the first ‘Citizen Science’ project on coral reefs, the ‘Red Sea Reef Check’.

His research focusses on sponges, which perform essential ecological functions as ‘hoovers’ of the reefs, as well as crown-of-thorns starfish, known as ‘coral killers’, which can eat large areas of coral and thus damage reefs. He takes you on a journey into the amazing world of invertebrates and shows why knowledge of biodiversity is essential, especially in times of the current reef crisis.

Your Coral Reef Adventure 2025 - ReefExporer online lecture series. On 5 June 2025 from 17:00 to 18:00, Prof. Dr. Gert Wörheide from the GeoBio-Center at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich will give the lecture ‘About “hoovers” and “murderers” in coral reefs’

Register now free of charge for the lecture series at: www.reefexplorer.org