Some Corals Can Stand the Heat — Could They Help Those That Can’t?
UC Davis Researchers Investigate Heat Tolerance in Corals in Effort to Protect from Climate Change
Coral reefs make up less than 1% of ocean habitat but are home to at least 25% of marine species. These incredibly biodiverse ecosystems are increasingly threatened by human actions, including anthropogenic climate change.
“Many people know that corals create habitat for fish and invertebrates, but corals also protect coastlines, because waves lose energy and weaken when they hit coral reefs,” said Rachael Bay, an associate professor in the Department of Evolution and Ecology at the University of California, Davis. “If coral reefs die and sea levels rise, coastlines will lose this protection.”
Though scientists have long known that corals vary in their ability to tolerate heat, it’s still unclear why some of the marine invertebrates cope better than others — even within the same species. To understand how genetics might help coral reefs adapt, Bay is undertaking a long-term field study in the Cook Islands in the South Pacific.