Heat-Tolerant Endangered Corals Could Help Revive Declining Reefs

Increases in ocean temperatures have resulted in the loss of 14 percent of corals over the past decade. This has had cascading effects, as the disappearance of coral reefs also impacts the animals that rely on them. Thus, strategies to help corals tolerate a warming ocean are of critical importance.

One potential solution comes from a new study by scientists at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium who explored the heat tolerance of endangered staghorn corals in a Florida nursery, which belong to the world’s largest restoration program. To determine which corals were better able to tolerate extreme heat, the researchers developed a device (made from camping coolers!) deemed the “Coral Bleaching Automated Stress Systems” to simulate warming conditions and measure coral responses.

“Coral reef decline due to climate change is accelerating worldwide, but so are active reef restoration efforts, which offer the best chance to boost the resilience of reefs through challenging future environments,” says Dr. Ross Cunning, lead author of this study.

The scientists tested over 200 genetically different staghorn corals to test the temperature at which they began to bleach, a stress response that strips corals of their symbiotic algae and, eventually, coloration. They saw that certain corals did bleach at higher temperatures, suggesting they might be better candidates for cultivating coral reefs in an ocean besieged with heatwaves. The team also took tissue samples to explore the genetic basis for improved heat tolerance in these corals and will next be testing the heat tolerance of corals in the Bahamas.

“Our study provides a template for other efforts to identify heat-tolerant corals and comes at a time when such knowledge can help transform approaches to coral conservation under climate change,” says co-author Dr. Andrew Baker, a professor in the Department of Marine Biology and Ecology at University of Miami Rosenstiel School.

Another complementary approach to supporting coral reef systems is to seed the corals themselves. And, a recent approach, where fragments of many coral species were deployed, ultimately improved coral survival and growth.

According to Dr. Cunning, “Restoration and other conservation interventions must be optimized with heat tolerance in mind, in order to favor the survival of future reefs in warmer oceans.”

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