Warming ocean temperatures are increasingly causing coral bleaching, a phenomenon that threatens coral survival. A recent study has revealed that rice coral, a significant reef-building species, can pass thermal resistance to its offspring, helping them avoid bleaching. This research is vital for the conservation and restoration of threatened reefs worldwide.
The study was published in Nature Communications and resulted from collaboration between Michigan State University (MSU), Duke University, and the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. The research received funding from the National Science Foundation and an MSU Climate Change Research grant.
Rob Quinn, a Spartan biochemist and study co-author, stated: “The Coral Resilience Lab in Hawaiʻi has developed amazing methods to breed and rear corals during natural summer spawning.” He emphasized the collaborative nature of this scientific effort aimed at cultivating more resilient corals for future warming oceans.
Crawford Drury, assistant researcher at HIMB's Coral Resilience Lab and co-author of the study, explained: “Corals are like the trees in an old growth forest; they build the ecosystems we know as reefs on the energetic foundation between the animal and algae.”
The partnership between HIMB and MSU enables advanced research into coral resilience by analyzing biochemical signatures associated with bleaching resistance. This includes studying various stages of coral life cycles such as sperm, eggs, embryos, larvae, and their algal partners.
Ty Roach from Duke University expressed enthusiasm about this collaboration: “HIMB and MSU have developed a really amazing partnership. I’m just happy they’ve let me be a part of it.”
Sarah VanDiepenbos, an MSU graduate student who participated in nighttime coral spawning events with Coral Resilience Lab researchers described it as "a serene, beautiful experience."
Quinn highlighted promising findings regarding thermal tolerance being passed through generations: “To have this algae’s thermal tolerance remain through an entire generation...that’s surprising.”
These insights contribute significantly to understanding how inherited thermal resistance originates from both coral hosts and their symbiotic algae. The findings support efforts toward reef restoration by identifying heat-resistant corals capable of enduring rising sea temperatures.
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