Do the shuffle and save yourself? It may
not be easy for some corals
One of the mechanisms that corals can use to
survive seawater temperature anomalies is shuffling between different
Symbiodiniaceae genera to increase the presence of stress tolerant
genera. While this is effective for the present seawater temperature
conditions, it may not be so after 2050. As temperature anomalies
become increasingly frequent and severe, tropical coral species already
living at their tolerance limits will bear the brunt of climate change.
Recently coral reef regions around the world are experiencing increased
bleaching and mortality as the Degree Heating Weeks (DHW) is often
between 4-8 ºC-weeks. So, when the DHW increases to >10.0°C-weeks by
2050, even if corals can shuffle, their capacity will be limited, and
hence the mechanism will likely lose its efficacy as repeated and
prolonged thermal stress events become more frequent and pronounced.



Read the full article, published by Zoological
Studies, here
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Media contact: Noah Last: lastn@gate.sinica.edu.tw