Zooplankton feeding by corals underestimated
Research by marine biologists from Wageningen University has shown that feeding on zooplankton by scleractinian corals has been greatly underestimated.
| Corals adapt to high temperatures |
| Written by Tim Wijgerde |
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Did you know that corals which are pre-exposed to elevated temperatures have a higher resistance against thermal bleaching? This was recently discovered by scientists from the University of Queensland.
When corals are pre-exposed to elevated temperatures, they have a higher resistance against thermal bleaching. This was recently discovered by scientists from the University of Queensland.
The history of high temperature exposure influences how a coral will respond to future temperature shocks. This was very recently discovered by scientists from the Centre for Marine Studies and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. Acropora aspera specimens which were exposed to 31°C (79°F) for 48h 1-2 weeks prior to a 6-day simulated bleaching event (when corals were exposed to 34 degrees C) were found to have more effective photoprotective mechanisms. The pre-stressed corals suffered less zooxanthellae loss after a heat-shock of 34°C, compared to normal specimens which lost over 40% of their symbionts. The non pre-stressed corals also displayed reduced photosynthetic efficiency, which means their photosynthesis machinery was damaged more. These results show that corals not only adapt to high light intensities, but to high temperatures as well. Although this is promising for the future of corals, there are limits, of course. Prolonged exposure to temperatures above 32°C still is more than current reefs worldwide can handle. Read more about coral bleaching in the climate change section!
Reference: Middlebrook R, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Leggat W, The effect of thermal history on the susceptibility of reef-building corals to thermal stress, J Exp Biol. 2008 Apr;211(Pt 7):1050-6 |
