A multi-trait systems approach reveals a response cascade to bleaching in corals.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Climate change causes the breakdown of the symbiotic relationships between reef-building corals and their photosynthetic symbionts (genus Symbiodinium), with thermal anomalies in 2015-2016 triggering the most widespread mass coral bleaching on record and unprecedented mortality on the Great Barrier Reef. Targeted studies using specific coral stress indicators have highlighted the complexity of the physiological processes occurring during thermal stress, but have been unable to provide a clear mechanistic understanding of coral bleaching.

Results

Here, we present an extensive multi-trait-based study in which we compare the thermal stress responses of two phylogenetically distinct and widely distributed coral species, Acropora millepora and Stylophora pistillata, in

SUBMITTER: Gardner SG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5719617 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature