When Caribbean coral reefs are in hot water, one alga takes advantage of the situation — and possibly comes to the rescue.
A rare type of alga proliferated in several species of coral in the Caribbean Sea while warming waters were killing other algal inhabitants, researchers report in the Sept. 8 Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The authors say that their two-year study raises questions about how opportunistic algae might affect coral colonies dealing with the physical stress of increasing ocean temperatures.
“I think it’s a pretty compelling paper,” says coral reef biologist Andrew Baker of the University of Miami.
Many coral species rely on particular algae for nourishment. These one-celled organisms squat in the coral polyps’ cells, making energy from sunlight and passing it on.