Scientists have long been fascinated by the resilience of corals, which have survived multiple mass extinction events and even the demise of the dinosaurs. However, a recent die-off in Florida has brought their survival strategies into sharp focus.
Researchers have found that corals have consistently retreated to the deeps during periods of extreme climate change, only to recolonize habitats once temperatures returned to normal. This remarkable ability is thought to be linked to the evolutionary history of corals, which date back an astonishing 460 million years.
By analyzing ultra-conserved elements in the DNA of stony coral species, a team of scientists has built a phylogenetic tree that reveals how these creatures have evolved over millions of years. The findings suggest that the first corals were solitary organisms that didn't rely on symbiotic microalgae to produce nutrients, making them immune to bleaching.
These early corals also had the advantage of being able to move between habitats, which allowed them to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Over time, corals began to specialize and develop coloniality and symbiosis, but these traits could be acquired independently through different lineages.
While this suggests that corals have a built-in "get-out-of-death card" to survive extreme events, it also means that their recovery from extinction is slow - taking four to five million years. In the meantime, scientists are exploring ways to improve coral resilience, such as crossbreeding with species from warmer climates and manipulating algal symbionts.
One promising approach involves pairing Acropora corals with more heat-tolerant symbionts, which could alter their bleaching threshold and give them a better chance of surviving the next heat wave. While these interventions may take time to show results, they offer hope for the long-term survival of coral reefs - and by extension, our coastlines that rely on them.
In Florida alone, the loss of Acropora corals could translate into hundreds of millions of dollars in damages per year. However, with continued research and innovation, scientists remain optimistic about saving these vital creatures. As one researcher noted, even if we don't take action to help corals, they will likely pull off their de-extinction trick once again - albeit at a pace that's not necessarily good news for humans.
Researchers have found that corals have consistently retreated to the deeps during periods of extreme climate change, only to recolonize habitats once temperatures returned to normal. This remarkable ability is thought to be linked to the evolutionary history of corals, which date back an astonishing 460 million years.
By analyzing ultra-conserved elements in the DNA of stony coral species, a team of scientists has built a phylogenetic tree that reveals how these creatures have evolved over millions of years. The findings suggest that the first corals were solitary organisms that didn't rely on symbiotic microalgae to produce nutrients, making them immune to bleaching.
These early corals also had the advantage of being able to move between habitats, which allowed them to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Over time, corals began to specialize and develop coloniality and symbiosis, but these traits could be acquired independently through different lineages.
While this suggests that corals have a built-in "get-out-of-death card" to survive extreme events, it also means that their recovery from extinction is slow - taking four to five million years. In the meantime, scientists are exploring ways to improve coral resilience, such as crossbreeding with species from warmer climates and manipulating algal symbionts.
One promising approach involves pairing Acropora corals with more heat-tolerant symbionts, which could alter their bleaching threshold and give them a better chance of surviving the next heat wave. While these interventions may take time to show results, they offer hope for the long-term survival of coral reefs - and by extension, our coastlines that rely on them.
In Florida alone, the loss of Acropora corals could translate into hundreds of millions of dollars in damages per year. However, with continued research and innovation, scientists remain optimistic about saving these vital creatures. As one researcher noted, even if we don't take action to help corals, they will likely pull off their de-extinction trick once again - albeit at a pace that's not necessarily good news for humans.
I'm so down on the idea of trying to engineer coral reefs back to health. Like, let's be real, we've been pretty careless with our impact on the planet and now it's time to put in some serious effort to help out these ancient creatures 
. It's wild that corals have basically got a built-in reset button - I mean, 4-5 million years is still a long time, but better than nothing, right? And I love how scientists are exploring ways to make Acropora corals more heat-resistant... like, who knew we could even do this stuff 
. But seriously, what's the timeline looking like for these interventions? We need some real-world solutions ASAP! 
coral reefs are literally the lifeline of our oceans and coastlines... I mean, think about it, like 4-5 million years is really slow to recover from extinction?! 
what if we could speed up that process? or better yet, how can we prevent these mass extinctions in the first place? 
i mean think about it 460 million yrs of living through mass extinctions and climate change & yet we're still trying to figure out how to save them? 
anyway i think it's awesome that scientists are exploring ways to improve coral resilience, like crossbreeding and tweaking those symbionts - we need all the help we can get at this point! 
... scientists think its because of climate change 
. They found out that corals can retreat to the deeps when things get too hot 
, but it takes 4-5 million years to recover 
. That's so slow! 
. But on a bright note, researchers are trying to improve their resilience through crossbreeding and manipulating symbionts 
and I don't even know what kind of symbionts they have that help them survive. Are those like tiny little unicorns or something? 
And it's crazy that they could adapt on their own without relying on other corals. That's so cool! But, um, what's up with the Acropora corals in Florida? Like, I thought they were doing okay? 
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. It's like they're developing their own resilience protocols to cope with climate change 
. While it may take time, I think this approach offers a glimmer of hope for saving these vital creatures 
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. Hundreds of millions of dollars in damages could have serious ripple effects on local economies 
. But, as the researcher noted, even if we don't take action, corals will likely find a way to survive – albeit at our expense 
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but seriously though, the fact that corals can basically "get out-of-death card" through evolution is both fascinating and terrifying. think about it, we're messing with their delicate ecosystem and expecting them to recover in like 4-5 MILLION YEARS? 
. We're talking four to five million years, dude! That's even longer than my school breaks 
. And what if we don't take action? It's like, they've done this before, right? They survived the dinosaurs, after all 
. Fingers crossed for those corals! 
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I wish we could help them survive faster so our coastlines aren't affected by it. But at the same time, it's kinda cool that they can just pull off surviving extinction events again 
.
. Does anyone know if this is actually going to work?