First-ever heat-tolerant corals might resist climate change

Scientists created the world’s first heat-tolerant corals to save reefs from climate change. They bred ones with the most promising traits to produce these sea creatures. 

These special corals developed a 1°C increase in tolerance over a week, representing a valuable gain. 

However, Interesting Engineering noted that this advancement might not be enough to keep up with rising ocean temperatures.

How did the researchers create heat-tolerant corals?

Newcastle University’s Coralassist Lab researchers pioneered this marine life breakthrough. They started with two breeding trials to improve tolerance to short-term and long-term heat exposure.

The short-term test exposed corals to an intense 10-day heatwave with temperatures rising by 3.5°C.

READ: Global heat might become too hot for humans

On the other hand, the long-term test simulated a slightly milder albeit longer, one-month heatwave with temperatures increasing by 2.5°C.

Both trials yielded heat-tolerant corals that outperformed less heat-tolerant parent colonies. As a result, the tests showed selective breeding can improve heat generation after only one generation. 

However, selective breeding for short-term heat tolerance did not reliably pass on long-term heat resistance. Consequently, findings indicate these traits may stem from different genetic factors. 

More importantly, these changes may not be enough to protect these marine species as global warming grows further. 

Dr Guest, a Reader in Coral Reef Ecology at Newcastle University’s School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, shared related opinions on EurekAlert:

“The results show that selective breeding could be a viable tool to improve population resilience.” 

READ: Global coral bleaching event expanding to new countries – scientists

“Yet, there are still many challenges that need to be overcome. [For example,] how many corals [do we need] to benefit wild populations?”

“Given the moderate levels of enhancement we achieved in this study, the effectiveness of such interventions will also depend on urgent climate action.”

Study lead author, Dr Adriana Humanes, Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Coralassist Lab, Newcastle University, said heat-resistant corals require further study.

Scientists should identify the necessary traits and understand how they relate to each other so that they can implement selective breeding effectively.

Nevertheless, countries like the Philippines could use this research to protect its endangered coral reefs in the South China Sea.