Coral reefs around the world have been damaged due to climate change and human activity. With this, a group of scientists from Australia developed heat-resistant algae to protect endangered coral reefs from bleaching.
(ALSO READ:Â Help NASA save coral reefs by playing this video game)
In the study published in the journal Science Advances, the researchers took these algae from the coral reefs and exposed them to 31°C waters for over 4 years in the laboratory. This caused the algae to develop a greater heat tolerance, enabling them to protect the coral reefs.
Algae is important to coral reefs because it provides the corals with most of their nutrition. The study says, “The loss of algal symbionts—coral bleaching—leads to starvation and coral mortality if the symbiosis is not reestablished.”
(ALSO READ:Â ‘Charlie’ vandalizes coral reef in Batangas and this is not cool!)
With this, the researchers hope that they could develop this further so they can protect more coral reefs from bleaching as waters warm up.
What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments!
Do you have a story for the WhenInManila.com Team? Email us at story.wheninmanila@gmail.com or send us a direct message at WhenInManila.com Facebook Page. Interact with the team and join the WhenInManila.com Community at WIM Squad!
