Scientists say they have bred coral to better withstand warming oceans

Scientists say they have successfully reproduced Coral To improve their resistance to warm ambient temperatures.

The latest effort is one of many that seek to prevent major coral-destroying events known as bleaching. Scientists blame this bleaching on ocean warming caused by climate change.

Coral bleaching occurs when young ocean animals react to climate stresses by releasing coral reefs Algae Living organisms that provide it with energy and give it its color. If bleaching is severe and prolonged, corals may become ill and die.

Scientists and environmental officials have warned that major bleaching events are currently affecting oceanic coral populations in many regions around the world. Many researchers link the continued warming of the Earth’s oceans to climate changes linked to human activities.

In April, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the International Coral Reef Initiative said at least 53 countries, territories or local economies had reported ongoing bleaching events since February 2023.

The latest research aims to reproduce coral reefs that could become more resistant to warm ocean temperatures. To do this, the researchers used a method known as selective breeding. Scientists have long used this method to produce more desirable animals and plants characteristics.

This process can produce organisms that are better able to cope with or tolerate different environmental conditions. Selective breeding is now a major method used by scientists to study how this process could prevent ocean warming from killing coral reefs.

The new research was led by scientists at the University of Newcastle in Britain. The team recently announced its findings In a study appear in the post nature Communications. The study said that selective breeding methods improved heat tolerance in adult corals, even within a single generation.

For years, scientists have been monitoring corals that show more heat-resistant traits. These corals are used as parents for new corals.

The researchers said their experiments showed that breeding heat-tolerant traits in different corals could be a useful tool for “population improvement.” ResilienceHowever, the team noted that this method would likely not be sufficient on its own to effectively protect coral reefs. This is because ocean temperatures are expected to continue to warm increasingly if additional steps are not taken to reduce the global impacts of climate change.

Therefore, scientists noted that methods to reproduce heat-tolerant corals should be part of comprehensive efforts that require “urgent climate action.”

The research team’s experiments were carried out during a five-year project launched by James Guest from Newcastle. This effort received financial support from the European Research Council.

The team said it conducted selective breeding tests involving two different traits. The first sought to improve the ability to withstand the launch of a short, intense thermal event – over a period of 10 days with a temperature rise of 3.5 degrees Celsius. The second tested outcome was a less severe, but long-term, temperature rise of 2.5°C over one month.

the study Found “Selecting parent colonies with high heat tolerance rather than low heat tolerance increased the tolerance of adult offspring.” The result has been observed for corals experiencing either short, intense heat or long-term warming.

team estimated About 25 percent of the increased heat tolerance is linked to genes passed on from coral parents. These genes could also be influenced by other selective breeding methods to produce heat tolerance characteristics, the researchers said.

Newcastle researcher Liam Lax helped lead the study. He said in a statement that the research clearly showed that selective breeding could be a valuable tool in improving the health of coral reefs affected by rising ocean temperatures. However, he noted that the methods tested are not a complete solution and that “more research is needed.” MaximizeEducation results.

The researchers said they next plan to lead efforts to conduct large experiments on coral reefs in the wild to confirm the study’s findings. These efforts will include transplanting selectively bred corals directly into the ocean Coral reefsOr propagate corals raised in a laboratory.

I’m Brian Lin.

Brian Lane wrote this story for Voice of America Learn English, based on reporting from Newcastle University, Nature, and The Conversation.

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The words in this story

Coral – N. A solid substance, usually pink or white, produced by a type of very small marine animal

Algae – N. They are usually small plants that grow in or near water and do not have the typical root leaves

Featured – N. A typical quality that makes someone or something different from others

flexible – characteristic. Strong enough to recover quickly after being damaged by illness, trauma, etc.

Maximize – against. To increase something as much as you can

Coral reefs – N. A collection of rocks, coral, or ridge of sand on or near the surface of the water