Scientists Successfully Breed Adult Corals to Improve Heat Tolerance [Video]

Coral reefs throughout the world have suffered immensely from global heating due to human-caused climate change.

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef — the largest coral reef system in the world — has experienced four mass bleaching events in seven years, leading to die-offs in up to half of its shallow water reefs. 

A new study has found that selectively breeding corals can lead to a moderate rise in their tolerance to marine heat waves.

“This work shows that selective breeding is feasible but not a silver bullet solution and that more research is needed to maximize breeding outcomes,” said Liam Lachs, lead author of the study and a Newcastle University postdoctoral research associate, in a press release from Newcastle University. “[R]apid reductions of global greenhouse gas emissions are an absolute requirement to mitigate warming and give corals an opportunity to adapt.”

The study, “Selective breeding enhances coral heat tolerance to marine heatwaves,” was published in the journal Nature Communications.

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