coral bleaching – BioQuakes

Climate Change Affecting Marine Life

On October 29, 2019

In 2016 Luisa Marcelino, research assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern Engineering, and Vadim Backman, Ph.D. Professor of Biomedical Engineering studied biomass of coral reefs. In doing so, their research team developed a quantitative coral bleaching response index. This database took historical statistics pertaining to mass of coral and compared it to an index of later development. By measuring the difference in the two groups of statistics, the team was able to draw conclusions on what specific species and locations were susceptible to bleaching – a phenomenon where coral expel’s its life prolonging algae. As of now, marine biologist do not have a clear response to why does thermal stress affect coral’s ability to sustain itself.

coral

On October second of 2019 a team of researchers from the McCormick school of Engineering published a paper expanding on Marcelino and Backman’s previous work. It validates the current technology used for imaging coral since the technology was initially invented to examine carcinogenic cells in human tissue. The paper, titled “Measuring light scattering and absorption in corals with Inverse Spectroscopic Optical Coherence Tomography (ISOCT): a new tool for non-invasive monitoring,” starts by introducing the fact that the methods by which coral and Symbiodinium (life-prolonging algae within the coral) interact with one another are still unknown. It continues to state how ISOCT is a non-invasive, yet effective way to quantify living tissue in coral reefs along with their structures.

ISOCT measures the sub-micron spatial mass density distribution which helps develop estimates of the spatial directionality of light scattering (i.e. the coefficient g and chemical concentration in coral). This technology, through the same methods, can characterize chlorophyll a concentration in skeletal structures of coral as well. By being able to compartmentalize different types of coral and measuring their individual success rates, researchers can then find correlational data and conclude which species and locations are in need of biomedical support against thermal stress. Characterizing their differences is a crucial part because it will also help scientists hypothesize and eventually discover in what way Symbiodinium and coral interact.

coral

In the same way that biologists are not currently knowledgable about the relationship between the algae coral secretes under sub-optimal environmental conditions and the coral reef itself, they are also not certain about the ways in which escalated temperatures affect the physiology of coral. Once both of these occurrences are studied further it is believed that newly gathered information could give rise to new ways to protect coral reefs as well as new ways to harness solar energy.

It’s Time to Pay Attention to the Reef

By jaynetics

On January 12, 2019

In Student Post

You’ve heard time and time again about how coral reefs are dying, little by little- and that’s because it’s true. We can and should stop it; if we don’t, we risk everything we’ve ever known.

A healthy coral reef at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

The warming of the oceans is caused by a number of things, almost all of them placing humans at fault. These elements include fossil fuel use, deforestation, and cement production. The creation of greenhouse gases warms the Earth itself, so far by almost 33º F since 1880. This includes the warming of the oceans. Melting glaciers (because of ocean warmth) increase sea levels and can even lead to more powerful and dangerous storms. The increase in CO2 in the water causes ocean acidification as well.

The ocean warming directly affects coral reefs through their symbiotic relationship with algae. The algae lives within the coral polyps, photosynthesizing and sharing energy with the coral. The easy access to sunlight coral provides is important to the algae. However, when the water gets too warm and too acidic, the algae gets expelled from the polyps. The coral then loses color as their skeletons, which cannot endure ecological changes, are exposed. This is coral bleaching.

Bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

The coral bleaching is a direct result of our rapid consumption of resources and production of greenhouse gases. A simple, small cutback on this consumption could solve so many of the earth’s growing problems. Turn off the lights. Use less water. Eat less red meat. Walk or bike instead of drive, just once a week. Small changes that affect the entire planet. The reefs are not only food for marine life, but they protect coastlines from flood/storm damage and provide employment for thousands. It doesn’t just affect wildlife. It directly affects a human’s quality of life. If you don’t do it for the environment, do it for the people.

Coral Reef Bleaching Puts Fish’s Ability to “Just Keep Swimming” in Danger

By cjobios

On October 7, 2013

In Student Post

Coral reefs are vital sources of life for many sea creatures. The diversity of the underwater ecosystems surrounding coral reefs are, unfortunately, being put in danger because of coral bleaching. According to the National Ocean Service, coral bleaching is due in part by a process that is the result of damaged chloroplasts in coral cells which produce “toxic, highly reactive oxygen molecules during photosynthesis.” The main cause of this issue, is temperature; the coral respond to the drastic changes in temperature, whether they be hot or cold, by releasing the symbiotic algae that dwell in their tissues, which result in the coral taking on a white, “bleached” color.

Found on Flickr, Licensed under Creative Commons Licensing

Coral bleaching has both negative internal and external effects. Internally, the coral’s ecosystems are placed at risk because they “rely on live coral for food, shelter, or recruitment habitat.” This is a major issue, as we have the potential to lose certain, diverse, species that live off of and around coral reefs, which, in turn, could negatively influence the food chain. The external effect is that there will not be tourism revenue brought in from people who scuba dive to the coral reefs affected by bleaching. This is due to the fact that they will no longer be aesthetically appealing. Thus, leading to a negative economic state in tourism hot spots.

Unfortunately, the temperature of the Earth is out of human control, so there is little we can do to prevent coral bleaching, but we can use the rapidity of the bleaching as a marker to gauge the temperature of the world.

BioQuakes

AP Biology class blog for discussing current research in Biology

Tag: coral bleaching

Climate Change Affecting Marine Life

It’s Time to Pay Attention to the Reef

Coral Reef Bleaching Puts Fish’s Ability to “Just Keep Swimming” in Danger

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