The biological clock of corals can function even without the algae that nourish them (IMAGE)
Caption
In the marine ecosystem, corals and algae maintain a symbiotic relationship such that corals provide algae with shelter and carbon dioxide, while algae, through photosynthesis, supply corals with food and nutrients vital to their survival. This give-and-take relationship is largely dependent upon synchronization and coordination, and likely requires "cross-talk" between the biological clock of the coral host and that of the symbiont algae. As rising sea temperatures and increasing bleaching events cause corals to lose their algae and die, researchers are seeking to decipher exactly how this biological mechanism works, and whether corals can survive without the presence of algae for a period of time. This is important in order to understand which species might be “winners or losers” in continued heat wave episodes. Researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israel have now discovered one species of "winners". Photo: Diver collects the coral species Euphyllia paradivisa in the Red Sea Gulf of Eilat for research in the lab at the Inter-University Institute for Marine Sciences
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Dr. Gal Eyal
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