Facing a climate crisis? Believe it or not, some stony corals might just have a fighting chance! A groundbreaking study published in Nature reveals a fascinating story of resilience within the coral world.
Stony corals, the architects of vibrant marine ecosystems, are currently under immense pressure from climate change. Understanding their history and how they've weathered past environmental storms is crucial for protecting these vital habitats. But, their evolutionary family tree has been a bit of a mystery... until now.
Claudia Vaga and her team dove deep, sequencing the genomes of 274 stony coral species, representing nearly 16% of all living species. Their work reconstructed the evolutionary tree, dating the corals' most recent common ancestor to approximately 460 million years ago. This ancestor was likely a heterotrophic organism, meaning it couldn't produce its own food and thrived in both shallow and deep waters.
The research shows that some coral species later formed a symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic algae, leading to further diversification around 300 million years ago. However, the fossil record tells a sobering tale: many of these symbiotic species vanished during a major ocean anoxic event about 180 million years ago. They didn't diversify again until after two more anoxic events between 120 and 90 million years ago, highlighting their vulnerability.
But here's where it gets controversial... In stark contrast, some non-symbiotic stony coral species endured and even flourished in deep waters throughout these turbulent periods. The authors suggest this resilience might be due to their ability to move to different depths and their flexible substrate choice for energy conversion.
The key takeaway? The survival and thriving of certain non-symbiotic stony coral species during past adverse events suggest they might persist in the face of current climate and other environmental changes. This offers a glimmer of hope for these crucial marine organisms.
What do you think? Does this research change your perspective on coral resilience? Could these findings influence conservation efforts? Share your thoughts in the comments!
