06 August, 2024
With coral reefs under extreme stress worldwide due to climate change, effective tools are needed to protect corals from devastating bleaching events. KAUST researchers, in collaboration with scientists in Brazil and Australia, have shown how certain bacterial species included in lab-designed coral probiotics actually localize within coral tissues, boosting resilience from inside the creatures themselves.
Similar to developing probiotics for the human gut, the concept of boosting coral health using inoculations of beneficial bacteria is a long-standing research area at KAUST. Corals are symbiotic organisms, meaning they partner with algae to stay alive, sharing resources and trading nutrients. Under stress, these symbiotic partners compete for limited resources, and the corals may expel the algae and turn white, hence why it is called “coral bleaching.” Without their algal symbionts, the corals may die within a few weeks.