Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles
Thermal Tolerances of Reef Corals in the Gulf: A Review of the Potential for Increasing Coral Survival and Adaptation to Climate Change Through Assisted Translocation
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-30-2013
Publication Title
Marine Pollution Bulletin
Keywords
Gulf thermal history, Temperature stress thresholds, Coral bleaching, Coral mortality, Acclimatization/adaptation, Coral translocation
ISSN
0025-326X
Volume
72
Issue/No.
2
First Page
323
Last Page
332
Abstract
Corals in the Gulf withstand summer temperatures up to 10 °C higher than corals elsewhere and have recovered from extreme temperature events in 10 years or less. This heat-tolerance of Gulf corals has positive implications for the world’s coral populations to adapt to increasing water temperatures. However, survival of Gulf corals has been severely tested by 35–37 °C temperatures five times in the last 15 years, each time causing extensive coral bleaching and mortality. Anticipated future temperature increases may therefore challenge survival of already highly stressed Gulf corals. Previously proposed translocation of Gulf corals to introduce temperature-adapted corals outside of the Gulf is assessed and determined to be problematical, and to be considered a tool of last resort. Coral culture and transplantation within the Gulf is feasible for helping maintain coral species populations and preserving genomes and adaptive capacities of Gulf corals that are endangered by future thermal stress events.
NSUWorks Citation
Steve L. Coles and Bernhard Riegl. 2013. Thermal Tolerances of Reef Corals in the Gulf: A Review of the Potential for Increasing Coral Survival and Adaptation to Climate Change Through Assisted Translocation .Marine Pollution Bulletin , (2) : 323 -332. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facarticles/308.
ORCID ID
0000-0002-6003-9324
ResearcherID
F-8807-2011
DOI
10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.09.006
Comments
©2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd.