Related topics: coral reefs

Knock-knock? Who's there? How coral let symbiotic algae in

New work from a team of Carnegie cell, genomic and developmental biologists solves a longstanding marine science mystery that could aid coral conservation. The researchers identified the type of cell that enables a soft coral ...

How do corals make the most of their symbiotic algae?

Corals depend on their symbiotic relationships with the algae that they host. But how do they keep algal population growth in check? The answer to this fundamental question could help reefs survive in a changing climate.

Who controls whom: Algae or sea anemone?

Bleached anemones—those lacking symbiotic algae—do not move toward light, a behavior exhibited by healthy, symbiotic anemones. Published in Coral Reefs, this finding from Carnegie's Shawna Foo, Arthur Grossman, and Ken ...

Corals take control of nitrogen recycling

Corals are shown to recycle their own waste ammonium using a surprising source of glucose—a finding that reveals more about the relationship between corals and their symbiotic algae.

The surprising merit of giant clam feces

Coral reefs are a hotspot of biodiversity, hosting numerous species of animals and fish that help one another maintain a harmonious environment. One of these species is the giant clam. They are the biggest shellfish in the ...

Harvesters of light

They fan out into lily-pad-shaped disks, branch haphazardly like the antlers of deer, and hold fast to the sea floor in squat little spheres. Corals come in many shapes and sizes—and this diversity in form is driven by ...

New study finds distinct microbes living next to corals

Symbiotic algae living inside corals provide those animals with their vibrant color, as well as many of the nutrients they need to survive. That algae, and other microbes within the bodies of corals, have been extensively ...

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