Coral bleaching is a stress-induced biological process in which reef-building scleractinian corals lose all or most of their endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (family Symbiodiniaceae) and/or their photosynthetic pigments, leading to visible paling or whitening of coral tissues. Triggered primarily by elevated sea surface temperatures, but also by light stress, pollution, or oxidative stress, bleaching involves disruption of the coral–algal symbiosis through mechanisms such as reactive oxygen species overproduction, damage to photosystem II, and activation of host cellular stress pathways that drive symbiont expulsion or degradation. Prolonged or repeated bleaching events impair coral metabolism, calcification, and reproduction, often increasing mortality and restructuring reef ecosystems.
Climate change continues to threaten the world's coral reefs, which support at least a quarter of all marine life. Though probiotics have been shown to rehabilitate corals in aquarium experiments, demonstrating the efficacy ...
Ecology
Sep 3, 2026
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Australia's coral reefs are in relatively good condition compared with coral reefs globally, although coral cover on Australian reefs has declined over the past 40 years—reflecting the global trend, a major new report has ...
Ecology
Aug 31, 2026
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Given enough time, coral reefs can recover from cyclones, bleaching and other destructive events. But a new report released today suggests they are losing that time. The "Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2025" is the most ...
Ecology
Aug 31, 2026
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Corals that partner with heat-tolerant algae may be better equipped to survive warming oceans—but that resilience comes with an unexpected trade-off, according to a new study from Boston University published in Science Advances.
Plants & Animals
Aug 27, 2026
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Researchers at the University of Sydney have harnessed more than 30 years of data to build a new method to more accurately measure the impact of climate change-induced events on the Great Barrier Reef. The findings are published ...
Ecology
Aug 18, 2026
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For thousands of years, the Anindilyakwa people have lived in deep connection with the waters surrounding Groote Eylandt, a remote island in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Plants & Animals
Aug 12, 2026
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A late-summer monsoon in 2026 brought the Great Barrier Reef a reprieve from unfolding coral bleaching, aiding its initial recovery from recent climate-induced disturbances, according to the Australian Institute of Marine ...
Ecology
Aug 10, 2026
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The 2019 heat wave that struck Mo'orea—a volcanic island in French Polynesia—swept through its coral reefs like an invisible wildfire. Colorful, lively corals bleached into ghostly, chalk-white skeletons as soaring ocean ...
Evolution
Aug 5, 2026
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A microscopic predator may offer a new way to protect some of the Caribbean's most endangered corals. Georgia Tech researchers found that tiny predatory bacteria can halt the spread of a destructive coral disease by hunting ...
Ecology
Aug 3, 2026
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Offshore Northwest reefs Rankin Bank and Glomar Shoal are remote and little known, but Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) researchers are using technology and people power to help us understand them better.
Ecology
Jul 30, 2026
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