Disproving Assumptions

In yet another study on the health of corals, researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa made a very intriguing discovery—one that defies the common assumption held by many marine biologists and reef enthusiasts. The newfound correlation between coral and the single-celled algae (called Symbiodinium) that lives on them reveals that species of coral that host numerous types of algal symbionts—called “generalists” corals—are actually more “environmentally sensitive,” and therefore more vulnerable to diseases, bleaching, and other global stressors.  This revelation is in stark contrast to the assumption that coral species that are “flexible” in their hosting of algae are more adaptable to changing environmental conditions. Further research is being conducted to find out what exactly causes flexible corals to be more at risk than inflexible corals. Read more here! -feature pic courtesy of sciencedaily.com