Coral reefs have the unusual ability to adjust their inner functions to withstand the temperature of the warming ocean 50 times faster than would be possible through natural selection.
"The temperature of coral reefs is variable, so it stands to reason that corals should have some capacity to respond to different heat levels," Stanford University scientist Steve Palumbi said in a news release. "Our study shows they can, and it may help them in the future as the ocean warms."
Coral reefs are an essential part of the aquatic ecosystem, they play roles in "fisheries, aquaculture and storm protection," the news release reported. Overfishing and climate change have taken its toll on the coral in recent decades.
The water inhabited by some shallow reefs can reach temperatures of 95 degrees Fahrenheit , which is enough to kill most coral. To gain insight into this phenomenon the team transplanted cool-pool coral to a warm pool and vice versa.
The team found over time the cool-pool coral that had been transplanted into the warmer pool eventually adjusted to the temperature. These corals were only about half as tolerant as those that had originated in the warm pool, but through numerous generations they were able to come very close.
The team found the corals adjusted themselves by switching on or off certain genes; humans also do this in an effort to adapt.
"These results tell us that both nature and nurture play a role in deciding how heat-tolerant a coral colony is," Palumbi said. "Nurture, the effect of environment, can change heat tolerance much more quickly - within the lifetime of one coral rather than over many generations."
The researchers stressed that this newfound quality in the coral was not a "magic bullet," and temperature extremes coupled with other factors such as acidification could still prove to be deadly.
