Coral bleaching

Coral bleaching is the loss or reduction of symbiotic algae and their pigments in coral tissue, leaving the coral pale. Heat stress is a common trigger, and prolonged bleaching can lead to starvation and death.

Coral–algal symbiosis: A partnership in which coral animals host photosynthetic algae that supply much of their energy. Bleaching begins when this partnership breaks down or the algae lose their pigments.
Mass coral bleaching: A widespread bleaching event affecting many corals across a region over a short period. Marine heatwaves can synchronize bleaching across entire reef systems.
Coral bleaching alert systems: Monitoring systems that use ocean observations to identify thermal conditions associated with coral bleaching. Temperature alerts help pinpoint reefs at risk during developing heat stress.
Coral thermal tolerance: The capacity of corals and their symbionts to withstand elevated temperatures without severe damage. Differences in thermal tolerance help explain why bleaching severity varies among corals.
Coral disease: A pathological condition that disrupts coral health and may cause tissue lesions or mortality. Disease can damage coral tissue, but bleaching specifically involves loss or pigment change of symbiotic algae.
Thermal stress: Physiological strain caused when an organism experiences temperatures beyond its tolerance range. Elevated seawater temperature is the most widespread trigger of mass bleaching.
Coral reef: A marine ecosystem built largely from calcium carbonate structures produced by corals and other organisms. Repeated bleaching can reduce reef growth and alter the structure of this ecosystem.
Degree Heating Weeks: A measure of accumulated thermal stress used to estimate bleaching risk for coral reefs. This metric summarizes how intense and prolonged recent heat exposure has been.
Symbiodiniaceae: A family of dinoflagellate algae that includes many coral-associated symbionts. Different members of this family can alter a coral's heat tolerance and bleaching response.
Coral paling: A decrease in coral coloration that may occur without complete loss of symbiotic algae. Paling can look like bleaching, even when algal cells remain in the coral.

Linked from 83 pages