The Ocean is one of the most fundamentally important things to all life on Earth. More than 2,000,000 species are known to call the oceans home, and it’s estimated that millions more species are yet to be discovered. However, the health of the oceans has been suffering more and more as the demand for natural resources and food, among other commodities, increases. Todays market focuses on maximizing profit and leaves little room for sustainability or conservation of natural ecosystems and the benefits they provide to humanity and the natural world. One of the hardest hit oceanic communities has been the coral reefs. Coral reefs are the equivalent of modern-day cities of the underwater world. Reefs house an incredible array of diversity and are a critical part of ocean health. Unfortunately, many reefs around the world are threatened or have already been destroyed due to a number of human activities or human-caused changes to the environment. Overfishing, unethical bio-tourism, rising sea temperatures, and ocean acidification are only some of the major threats coral reefs face today. Conservationists and other branches of science are scrambling to find ways to protect these critical habitats before it’s too late. One cutting-edge approach is super corals. These corals are genetically modified or bred in order to promote genes that are extremely tolerant to rising temperatures. The hope is to distribute and repopulate reefs around the world with these genetically modified superheroes. Once repopulated, the goal is for these corals to continue to spread and colonize the surrounding habitat to restore the once bustling coral reef community.

 

To understand how super corals work, it is important to first understand the complex symbiotic relationship of the coral orgonism first. In most cases, corals are the result of a partnership between microalgae and tiny marine organisms called polyps. The polyps provide a living space for the micro algae who in turn provide essential nutrients or other benefits to the coral. The extreme variety of colors and shapes on a coral reef is a direct result of these two organisms’ collaboration. The rising temperatures have created a sticky situation for the relationship these coral reefs depend on. The microalgae are unable to cope with the rising temperatures of seawater induced by climate change. The microalgae then evacuate the polyps, leaving them without vital nutrients. This causes the discoloration on reefs known as “bleaching.” The polyps are left in a vulnerable state in hopes their symbiotic partner will be able to return. In most cases, the water temperatures prevent the recolonization of reefs, and ultimately, the polyps slowly die. Super corals, however, house symbiotes (the micro algae) that are tolerant of extreme changes to their environment. In some studies, these corals were able to withstand temperature changes of 6 degrees fahrenheit whereas most corals struggled to survive changes of 1-2 degrees. Scientists are discovering corals like this around the world and are racing to understand how these reefs work. These super corals help maintain the health of the reef and create biodiversity hotspots in the oceans, vital to the diversity of not only the reefs but also the areas. Some organizations, like the Coral Gardeners, are even growing these supercharged corals in the safety of a controlled environment and then distributing them to nearby reefs in hopes to stabalize these fragile ecosystems. The ultimate goal is that by researching and understanding these superheroes, conservationists can better protect reefs and pass legislation that will serve to ensure the sustainability of the oceans. 

Although super corals are a promising lead in the field of conservation, their potential is questionable. Rising sea temperatures are not the only variable impacting reef health in the oceans today. Although these temperature-resistant strains of corals can protect a reef from climate change, it is unlikely that they would be able to withstand changes to the PH and would certainly still be impacted by overexploitation. Basically, the field of coral reef conservation is not a one-dimensional battle, and conservationists are on the clock to save these rapidly deeplting habits. 

Coral Reefs are one of the most important places on this planet, and they are critical to almost every marine ecosystem that exists in the oceans. In spite of the super corals’ flaws its ability to withstand the changing temperatures of waters around the world is still a critical advantage. At the very least persuing the distribution of super corals can at least buy conservationists and scientists more time in the race to protect reefs. More research and funding will be needed in order to fully understand the full potential of these rare corals.