British scientists from Newcastle University have proven the possibility of breeding heat-resistant corals. The study was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications (NatComms).
In the experiment, the team used selective breeding to create adult corals that are better able to withstand heat stress due to warming seawater.
Experts conducted selection tests for two different traits: tolerance to short-term intense heat exposure (10 days with an increase in ambient temperature of 3.5°C), or to a less intense but long-term exposure more typical of natural marine heat waves (1 month with increase in water temperature by 2.5°C).
The scientists found that selecting parent colonies with high heat tolerance increased the persistence of adult offspring.
This result held true for both 10-day and 1-month responses. Thermal tolerance can theoretically be increased by about 1°C per week per generation.
Despite the success of the experiment, the researchers noted that for large-scale selective breeding of corals, more genetic traits indicating heat tolerance of coral polyp colonies need to be identified.
