Exhibition of Bleaching Resistance Via Adaptive Bleaching Pattern by Coral Reefs of the Gulf of Mannar during Massive Bleaching Event 2019

Authors

  • CH. Ramesh National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Ministry of Earth Sciences,NCCR Field Office, Mandapam-623519, Tamil Nadu, India
  • S. Koushik National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Ministry of Earth Sciences,NCCR Field Office, Mandapam-623519, Tamil Nadu, India
  • T. Shunmugaraj National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Ministry of Earth Sciences, NCCR Field Office, Mandapam-623519, Tamil Nadu, India
  • M.V. Ramana Murthy National Centre for Coastal Research, Pallikaranai, Chennai-600100, Tamil Nadu, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jms.v2i2.1666

Abstract

Coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar (GoM) and Palk Bay regions are facing potential threats from climate change, sedimentation and anthropogenic activities. Considerably, coral reefs in these two regions are highly damaged due to frequent bleaching events caused by increased sea surface temperature (SST) recorded over the past two decades. Recently, during February to May 2019, mass bleaching event of corals was documented again in GoM and Palk Bay regions due to increased sea surface temperatures ranged between 32°C to 36°C. Despite of completely bleached corals, some coral colonies of the same bleached coral species have displayed adaptive bleaching pattern (ABP) for survival. This incidence is displayed by the symbiotic zooxanthellae to protect coral polyps from environmental stress such as elevated temperatures. These observations infer that coral colonies with preferential bleaching pattern ability would serve as environmental stress resisting coral colonies which can be used for restoration activities and cryopreservation. Further studies are needed to explain the potential mechanisms or specific environmental drivers responsible for ABP.     

Keywords:

Coral bleaching, Adaptive bleaching pattern, Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay, Temperature

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Vol. 2 , Iss. 2 (July 2020)

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