Key to saving world’s corals from climate change may lie in Arabian Gulf
Researchers are one step closer to seeing if Arabian Gulf corals provide a lifeline for coral reefs worldwide under threat from rising sea temperatures.
The Arabian Gulf’s high salinity and temperatures offer scientists a unique living laboratory in the fight against climate change.
NYU Abu Dhabi researchers carried out DNA analysis on corals from reefs in the Gulf near Abu Dhabi and from sites in the cooler Gulf of Oman, off Fujairah and Muscat.
The purpose of the research is to map out the genome of coral reefs in the Gulf and study what gives them the ability to tolerate and survive the salinity and harsh conditions that other reefs may suffer.
Results will help scientists better understand the super gene that makes Gulf coral tolerant to temperatures around 36°C and determine if coral reefs around the world have a better chance of coping with global warming.
The coral samples from the two Gulf seas revealed important differences. The Arabian Gulf corals and their algae were found to be genetically distinct from their counterparts in the Gulf of Oman.
The researchers at NYUAD also studied the algae that live in the coral tissue to discern why the corals are different and what changed to allow them to survive in such high temperatures.
A new study published in the scientific journal Plos One investigated the genetic structure of the coral platygyra daedalea and algae in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
“This will help us understand the mechanisms involved in coral thermal adaptation, and provide new insight into whether corals elsewhere in the world will be able to cope with climate change,” said Edward Smith, postdoctoral associate researcher at NYUAD.
“Once we can understand that then we can look at corals elsewhere to say that maybe certain regions or certain types of corals share biological similarities with those that we find in the Gulf.”
NYUAD researcher Dr Emily Howells carried out studies with researchers at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi and Oregon State University in the United States, that revealed genetic differences between corals living off Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island, in the very warm Arabian Gulf, and corals off Fujairah, in the slightly milder Gulf of Oman.
The findings also showed that corals off Abu Dhabi had adapted genetically to warmer conditions.
Coral reefs are under intense pressure from climate change. When sea temperatures rise, corals expel the algae living in their tissues, causing the coral to turn white. The phenomenon, known as coral bleaching, occurred on a mass scale in Australia on the Great Barrier Reef, and experts expect more damage in coming years.
Although coral reefs cover less than 1 per cent of the world’s seafloor, a quarter of all marine species are found on the corals.
Gulf coral reefs are the most diverse ecosystems in the region and support industries such as fisheries.
“Unfortunately, the conditions that have made Arabian Gulf corals among the hardiest known to science also make them vulnerable. They are living in very stressful conditions, and any further stress can push them over the edge”, said John Burt, NYUAD associate professor of biology.
“In the past three decades we’ve witnessed widespread degradation of reefs in the region, with sedimentation from coastal development and nearshore reclamation the prime culprits,” he said.
“If we are to conserve these important natural assets, management efforts to limit human stressors are critical.”