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The Young and the Resilient: Investigating coral thermal resilience in early life stages.

Nia S WalkerLys IsmaNepsis GarcíaAliyah TrueTaylor WalkerJoyah Watkins
Published in: Integrative and comparative biology (2024)
Global ocean warming is affecting keystone species distributions and fitness, resulting in the degradation of marine ecosystems. Coral reefs are one of the most diverse and productive marine ecosystems. However, reef-building corals, the foundational taxa of coral reef ecosystems, are severely threatened by thermal stress. Models predict 40-80% of global coral cover will be lost by 2100, which highlights the urgent need for widespread interventions to preserve coral reef functionality. There has been extensive research on coral thermal stress and resilience, but 95% of studies have focused on adult corals. It is necessary to understand stress during early life stages (larvae, recruits, and juveniles), which will better inform selective breeding programs that aim to replenish reefs with resilient stock. In this review, we surveyed the literature on coral thermal resilience in early life stages, and we highlight that studies have been conducted on relatively few species (commonly Acropora spp.) and in limited regions (mostly Australia). Reef-building coral management will be improved by comprehensively understanding coral thermal resilience and fitness across life stages, as well as in diverse species and regions.
Keyphrases
  • early life
  • climate change
  • physical activity
  • social support
  • systematic review
  • public health
  • body composition
  • stress induced