[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/10642\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ERushing to save coral reefs from global warming \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr N\u00faria Viladrich of Spain was forced by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 to cancel a planned visit to the US Virgin Islands, where white-sand beaches and rum-coconut cocktails weren\u2019t the main attractions. She wanted access to the multi-coloured corals populating the reefs around the islands.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EInstead, Viladrich ended up in the Florida Keys for two weeks before taking the corals she acquired there to the University of Washington in Seattle, where she studied them over the next two years.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHard and soft types\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EViladrich is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Barcelona and her work is part of a European project called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/841875\u0022\u003ECoralChange\u003C\/a\u003E, which got underway in early 2020 as the pandemic struck.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EDue to wrap up this August, the initiative received EU funding to illuminate how different species of coral might adapt to environmental changes.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The most important thing is to understand what is happening and what is most likely to happen in the next few years,\u2019 said Viladrich, who has scuba dived more than 1 000 times to advance her expertise in the field.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EShe has investigated two coral types: hexacorals \u2013 known also as hard or stony corals \u2013 and octocorals, which are called soft corals.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAround 2015, Viladrich recalls seeing research in which scientists observed that some reefs were becoming more populated with octocorals in place of hexacorals. This intrigued her.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I wanted to understand if the change was permanent or not,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHer theory is that young hexacorals might be less able to establish themselves in reefs under changing environmental conditions. Investigating this idea was the main motivation for her research.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGrowing concerns\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ECoral reefs are found in more than 100 countries, support at least a quarter of marine species and offer coastal protection, food and economic security to hundreds of millions people, according to a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.unep.org\/resources\/status-coral-reefs-world-2020\u0022\u003E2020 United Nations report\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nReefs protect coastlines from storms, which are likely to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/climate.nasa.gov\/explore\/ask-nasa-climate\/2956\/how-climate-change-may-be-impacting-storms-over-earths-tropical-oceans\/\u0022\u003Ebecome more extreme\u003C\/a\u003E with accelerating climate change. They\u2019re also vital for biodiversity by offering food and shelter for marine animals.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen oceans warm, the symbiotic relationship between corals and the algae that live in coral tissues breaks down. As a result, the corals die.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EThe most important thing is to understand what is happening and what will happen in the next few years.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr N\u00faria Viladrich, CoralChange\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESimilarly, ocean acidification, which occurs when carbon-dioxide levels in the water increase, slows the rate of growth of corals.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe impact of climate change on coral reefs is already being felt.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAround 14% of the world\u2019s corals were lost between 2009 and 2018 and a 70% to 90% decrease in live coral on reefs may occur by 2050 without \u201cdrastic action\u201d to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.unep.org\/news-and-stories\/story\/why-are-coral-reefs-dying#:~:text=Coral%20reefs%20are%20under%20relentless,pollution%20and%20unsustainable%20coastal%20development.\u0022\u003EUN Environment Programme\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 2021, the EU joined an \u201cInternational Coral Reef Initiative\u201d bringing together almost 90 organisations and countries to protect vulnerable ecosystems. In addition, an EU mission called \u201cRestore Our Ocean and Waters\u201d has led to the creation of hubs in Europe to develop and deploy new methods to help marine life.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EConservation and restoration\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EUnderstanding more about how corals reproduce and respond to stressors will help guide conservation and restoration efforts, which will become increasingly important as global temperatures continue to rise.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe corals that Viladrich collected from the Florida Keys ended up in aquariums, where she tested how they would be affected by differences in temperature and feeding.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter 10 months, Viladrich removed the corals and studied how they functioned and reproduced. She experimented on one species of hexacoral and three octocoral kinds.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHaving completed that groundwork, she is now analysing the resulting data. Early results shed light on the processes through which two of the octocoral species reproduce and should provide insights into the impact of environmental changes such as temperature on reproduction.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research should also make it possible to highlight which of the corals from the Florida Keys are more resistant to such changes. This could help conservationists make better decisions by focusing on species more likely to survive in the future.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESkeleton puzzle\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EDebate rages within the scientific community on how exactly hexacorals develop their hard, rock-like skeletons. There are two proposed routes: geochemical and biological.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Gavin Foster thinks it\u2019s likely a mix of both.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We don\u0027t really know what the most important mechanism is,\u2019 said Foster, a geochemist at the University of Southampton in the UK.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s the challenge of our time, so it\u2019s beholden on us all to do something wherever we can.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Gavin Foster, Microns2Reef\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHe\u2019s investigating the mechanisms behind skeleton formation in coral as part of the EU-funded \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/884650\u0022\u003EMicrons2Reef\u003C\/a\u003E project, which runs for five years through July 2025.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe process is called biomineralisation and it\u2019s widespread in living creatures. Humans produce their teeth and skeletons through biomineralisation, for example.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBetween the soft tissue and hard skeleton of corals is a small area called the calcifying space.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen the coral wants to create more skeleton, it makes the liquid less acidic by pumping hydrogen ions out. That action also causes carbon dioxide to diffuse in.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe conditions are then perfect for the formation of a specific type of calcium carbonate \u2013 the material that makes up the skeleton.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThat explains the geochemical process.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAdvocates of the biological process recognise that those things are happening but believe the organic molecules that the corals secrete are more important.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThese organic molecules have been detected in the calcifying space of corals that have undergone study. When isolated, the molecules have caused calcium carbonate to form.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInteractions and imbalances\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn either case, various factors can influence the process.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EChanging temperatures or acidity in the water can have an impact. But so can chemical pollution.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFoster and his colleagues have found that inducing nutrient imbalances in the water \u2013 for example by increasing the amount of nitrogen or phosphorus \u2013 impeded the biomineralisation process.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ENutrient imbalances tend to occur on a more local level than global stressors such as warming oceans. One reason can be the runoff from agricultural fertilisers carried by rivers to the ocean. This can lead to higher levels of phosphorus and nitrogen in specific areas.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFoster, who has worked on fossils for most of his career, has in recent years become increasingly drawn to the question of how life and geochemistry interact.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Over time, I have become more focused on climate science,\u2019 he said. \u2018It\u2019s the challenge of our time, so it\u2019s beholden on us all to do something wherever we can.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU via the European Research Council (ERC) and the Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). 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