Sign In
Learn bits
Science & Tech.
Pradeep Kumar

13/06/21 11:00 AM IST

Hardy corals

Context

Why do some corals withstand climate change better than others? In 2014 and 2015, the brown rice coral in Hawaii was completely bleached, but the blue rice coral recovered quickly after bleaching, and blue coral was unaffected by the elevated ocean temperatures.

The research
  • Researchers from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, U.S., have now decoded the reason for this resilience.
  • Hawaiian blue rice corals have a deep blue pigment derived from algae called zooxanthellae that live inside the coral tissue.
  • The researchers found that these algae produce sunscreen for the coral.
  • This pigment has a protein named chromoprotein which filters out harmful UV radiation The findings of this study were published this week in Scientific Reports.
  • After the 2014 and 2015 Hawaii bleaching events, the blue rice coral was found to have exceptional reproductive vigour at 90% motility. But the brown coral's motility was only half this.
  • A key factor in the blue rice coral's ability to reproduce successfully might be its sunscreen pigment, which the coral may retain even if it bleaches.
Source: The Hindu

More Related Current Affairs View All

19 Nov

Grievance Redressal Assessment And Index (GRAI) 2023 Launched

'Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Dr Jitendra Singh has launched Grievance Redressal Assessment and Index (GRAI) 2023.' Grievance Redress

Read More

19 Nov

Smog disrupts flights

'With the national capital enveloped in a blanket of noxious smog, flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi have been impacted.' At least 15 fligh

Read More

19 Nov

India’s road to net-zero

'Every year, climate action draws significant attention in the months leading up to the United Nations’ annual meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COPs).' An econo

Read More

India’s First Ai-Driven Magazine Generator

Generate Your Custom Current Affairs Magazine using our AI in just 3 steps