Like humans, corals are organisms that have their microbiomes. With all the problems these underwater beings face, scientists are trying to find a way to give them supplements for nutrition as they live in their habitats.
These probiotic supplements are one of the breakthrough solutions experts are developing to conserve the global coral population.
Life of Corals and What Destroys Their Reefs
Corals begin their life as a larva that hover across large water bodies. When the organisms reach a certain size, it sinks and roots themselves in a safe surface of the ocean floor. After it finds a healthy environment, the corals begin to multiply by cloning their structures.
Shallow-water corals are organisms that could be considered animals were living in the same colony. These tiny creatures thrive with the help of marine algae and build up communities that would eventually become a reef.
Marine algae, particularly the zooxanthellae, are the ones that contribute to the biological development of most corals. They have produced calcium carbonate for these underwater invertebrates for millions of years.
Studies regarding the relationship between coral reefs and zooxanthellae are still ongoing. But amidst this research, scientists are also trying to identify coral species that rely on distinct nutrients supplied by other sources.
Corals, like people, have gut systems that can tolerate specific foods. And similar to any living creature, corals are also affected by the sudden shifts in their ecology that are caused by climate change. Today, coral reefs face problems that include massive bleaching events, ocean acidification, and marine warming.
Alongside the investigation of the significant stressors of coral-related problems, there are also separate studies that focus on how to alleviate issues human-induced activities have already inflicted on them.
ALSO READ : Pacific's Underwater 'Sharkcano' Erupts, Volcano Throwing Ash and Creatures Above the Ocean Surface
Probiotic Nutrients Could Save Coral Reefs
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR), one of the largest coral populations ever discovered, shows how the issues affect the organisms around the globe. Impacts originating from the stressors specified by scientists are evident in the area. Moreover, these effects are getting more uncontrollable every year.
Thankfully, large-scale projects to preserve the biggest reef on the planet are being carried out. One of the main solutions authorities and the scientific community suggests is feeding the corals probiotics which might enable the invertebrates to populate easily and enlarge their colonies in the future.
One of the teams that relay service for the Great Barrier Reef's protection is the Australian Institute for Marine Science. The organization has a facility called the Sea Simulator that is used to examine 850 strains of bacteria collected from six coral species living in GBR.
Through this research, experts could categorize the right probiotic bacteria and even develop one from data on the biofilm formation, antibacterial activity, and digestive enzymes of coral.
Coral spawning is also studied for the invertebrates to populate properly even in harsh environments they grow in. First trials of the coral spawning were carried out in 2021. The contributing information will be laid out by the team sometime this year.
RELATED ARTICLE: Huge 12-Meter Sperm Whale Seen Tied on a Truck Baffling Motorists on M62, Is It Real?
Check out more news and information on Ocean in Science Times.
