Project Details
Description
Corals harbor endosymbiotic algae (Symbiodinium) which are essential for providing photosynthate for coral growth. Increases in seawater temperatures destroy this symbiotic relationship and lead to coral bleaching. The thermal sensitivity of corals to bleaching is strongly affected by the thermal tolerance of Symbiodinium and this differs between variant algal species. The mechanisms responsible for thermal acclimation and tolerance in Symbiodinium are unclear and the aim of this proposal is to identify proteins (genes) and mechanisms associated with this thermal acclimation process. An understanding of thermal acclimation mechanisms in Symbiodinium will provide new insight into how coral reefs can respond to rising global temperature.
Status | Finished |
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Effective start/end date | 1/01/11 → 30/09/14 |
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