New study reveals how corals teach their offspring to beat the heat – MSUToday

Report on Inherited Thermal Resistance in Corals and Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Coral Reefs at the Forefront of Climate Change

Rising ocean temperatures, a direct consequence of climate change, are inducing widespread coral bleaching, threatening marine ecosystems globally. This crisis directly undermines the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). A recent collaborative study offers critical insights into natural resilience mechanisms that could inform conservation strategies. This report details the findings of this research and analyzes its significance within the framework of the SDGs.

The Ecological and Socio-Economic Imperative for Coral Protection

Threats to Marine Biodiversity and Human Well-being

Coral bleaching occurs when stress, primarily from heat, causes corals to expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues, leading to starvation, disease, and death. The degradation of these ecosystems has severe consequences:

• Impact on SDG 14 (Life Below Water): Coral reefs are critical habitats for approximately 25% of all marine species. Their loss represents a catastrophic decline in marine biodiversity.
• Impact on SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): Reefs support the livelihoods of millions of people through tourism and fishing and provide essential coastal protection from erosion and storms for coastal communities.

Research on Inherited Thermal Tolerance in Rice Coral

A Collaborative Effort for Global Goals

In an example of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), researchers from Michigan State University, Duke University, and the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) investigated the mechanisms of thermal resistance in rice coral, an important reef-building species. The study aimed to understand if and how heat tolerance could be passed across generations, a critical question for developing resilient reefs in the face of ongoing climate change.

Key Research Findings

The study utilized advanced metabolomics to analyze the biochemistry of coral at various life stages. The primary findings provide a new basis for reef restoration efforts aligned with global sustainability targets.

1. Inheritance of Thermal Resistance: The research confirmed that parent corals exposed to thermal stress can pass resistance to bleaching on to their offspring.
2. Dual-Source Contribution: This inherited tolerance originates from both the coral host and its symbiotic algae, indicating a coordinated biochemical response to prepare the next generation for environmental stress.
3. Biochemical Head Start: Thermally tolerant parents provide their offspring not only with resilient genes but also with beneficial molecules, such as specific lipids. This transfer gives larvae a biochemical advantage in surviving heat stress from their earliest developmental stages.
4. Resilience Through the Life Cycle: The biochemical signatures associated with thermal tolerance were successfully maintained from the parent coral through its eggs, sperm, embryos, and larvae into the next generation.

Implications for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Strengthening Resilience and Informing Action

The findings from this research have direct and significant implications for strategies aimed at achieving the SDGs.

• Advancing SDG 14 (Life Below Water): The research provides a scientific foundation for selective breeding and targeted restoration of coral reefs. By identifying and cultivating corals with inherent thermal resistance, conservation efforts can more effectively manage and protect these vital marine ecosystems from the adverse impacts of climate change.
• Supporting SDG 13 (Climate Action): While mitigating greenhouse gas emissions remains paramount, this study offers a crucial tool for adaptation. Building the resilience of coral reefs strengthens their capacity to withstand the unavoidable impacts of ocean warming, a key target of the climate action goal.
• Fostering SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): The use of innovative scientific approaches like metabolomics demonstrates how advanced research and technology can be leveraged to develop solutions for pressing environmental challenges, fostering sustainable and resilient infrastructure in the form of healthy ecosystems.

Conclusion

The discovery that rice corals can transmit thermal resistance to their offspring is a promising development for the future of coral reefs. This research underscores the importance of scientific innovation and collaboration (SDG 9, SDG 17) in developing adaptive strategies to protect life below water (SDG 14). These findings can guide the restoration of more resilient reefs, thereby helping to secure the coastal protection and economic livelihoods (SDG 11, SDG 8) that depend on them. However, such interventions must be paired with aggressive global efforts to combat climate change (SDG 13), the root cause of coral bleaching.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   This is the most prominent SDG in the article. The text is centered on the health of marine ecosystems, specifically coral reefs. It highlights the threat of “coral bleaching” and the importance of reefs as “habitats for nearly a quarter of all marine life.” The research discussed aims to “better conserve and restore threatened reefs across the globe” and “protecting their future,” which directly aligns with the goal of conserving and sustainably using the oceans and marine resources.

2. SDG 13: Climate Action

   The article explicitly links the problem of coral bleaching to climate change. It states that “Warming ocean temperatures are causing a phenomenon called coral bleaching” and that it is caused by “stressful conditions like warming ocean temperatures.” The research into creating “heat-tolerant generations” of coral is a direct response to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems.

3. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   The article emphasizes the collaborative nature of the research. It mentions that the findings are “the result of a collaboration between Michigan State University, Duke University and the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology.” It also notes the project was “funded by the National Science Foundation and a Michigan State University Climate Change Research grant.” This multi-stakeholder partnership to advance scientific knowledge for sustainable development is a core principle of SDG 17.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 14.2: Sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems

  The article’s focus on understanding coral bleaching to “build healthier coral reefs and protecting their future” directly relates to this target. The research aims to avoid the “significant adverse impacts” of warming temperatures by strengthening the resilience of corals and taking “action for their restoration.” The text mentions that “Protecting coral reefs is crucial to preserving the future of our oceans.”

• Target 14.a: Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology

  The entire article is about a scientific study that increases knowledge about coral resilience. The collaboration between universities, the use of advanced techniques like “metabolomics,” and the development of methods to “breed and rear corals” are all examples of developing research capacity and technology to improve ocean health, as called for in this target.

• Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards

  The research described in the article is a clear effort to strengthen the resilience of a vital ecosystem to a climate-related hazard (warming ocean temperatures). The discovery that some corals “survive warming ocean temperatures by passing heat-resisting abilities on to their offspring” is a key finding that enhances the potential adaptive capacity of coral reefs.

• Target 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation

  The project is described as a “true scientific collaboration” between multiple US-based universities and institutes (MSU, Duke, HIMB). This partnership facilitates access to specialized facilities like the “Coral Resilience Lab in Hawaiʻi” and advanced instrumentation at MSU, exemplifying cooperation on science and technology to address a global challenge.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress, even if it does not cite official UN indicator codes:

• Extent and Severity of Coral Bleaching

  The article describes bleached reefs as a “ghostly landscape.” A reduction in the geographic extent and severity of coral bleaching events would be a direct indicator of progress towards Target 14.2 (healthy ecosystems) and 13.1 (resilience to climate hazards).

• Survival and Resilience of Coral Offspring

  The study’s success in showing that “thermal tolerance was successfully maintained from parent coral into the next generation” provides a key indicator. The survival rate of these selectively bred, heat-tolerant corals when exposed to thermal stress can be measured to track progress in restoration efforts (Target 14.2).

• Identification of Biochemical Signatures

  The research team’s search for “biochemical signatures associated with bleaching resistance” is a specific, measurable scientific indicator. Identifying and understanding these signatures, such as the “coral lipid biochemistry” mentioned, is a direct measure of increased scientific knowledge as per Target 14.a.

• Number and Success of Scientific Collaborations and Publications

  The existence of the partnership itself (“a collaboration between Michigan State University, Duke University and the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology”) and its outputs, such as the findings “published in the journal Nature Communications,” serve as indicators for Target 17.6. The continuation and funding of such partnerships measure the commitment to collaborative science.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: msutoday.msu.edu