"Coral Reefs Face Urgent Threats as Climate Change Accelerates Bleaching"

Coral reefs are critically endangered as climate change accelerates coral bleaching, threatening the Great Barrier Reefs ecosystem and biodiversity, which is vital for marine life and coastal protection.

• A comprehensive ecosystem model of Australias Great Barrier Reef predicts accelerated coral bleaching due to climate change, potentially leading to severe declines in coral populations by the end of the century.
• The study simulates community evolutionary dynamics and assesses coral resilience against thermal stress under various greenhouse gas emissions scenarios, highlighting the importance of adaptive evolution in coral survival.
• Research indicates that the symbiotic relationship between coral and algae is crucial; when stressed by rising temperatures, coral expels algae, leading to coral bleaching and loss of habitat for marine species.