Healthy corals restore bleached neighbors color after five days of contact
Stanford University scientists published a study in Science Advances showing that healthy corals can restore color to bleached neighbors within five days.
Study findings on coral recovery
Researchers at Stanford University conducted lab tests using pairs of cauliflower corals. They found that placing healthy fragments next to bleached ones caused the dying corals to recover their color after five days. Lead author Daniel Collins described the result as a stunning eureka moment for the team.
Implications for reef restoration
The paper suggests that simply placing healthy corals in contact with bleached counterparts could lead to real-world interventions. Previously, bleached corals were considered lost causes due to high mortality rates associated with rising seawater temperatures. This new work demonstrates that these corals should not be written off as hopeless.
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