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Coral Bleaching: A Breakdown of Symbiosis

3 minutes 47 seconds

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A discoloured coral colony labeled, bleached coral colony. Caption: The symbiont provides 75 percent to 80 percent of the energy.

Corals get much of their energy from symbiotic algae that live inside their cells. When ocean temperatures rise beyond a certain threshold, the algae’s photosynthetic machinery may be damaged and produce harmful reactive oxygen molecules. This animation shows how corals subsequently eject their algae in a process called coral bleaching, which causes the corals to turn white and often eventually die.

Media Details

Runtime: 3 minutes 47 seconds

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