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There are many headlines about the massive bleaching events that are destroying the world's coral reefs. Millions of dollars are spent annually on conservation and restoration efforts for these endangered reefs, which have enormous impacts on the health of the oceans and the health of the human communities that depend on them. But a new article from a coral expert suggests that researchers need to pay more attention to what keeps corals healthy, not just what makes them sick.
This article, which examines existing ways of considering coral disease and environmental advocates, should strive to better understand the functioning of the coral immune system. Coral reefs are not unique: within a single reef are thousands and millions of coral animals, each with its own body and ability to survive. Although coral is the largest and most obvious part of a reef, it is not the only one that keeps it alive and healthy.
In fact, the death of coral polyps can only be a side effect of mass laundering events. Their cause is related to the lack of algae with which the polyps have a mutual relationship – what we would have called symbiotic in the past. Is it the absence of algae or the death of polyps that causes mass bleaching event? Or what about an imbalance in bacteria, algae and other organisms that are all instrumental parts of the coral "holobiont?"
How instrumental? Well, Caroline Palmer, the author of the paper and a longtime researcher of coral immunity, says that no one really knows. And without this knowledge, she asks in the newspaper, how is it possible to make predictions about the future health of the reefs?
Palmer is currently a visiting scholar at the University of Plymouth, but she is studying coral immunity within the academic world. an independent researcher. "I was always puzzled as to why we were not thinking about what makes coral healthy," she says, instead of studying the things that make them sick, such as ocean acidification and the rise in temperatures
. Well, it is still misunderstood, although coral immunity as a field has existed for more than a decade. From an immune point of view, coral animals might not even be the key ingredient.
"You can not have a healthy coral unless it is in equilibrium with these microbes [and] says." If there is a break in any of the these relationships with bacteria or algae – or things we do not even know yet, then the holobiont, so the coral reef and its associates, will not be healthy and will not be able to produce a reef or contribute at a reef. "
Think of every holobiont of coral as a hotel, and the immune system as the reception.This reception must admit bacteria, algae and other organisms that are the guests, the cleaners and the staff of the hotel , but do not allow in anything that will harm the holobiontes.Some holobionts have a more competent reception staff, which gives them greater immunity.But the body that is at the front desk does not allow. is not yet known, says Palmer, and it's different for different cases.
So she offers a model to look at coral reefs that look beyond the coral animal and consider the entire holobiont Reception staff and everyone Understanding the roles played by each organization is essential to understand how different reefs will respond to crisis situations.
Of course, this article is only the beginning: Palner says that she wanted to "initiate a discussion" among coral researchers and environmental advocates. Laura Mydlarz, coral immunology researcher at the University of Texas at Arlington, who has collaborated with Palmer in the past but does not participate in this paper, says the coral immunity community is hoping for a change. of conservation like this one. "I hope this will lead to much more addressing of this hypothesis," she says.
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