National Institute for Basic Biology
2019.01.22
Reef-building corals thrive in nutrient poor marine environments due to an obligate symbiotic relationship with symbiotic dinoflagellates, zooxanthellae. Corals cannot survive without symbiotic zooxanthellae. Most coral species gain symbionts from the environment early in life, and possibly again after bleaching, i.e., the loss of symbionts in response to heat stress.
The study led by researchers at the National Institute for Basic Biology (Japan), Tohoku University (Japan), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Japan) and James Cook University (Australia) discovered a biological signal from corals that attracts potential symbionts.