What makes a coral reef? Microscopic insights into coral skeletal formation and resilience.
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Abstract
Coral reefs support over 25% of all marine species and provide ecosystem services worth over US$2.7 trillion. These reefs exist because corals produce calcium carbonate skeletons, which accumulate to create reef structures. Both coral survival and skeleton formation are threatened by anthropogenic climate change, particularly temperature and ocean acidification. While significant effort focuses on heat stress impacts, a crucial gap remains in understanding if corals will continue to calcify under future ocean acidification.
The core challenge this project addresses is our fundamental lack of mechanistic understanding of coral skeleton formation. We lack important knowledge on how corals build their skeletons at a microscopic level, and why some species might be inherently more resilient to ocean acidification than others. This missing mechanistic insight prevents us from systematically identifying corals that might survive future conditions and continue to build the reefs of tomorrow.
Our project will fill this major knowledge gap by conducting comprehensive in-vivo measurements of coral calcification processes. Our central aim is to precisely characterise the composition and dynamics of the microscopic fluid compartments where corals build their skeletons – the ‘extracellular calcifying medium’ (ECM). The ECM's full composition has only been characterised once in-vivo, and the dynamics of its regulation have never been observed. Our comprehensive experiments will transform our understanding of this elusive micro-environment, which is responsible for forming the largest living structures on our planet.
The specific objectives of our project are:
To measure the composition of the ECM in three ecologically important tropical coral species, providing the first comprehensive data on its variability (WP1);
To determine the dynamics of how ECM chemistry is controlled in real-time in response to changing environmental conditions (temperature, pH), revealing critical insights into regulatory mechanisms (WP2);
To assess whether corals can adapt their ECM control mechanisms to future climate change by studying colonies cultured long-term under altered environmental conditions (WP3).
Our approach is based on an innovative combination of inverted confocal microscopy and electrochemical microsensors. Our cutting-edge technology allows us to precisely position sensors and gather high-resolution, multi-parameter data on ECM chemistry and crystal growth within live corals. This technically demanding methodology is uniquely enabled by the world-leading expertise of Dr. Sevilgen (Researcher Co-Lead) and Dr. Dirk de Beer (Project Partner) in microsensor fabrication and application, complemented by the state-of-the-art coral culturing facilities at the University of Cambridge managed by Dr. Branson (Project Lead). Our integration within Dr. Branson's interdisciplinary 'Building Shells' project further ensures robust scientific and translational outcomes.
The potential applications and benefits of this research include:
Advancing Coral Research: By providing the critical data for next-generation biomineralisation models, our findings will enable more robust predictions of how corals cope with environmental fluctuations, improving the accuracy of future climate change projections for reef ecosystems.
Informing Coral Conservation: Understanding the limits and potential for coral adaptation will inform the prioritisation of conservation and restoration strategies, assisting the selection of species with greater intrinsic adaptive potential.
Broader Scientific Insights: Beyond corals, this project will yield foundational insights into the fundamental biological processes of biomineralisation, relevant to a wide range of marine calcifying organisms facing environmental change.
This project will deliver critical, mechanistic knowledge essential for understanding, predicting, and ultimately safeguarding Earth's invaluable coral reefs in a rapidly changing world.
The core challenge this project addresses is our fundamental lack of mechanistic understanding of coral skeleton formation. We lack important knowledge on how corals build their skeletons at a microscopic level, and why some species might be inherently more resilient to ocean acidification than others. This missing mechanistic insight prevents us from systematically identifying corals that might survive future conditions and continue to build the reefs of tomorrow.
Our project will fill this major knowledge gap by conducting comprehensive in-vivo measurements of coral calcification processes. Our central aim is to precisely characterise the composition and dynamics of the microscopic fluid compartments where corals build their skeletons – the ‘extracellular calcifying medium’ (ECM). The ECM's full composition has only been characterised once in-vivo, and the dynamics of its regulation have never been observed. Our comprehensive experiments will transform our understanding of this elusive micro-environment, which is responsible for forming the largest living structures on our planet.
The specific objectives of our project are:
To measure the composition of the ECM in three ecologically important tropical coral species, providing the first comprehensive data on its variability (WP1);
To determine the dynamics of how ECM chemistry is controlled in real-time in response to changing environmental conditions (temperature, pH), revealing critical insights into regulatory mechanisms (WP2);
To assess whether corals can adapt their ECM control mechanisms to future climate change by studying colonies cultured long-term under altered environmental conditions (WP3).
Our approach is based on an innovative combination of inverted confocal microscopy and electrochemical microsensors. Our cutting-edge technology allows us to precisely position sensors and gather high-resolution, multi-parameter data on ECM chemistry and crystal growth within live corals. This technically demanding methodology is uniquely enabled by the world-leading expertise of Dr. Sevilgen (Researcher Co-Lead) and Dr. Dirk de Beer (Project Partner) in microsensor fabrication and application, complemented by the state-of-the-art coral culturing facilities at the University of Cambridge managed by Dr. Branson (Project Lead). Our integration within Dr. Branson's interdisciplinary 'Building Shells' project further ensures robust scientific and translational outcomes.
The potential applications and benefits of this research include:
Advancing Coral Research: By providing the critical data for next-generation biomineralisation models, our findings will enable more robust predictions of how corals cope with environmental fluctuations, improving the accuracy of future climate change projections for reef ecosystems.
Informing Coral Conservation: Understanding the limits and potential for coral adaptation will inform the prioritisation of conservation and restoration strategies, assisting the selection of species with greater intrinsic adaptive potential.
Broader Scientific Insights: Beyond corals, this project will yield foundational insights into the fundamental biological processes of biomineralisation, relevant to a wide range of marine calcifying organisms facing environmental change.
This project will deliver critical, mechanistic knowledge essential for understanding, predicting, and ultimately safeguarding Earth's invaluable coral reefs in a rapidly changing world.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Oscar Branson (Principal Investigator) | |
| Duygu Sevilgen (Researcher) |