Coral Bleaching: A Breakdown of Symbiosis

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.

(Source: DCMP)

Metadata

Files 1

  • Coral Bleaching: A Breakdown of Symbiosis

    Type:
    Video
    Format:
    Streaming
    Accommodations:
    English Audio Descriptions - Visual, English Captions - Auditory
    Languages:
    English
    License:
    DCMP Membership
    Author:
    Howard Hughes Medical Institute
    Length:
    3 minutes