Red Sea Coral Probiotics Boost Heatwave Survival

Researchers in Saudi Arabia have reported promising findings on how beneficial bacteria can help Red Sea corals survive extreme heat, offering new tools for the country's growing reef-restoration efforts. The study focused on central Red Sea corals treated during a summer 2022 heatwave.

Scientists treated Acropora cf. valida corals with live beneficial bacteria (probiotics) as well as heat-inactivated bacterial preparations (postbiotics). After 15 days, selected treatments preserved photosynthetic performance, coloration, and key indicators of coral health better than untreated corals left as controls.

The treated corals also showed a stronger association with heat-tolerant bacteria, including a type known as Cobetia. Perhaps most striking, reefs that received the probiotic treatment retained about 60% of their baseline small-scale reef biodiversity after a heatwave, compared with only around 20% on untreated reefs.

Why it matters

Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world, and rising sea temperatures pose a serious threat to their survival. These findings are intended to guide future coral-restoration and heat-resilience interventions across Saudi Arabia's Red Sea, where marine ecosystems are a valuable natural and economic asset.

The research aligns with Saudi Arabia's Coral Restoration Initiative, which is working to restore a 100-hectare reef area. The initiative includes a large land-based coral nursery and an underwater coral-probiotics laboratory, reflecting the Kingdom's commitment to protecting its marine environment for future generations.

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