Coral reefs have lived on the surface of the Earth for nearly 500 million years. They are among the oldest living organisms on Earth and hold a special place due to their numerous benefits to the ecosystem.

However, a number of human-related factors, such as the current climate changes on the planet, are escalating the risks facing coral reefs daily. These changes result in extreme temperature increases that coral reefs cannot withstand, leading to the bleaching phenomenon.

This phenomenon causes coral reefs to lose their vibrant colors and turn white, affecting their growth rates and reproductive abilities, which threatens their survival.

But those creatures are resilient; they have previously endured harsh conditions and survived. The proof is that they have lived on Earth for millions of years, gone through different environmental conditions, and have proven their abilities to be flexible, adapt, and maintain their survival.

Staying in such conditions requires the development of high adaptive capabilities, which scientists explore day by day. Among them is a group of scientists from the United States, who found that small coral larvae can maintain algae at high temperatures.

Coral structures and algae coexist in symbiotic relationships to form coral reefs. The researchers published their findings in the journal "PLOS Biology" on November 12, 2024.

Most of the time, specialized researchers focus their studies on mature coral reefs, knowing that their ages can reach up to 10,000 years. Therefore, we must preserve them as a heritage. But the new thing is that researchers have decided to work on the small coral larvae.

This type of research is not commonly conducted. But the authors of the study focused on understanding the extent to which coral reefs can withstand this high temperature. Therefore, they exposed coral larvae and the algae that live with them in a symbiotic relationship to elevated temperatures exceeding 2.5 degrees Celsius compared to the surrounding temperature, in line with the expected changes in seawater temperatures due to climate change, as a form of acclimatization to understand the impact of this on coral larvae.

Here, the researchers revealed a trick that coral larvae use to survive; they showed no signs of bleaching under high temperatures, and the algae were able to maintain the rates of photosynthesis through which they obtain food and provide it to the coral.

Researchers also found that the coral's metabolic rate decreased by 19%. They also observed an increase in the coral's absorption and storage of nitrogen. These strategies are important for enhancing coral survival and conserving energy and resources; they prevent excessive algal growth that could disrupt the balance in the symbiotic relationship between algae and coral, thereby preserving it.

Of course, more research and studies are needed to deeply investigate the extent of coral's response and adaptation to high temperatures, in order to understand the coral's resilience in the worst climate scenarios that the Earth may face.