These are algae that contribute to the coloration of and nourishes corals by photosynthesis.
The mutualism between zooxanthellae and corals is a delicate equilibrium. Corals help algae to avoid predators, help algae to reach light and in turn algae give the corals oxygen and organic matter that algae need in order to survive.
However, this association may be undermined by several factors including water temperature, pollution and trophic/nutrient imbalance. Corals can expel their zooxanthellae as a result of the process of coral bleaching when these stressors are present.
Coral bleaching can be potentially devastating to both corals and the ecosystems they sustain. Coral without zooxanthellae, when stressed they bleach, become weakened and vulnerable to disease. Corals which are insufficiently treated for its stressors will die.
Currently, researchers are trying to understand the complex relationship between corals and the zooxanthellae and to develop ways to rehabilitate these systems. An option is to choose and preserve coral taxa that are tolerant to abiotic stressors such as seaward temperatures. An alternative approach is to reduce anthropogenic pollution and other human effects exerted on the ocean.
In the end, the survival of coral and of the animals that live inside corals, the zooxanthellae, is an urgent issue for the health of our planet. Through efforts at conservation of these ecosystems we can contribute to a healthy and sustainable present and future for ourselves and the myriad of other species on which we depend.
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