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Corals are easing into warming waters
California Academy of Sciences ^ | Thursday, September 02, 2004 | Megan Mansell Williams and Kathleen M. Wong

Posted on 09/02/2004 3:18:28 AM PDT by Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit

Corals are adapting to the world's warming climate with a kind of living heat shield. Corals typically house symbiotic algae, which convert sunlight into food and paint reefs vivid colors. But in recent years, warming waters have triggered many corals to eject those algae, bleaching reefs white and often killing the coral in the process.

Now some corals have found a way to survive current global warming trends. Andrew Baker of the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York sampled corals before, during, and after the 1997-98 El Niño brought warm waters to the Pacific Ocean. He reports in the journal Nature that extensively bleached corals had typically contained algae known as Symbiodinium C. But corals that survived in better health were more likely to have taken on a related algae, Symbiodinium D. Corals that bleached but survived also contained more D algae than before.

Corals around Guam followed a similar strategy — with good reason, according to researcher Rob Rowan of the University of Guam. He reports in an accompanying Nature paper that warmer waters damaged the light-capturing powers of C algae but left D algae unharmed. The finding demonstrates how corals may have survived a previous warming episode 220 million years ago and offers hope that reefs may survive past their predicted 2030 demise.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: climatechange; coastalenvironment; coral; environment; globalwarming; nature; oceans; water
That pesky natural selection and adaptation ruining perfectly good scare tactics.
1 posted on 09/02/2004 3:18:28 AM PDT by Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit
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To: farmfriend

Ping


2 posted on 09/02/2004 3:19:12 AM PDT by Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit (Tax Energy not Labor)
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To: Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit

Hmm... What is it they teach us in biology?

Life is resilient!

If only more liberals would bother taking hard sciences they'd no more about what it is they are protesting.

And liberal scientists are the worst kind because they will slant, tilt, and push their findings till their conclusions are supported.


3 posted on 09/02/2004 3:23:59 AM PDT by coconutt2000
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To: Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit

"In recent years, warming waters have triggered many corals to eject those algae, bleaching reefs white and often killing the coral in the process."

I blame Bush. Him and that big meanie Zell Miller


4 posted on 09/02/2004 3:34:21 AM PDT by Shaun_MD ("Condition: Grounded, but determined to try....")
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To: Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit

Breaking?


5 posted on 09/02/2004 3:46:11 AM PDT by Preachin' (Democrats are liars...)
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To: Preachin'

Sorry, I think I mis-clicked and did not proof read.

Will you ever forgive me?


6 posted on 09/02/2004 4:07:11 AM PDT by Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit (Tax Energy not Labor)
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To: Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit

Who said you did anything that required my forgiveness?


7 posted on 09/02/2004 4:54:57 AM PDT by Preachin' (Democrats are liars...)
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To: Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit
Now some corals have found a way to survive current global warming trends.

Ain't nature wonderful? ;o)

8 posted on 09/02/2004 5:40:14 AM PDT by SuziQ (Bush in 2004-Because we MUST!!!)
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To: Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit
That pesky natural selection and adaptation ruining perfectly good scare tactics. BUMP
9 posted on 09/02/2004 7:32:50 AM PDT by skinkinthegrass (Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you :)
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To: Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit; abbi_normal_2; Ace2U; adam_az; Alamo-Girl; Alas; alfons; alphadog; ...
Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.
10 posted on 09/02/2004 8:28:25 AM PDT by farmfriend ( In Essentials, Unity...In Non-Essentials, Liberty...In All Things, Charity.)
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To: Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit
That pesky natural selection and adaptation ruining perfectly good scare tactics.

Ain't it the truth. Makes sense that coral would do this. After all the earth has been warmer in pre history times and the coral has been around how long? It survived then, it will survive again.

11 posted on 09/02/2004 8:32:50 AM PDT by farmfriend ( In Essentials, Unity...In Non-Essentials, Liberty...In All Things, Charity.)
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To: SuziQ

God literally thought of everything.


12 posted on 09/02/2004 8:33:53 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Even if the government took all your earnings, you wouldn't be, in its eyes, a slave.)
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To: coconutt2000
"Hmm... What is it they teach us in biology? "

Coach Johnson skipped over the chapter on genetics. He said all we need to know is that if your parents didn't have any children you probably won't either. Of course that was 30 years before we discovered that homosexuality is genetic.

13 posted on 09/02/2004 8:48:32 AM PDT by bayourod (You're either for President Bush or against him. There is no "but...")
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To: farmfriend

BTTT!!!!!!


14 posted on 09/02/2004 9:22:13 AM PDT by E.G.C.
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To: bayourod
Of course that was 30 years before we discovered that homosexuality is genetic.

A lifeform that believes in extinction.....

15 posted on 09/02/2004 11:21:56 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (A Proud member of Free Republic ~~The New Face of the Fourth Estate since 1996.)
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To: farmfriend
Check this out:

Amazing Facts

16 posted on 09/02/2004 11:23:29 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (A Proud member of Free Republic ~~The New Face of the Fourth Estate since 1996.)
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