Horizontal transmission of heat-evolved microalgal symbionts in adult corals

Abstract

Traditional coral reef restoration methods often fail to consider rising sea-surface temperatures driven by climate change. The introduction of experimentally heat-evolved algal symbionts into corals offers a promising solution by enhancing coral holobiont thermotolerance in a relatively short timeframe. However, the scalability of this approach remains a key challenge. Coral expulsion of viable symbiont cells may provide a passive pathway for upscaling this intervention by facilitating the widespread transmission of heat-evolved symbionts and their physiological benefits across coral reefs. Here, we investigated the expulsion and horizontal transmission dynamics of heat-evolved Cladocopium ..