Coral bleaching caused by heating water (time-lapse)

Queensland University researchers captured time-lapse videos of coral’s reaction to heat stress. During the experiments, the water temperature in a 10-litre aquarium system was raised from 26 to 32 °C in the first 12 hours and maintained at 32 °C for up to eight days. The coral species Heliofungia actiniformis, acclimated at 26 °C, used a pulsed inflation to expel Symbiodinium, tiny algae cells that live within coral tissue and give corals their vibrant colours. Credit: Expulsion of Symbiodinium by pulsed i