Home Science Reef-building corals and the microscopic algae within their cells evolve together

Reef-building corals and the microscopic algae within their cells evolve together

59

The microscopic algae that live inside and provide nutrients to their reef-building coral hosts may be evolving in tandem with the corals they inhabit. A new study by biologists reveals that genetic differences within a species of these microalgal symbionts correspond to the coral species they inhabit, a discovery that could have implications for the conservation of these endangered corals.

Source: ScienceDaily.com