New research has found previously undocumented variation in coral heat tolerance on the Great Barrier Reef, giving hope that corals’ own genetic resources may hold the key for us to help in its recovery and adaptation. Researchers measured the bleaching thresholds of more than 500 colonies of the table coral, Acropora hyacinthus, using a portable experimental system that was used at sea at 17 reefs across the Great Barrier Reef. Heat-tolerant corals were found at almost all the reefs studied.
