Variable temperature regimes that expose corals to sublethal heat stress have been recognized as a mechanism to increase coral thermal tolerance and lessen coral bleaching. However, there is a need to better understand which thermal regimes maximize coral stress hardening. Here, standardized thermal stress assays were used to determine the relative thermal tolerance of three divergent genera of corals (
Global warming is causing an unprecedented loss of species and habitats worldwide. This is particularly apparent for tropical coral reefs, with an increasing number of reefs experiencing mass bleaching and mortality on an annual basis. As such, there is a growing need for a standardized experimental approach to rapidly assess the thermal limits of corals and predict the survival of coral species across reefs and regions. Using a portable experimental system, the Coral Bleaching Automated Stress System (CBASS), we conducted standardized 18 h acute thermal stress assays to quantitively determine the upper thermal limits of four coral species across the length of the Red Sea coastline, from the Gulf of Aqaba (GoA) to Djibouti (~ 2100 km). We measured dark-acclimated photosynthetic efficiency (
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10379846
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer Science + Business Media
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Coral Reefs
- Volume:
- 41
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 0722-4028
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 239-252
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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