Bacterial probiotics could help protect corals from ocean warming

By Krista Charles

Coral reefs around the world are threatened by warming temperatures which cause them to bleach – but they might get some relief through probiotics.

In healthy reefs, corals get up to 80 per cent of their energy from the photosynthetic algae that live within their tissue alongside other microorganisms like bacteria. Heat stress disturbs these relationships and can ultimately lead to coral death.

Erika Santoro at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Raquel Peixoto at …