Coral Reef Molecular Ecophysiology

Coral photosymbiosis and biomineralization generate and sustain coral reefs, among the most biodiverse ecosystems in the ocean, yet the mechanisms that underlie these processes remain largely unknown.

Core functions such as skeletal formation, nutrient exchange with symbionts, and regulation of internal chemistry are not well resolved, and likely differ across species, life stages, and environmental regimes. We focus first on defining these mechanisms, including energy metabolism, acid–base regulation, symbiont function, and calcification. We then examine how these processes operate under realistic environmental variability, where temperature, oxygen, and carbonate chemistry change over time. This approach separates intrinsic biological constraints from context-dependent responses. Building on this foundation, we investigate how these mechanisms shape coral performance under ongoing ocean change. Our ultimate goal is to establish causal understanding that improves prediction and enables targeted intervention.

Antibody biomarkers to diagnose coral stress: Our limited knowledge about the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of coral biology severely impairs our ability to understand and predict universal and species-specific coral responses to climate change, design and evaluate effective conservation approaches, and genetically manipulate corals for conservation purposes.

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