Heat-tolerant subtropical Porites lutea may be better adapted to future climate change than tropical one in the South China Sea.

Coral reefs are degrading at an accelerating rate owing to climate change. Understanding the heat stress tolerance of corals is vital for their sustainability. However, this tolerance varies substantially geographically, and information regarding coral responses across latitudes is lacking.

High- and low-temperature stress responses of Porites lutea from the relatively high-latitude region of the South China Sea.

Global climate change has led to more frequent extreme temperature (extreme heat and cold) events, posing a serious threat to coral reef ecosystems. Higher latitudes are considered potential refuges for reef-building corals, but their response to extreme temperature stress in these regions remain unclear. This study, indoor simulated stress experiments ranging on Porites lutea from Weizhou Island in the northern part of the South China Sea, simulating suitable (26 °C) to extreme high (34 °C) and extreme low (12 °C) temperatures.

Heat-tolerant intertidal rock pool coral Porites lutea can potentially adapt to future warming.

The growing threat of global warming on coral reefs underscores the urgency of identifying heat-tolerant corals and discovering their adaptation mechanisms to high temperatures. Corals growing in intertidal rock pools that vary markedly in daily temperature may have improved heat tolerance. In this study, heat stress experiments were performed on scleractinian coral Porites lutea from subtidal habitat and intertidal rock pool of Weizhou Island in the northern South China Sea.

Reduced genetic diversity and restricted gene flow of broadcast-spawning coral Galaxea fascicularis in the South China Sea reveals potential degradation under environmental change.

Under the dual effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities, coral reefs in the South China Sea (SCS) are at serious risk of degradation. Galaxea fascicularis is a widely distributed species in the SCS, and the study of its genetics, survival, and adaptability is conducive to further understanding the future characteristics of coral reefs in the SCS. In this study, 146 G.

Lower cold tolerance of tropical Porites lutea is possibly detrimental to its migration to relatively high latitude refuges in the South China Sea.

As high temperature stress due to climate change threatens tropical corals, cooler areas at relatively high latitudes may be potential refuges. Tolerance to low temperatures is critical in determining whether corals can successfully migrate to higher latitudes. However, the physiological and molecular adaptations that protect corals from low temperature stress are unclear.

High genetic differentiation and moderate genetic diversity of the degenerative branching coral Pocillopora verrucosa in the tropical South China Sea.

Global warming is causing rapid degradation of coral reefs, among which branching corals are degrading the fastest. An assessment of coral genetic diversity and adaptive potential provides a basis for coral reef protection. In this study, we selected the branching coral Pocillopora verrucosa, a widely distributed species in the tropical South China Sea (SCS), to carry out population genetic studies.

Genetic structure of Turbinaria peltata in the northern South China Sea suggest insufficient genetic adaptability of relatively high-latitude scleractinian corals to environment stress.

With the rapid degradation of coral reefs due to global warming and anthropogenic impacts, relatively high-latitude areas, such as the northern South China Sea (SCS), are likely to become refuges for tropical coral species. Here we investigated the genetic features and adaptability of one dominant scleractinian coral species, Turbinaria peltata, in the northern SCS. A total of 81 samples from 5 sites were studied to explore potential mechanisms of adaptability to environmental stress as a result of climate change.