Physiological and morphological plasticity in larvae from Eilat, Israel, to shallow and mesophotic light conditions.

Mesophotic reefs have been proposed as climate change refugia but are not synonymous ecosystems with shallow reefs and remain exposed to anthropogenic impacts. Planulae from the reef-building coral , Gulf of Aqaba, from 5- and 45-m depth were tested for capacity to settle, grow, and acclimate to reciprocal light conditions. Skeletons were scanned by phase contrast-enhanced micro-CT to study morphology.