A recent report from the University of Hawaii at Manoa has revealed that local scientists believe blue rice corals could survive climate change because they produce a natural protein that can act as a sunscreen, ensuring their survival.
According to findings that were published in Scientific Reports, the protein not only conveys the deep blue color, but researchers believe it also filters out harmful ultraviolet radiation (UVR) that is damaging to reproduction of corals.
Scientists from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the Smithsonian Institute collaborated on the report, saying, “A major difference between these species is the physiological foundation of their UVR protection, and we hypothesize that UVR protective mechanisms inherent in Montipora spp. mitigate this reproductive damage.”
PhD candidate at Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology and lead author, Mike Henley, said they were taken aback by their coral findings.
“We had studied the brown rice coral for several years and witnessed in real time their decline due to bleaching in 2014 and 2015,” he said, according to University of Hawaii News. “The blue rice coral is often overlooked, and its sperm motility wowed us the very first time we saw it. While the brown rice coral lagged behind in recovery from bleaching, the blue rice coral either recovered really quickly, or perhaps it was never impacted at all. Hopefully, this work will reveal clues to help other corals weather climate change and ocean warming.”
The University of Hawaii at Manoa conducts research as part of its goal: "Building a Sustainable and Resilient Campus Environment: Within the Global Sustainability and Climate Resilience Movement” and “Excellence in Research: Advancing the Research and Creative Work Enterprise.”
Hawaii's coral reefs system covers 410,000 acres across all islands, with more than 1,250 different species of marine life that can only be found in the state.