Coral colonies more genetically diverse than assumed
Wednesday, June 10, 2015 - 07:00
in Biology & Nature
Coral colonies are more genetically diverse than it has been assumed to date. This is the conclusion drawn by biologists at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, who have conducted comprehensive studies into the genetic variability in individual colonies of different reef-forming coral species. "However, this doesn't mean we should expect that this variability can compensate for corals dying worldwide due to climate change," says Maximilian Schweinsberg from the Department of Animal Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity, headed by Prof Dr Ralph Tollrian.