Current thinking on how the Toxoplasma gondii parasite invades its host is incorrect, according to a study published today in Nature Methods describing a new technique to knock out genes. The findings could have implications ...
Definition. Coral bleaching is a process whereby the coral colonies lose their colour, either due to the loss of pigments by microscopic algae (zooxanthellae) living in symbiosis with their host organisms (polyps), or because these zooxanthellae have been expelled.
Sea temperature increases and coral stress from other impacts may increase corals' vulnerability to bleaching. As part of its Reef Health Incident Response System, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has a Coral Bleaching Response Plan for detecting and responding to coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef.