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.
Ocean acidification is just one more threat to the success of hard corals. Coral reefs are already being affected by many other pressures, some human-related and some natural. Warming ocean temperatures are contributing to coral bleaching and making them more susceptible to diseases.