Coral adaptation to the impacts of climate change – including increasing average water temperatures and more frequent and extreme heatwaves – will be critical to sustaining functional reefs into the future. It is not known how fast coral populations can naturally evolve and thus whether they can keep pace with the changing environment.
Research has found corals have substantial capacity to increase their growth rates and heat tolerance through methods such as selective breeding, manipulating their microbiomes or hardening treatments. Further research is required to determine the full scope for enhancement and any associated trade-offs.
Over four years the Enhanced Corals and Treatments R&D Subprogram will undertake research on:
This project is providing essential data and information on where and how to identify temperature tolerant corals within and among reefs. This project will apply whole-genome sequencing, outlier and association analyses to uncover links between specific host genome regions, symbiont community characteristics and heat tolerance phenotypes from corals across the Reef.
This project progresses ideas designed to enhance heat tolerance of corals, which would be operationalised via aquaculture processes, including crossbreeding of warm-adapted corals, genome sequencing of cross-bred corals, development of algal symbionts that enhance heat tolerance.
This project will assess the feasibility of using probiotics to enhance desired traits such as growth and survival in corals. Additionally, the project will develop treatments comprising a reliable suite of probiotics to enhance coral health and microbial inducers to promote settlement of a diversity of coral species, required to underpin aquaculture based coral propagation at scale.
Howells, E.J., Bay, L.K., Bay, R.A. (2022). Identifying, Monitoring, and Managing Adaptive Genetic Variation in Reef-Building Corals under Rapid Climate Warming. In: van Oppen, M.J.H., Aranda Lastra, M. (eds) Coral Reef Conservation and Restoration in the Omics Age. Coral Reefs of the World, vol 15. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07055-6_4
Randall, C.J., Speaks, J.E., Lager, C. et al. Rapid counting and spectral sorting of live coral larvae using large-particle flow cytometry. Sci Rep 10, 12919 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-69491-0
Randall CJ, Negri AP, Quigley KM, Foster T, Ricardo GF, Webster NS, Bay LK, Harrison PL, Babcock RC, Heyward AJ (2020) Sexual production of corals for reef restoration in the Anthropocene. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 635:203-232 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13206
Macadam, A., Nowell, C. J., & Quigley, K. (2021). Machine Learning for the Fast and Accurate Assessment of Fitness in Coral Early Life History. Remote Sensing, 13(16), 3173. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13163173
Roepke, L. K., Brefeld, D., Soltmann, U., Randall, C. J., Negri, A. P., & Kunzmann, A. (2022). Applying behavioral studies to the ecotoxicology of corals: A case study on Acropora millepora. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, 1002924. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.1002924
Maire, J., Buerger, P., Chan, W. Y., Deore, P., Dungan, A. M., Nitschke, M. R., & van Oppen, M. J. H. (2022). Effects of ocean warming on the underexplored members of the coral microbiome. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 62(6), 1700–1709. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icac005
“Scharfenstein, H. J., Chan, W. Y., Buerger, P., Humphrey, C., & van Oppen, M. J. H. (2022). Evidence for de novo acquisition of microalgal symbionts by bleached adult corals. The ISME Journal, 16(6), 1676–1679. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-022-01203-0
Howells, E.J., Bay, L.K., Bay, R.A. (2022). Identifying, Monitoring, and Managing Adaptive Genetic Variation in Reef-Building Corals under Rapid Climate Warming. In: van Oppen, M.J.H., Aranda Lastra, M. (eds) Coral Reef Conservation and Restoration in the Omics Age. Coral Reefs of the World, vol 15. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07055-6_4
van Oppen, M.J.H., Nitschke, M.R. (2022). Increasing Coral Thermal Bleaching Tolerance via the Manipulation of Associated Microbes. In: van Oppen, M.J.H., Aranda Lastra, M. (eds) Coral Reef Conservation and Restoration in the Omics Age. Coral Reefs of the World, vol 15. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07055-6_8
“Thatcher, C., Høj, L., & Bourne, D. G. (2022). Probiotics for coral aquaculture: Challenges and considerations. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 73, 380–386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2021.09.009
Scharfenstein, H., Alvarez‐Roa, C., Peplow, L. M., Buerger, P., Chan, W. Y., & Oppen, M. J. H. v. (2023). Chemical mutagenesis and thermal selection of coral photosymbionts induce adaptation to heat stress with trait trade‐offs. Evolutionary Applications, 16(9), 1549-1567. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13586
Matias, A. M. A., Popovic, I., Thia, J. A., Cooke, I., Torda, G., Lukoschek, V., … & Riginos, C. (2022). Cryptic diversity and spatial genetic variation in the coral acropora tenuis and its endosymbionts across the great barrier reef. Evolutionary Applications, 16(2), 293-310. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13435
Chan, W. Y., Meyers, L., Rudd, D., Topa, S. H., & Oppen, M. J. H. v. (2023). Heat‐evolved algal symbionts enhance bleaching tolerance of adult corals without trade‐off against growth. Global Change Biology, 29(24), 6945-6968. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16987
Quigley, K.M., Alvarez-Roa, C., Raina, JB. et al. Heat-evolved microalgal symbionts increase thermal bleaching tolerance of coral juveniles without a trade-off against growth. Coral Reefs 42, 1227–1232 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-023-02426-z
Turnlund, A. C., Vanwonterghem, I., Botté, E. S., Randall, C. J., Giuliano, C., Kam, L., Bell, S., O’Brien, P., Negri, A. P., Webster, N. S., & Lurgi, M. (2023). Linking differences in microbial network structure with changes in coral larval settlement. ISME Communications, 3(1), 114. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43705-023-00320-x
Madin, J. S., McWilliam, M., Quigley, K., Bay, L. K., Bellwood, D., Doropoulos, C., Fernandes, L., Harrison, P., Hoey, A. S., Mumby, P. J., Ortiz, J. C., Richards, Z. T., Riginos, C., Schiettekatte, N. M. D., Suggett, D. J., & van Oppen, M. J. H. (2023). Selecting coral species for reef restoration. Journal of Applied Ecology, 60(8), 1537–1544. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14447
Chan, W. Y., Rudd, D., & van Oppen, M. J. H. (2023). Spatial metabolomics for symbiotic marine invertebrates. Life Science Alliance, 6(8), e202301900. https://doi.org/10.26508/lsa.202301900
Riginos, C.; Popovic, I.; Meziere, Z.; Garcia, V.; Byrne, I.; Howitt, S. M.; Ishida, H.; Bairos-Novak, K.; Humanes, A.; Scharfenstein, H.; Richards, T.; Briggs, E.; Clark, V.; Lei, C.; Khan, M.; Prata, K. E. Cryptic species and hybridisation in corals: challenges and opportunities for conservation and restoration. Peer Community Journal, Volume 4 (2024), article no. e106. https://doi.org/10.24072/pcjournal.492
Briggs, N.D., Page, C.A., Giuliano, C. et al. Dissecting coral recovery: bleaching reduces reproductive output in Acropora millepora. Coral Reefs 43, 557–569 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-024-02483-y
Meziere, Z., Popovic, I., Prata, K. E., Ryan, I., Pandolfi, J. M., & Riginos, C. (2024). Exploring coral speciation: multiple sympatric stylophora pistillata taxa along a divergence continuum on the great barrier reef. Evolutionary Applications, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13644
Selmoni, O., Bay, L. K., Exposito-Alonso, M., & Cleves, P. A. (2024). Finding genes and pathways that underlie coral adaptation. Trends in Genetics, 40(3), 213–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2024.01.003
Naugle, M.S., Denis, H., Mocellin, V.J.L. et al. Heat tolerance varies considerably within a reef-building coral species on the Great Barrier Reef. Commun Earth Environ 5, 525 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01649-4
Scharfenstein, H., Peplow, L. M., Alvarez‐Roa, C., Nitschke, M. R., Chan, W. Y., Buerger, P., … & Oppen, M. J. H. v. (2024). Pushing the limits: expanding the temperature tolerance of a coral photosymbiont through differing selection regimes. New Phytologist, 243(6), 2130-2145. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19996
Nitschke, M. R., Abrego, D., Allen, C. E., Alvarez-Roa, C., Boulotte, N. M., Buerger, P., Chan, W. Y., Fae Neto, W. A., Ivory, E., Johnston, B., Meyers, L., Parra, C., Peplow, L., Perez, T., Scharfenstein, H. J., & van Oppen, M. J. H. (2024). The use of experimentally evolved coral photosymbionts for reef restoration. Trends in Microbiology, 32(8), 708–719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2024.05.008
Denis, H., Bay, L. K., Mocellin, V. J. L., Naugle, M. S., Lecellier, G., Purcell, S. W., Berteaux-Lecellier, V., & Howells, E. J. (2024). Thermal tolerance traits of individual corals are widely distributed across the Great Barrier Reef. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 291(2030), 20240587. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.0587
Macadam, A., Morgans, C., Cheok, J., Damjanovic, K., Ciampaglia, M., Toor, M., Laffy, P., Cooke, I. R., Strugnell, J. M., & Quigley, K. M. (2025). Assessing the potential for “assisted gene flow” to enhance heat tolerance of multiple coral genera over three key phenotypic traits. Biological Conservation, 306, 111155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111155
Turnlund, A.C., O’Brien, P.A., Rix, L. et al. Understanding the role of micro-organisms in the settlement of coral larvae through community ecology. Mar Biol 172, 43 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-025-04607-6
Ivory, E.A., Mieog, J.C., Nitschke, M.R. et al. Interactions among wildtype and heat-evolved photosymbionts shape performance of coral recruits. Coral Reefs 44, 643–655 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-025-02632-x
O’Brien, P.A., Bell, S.C., Rix, L. et al. Light and dark biofilm adaptation impacts larval settlement in diverse coral species. Environmental Microbiome 20, 11 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-025-00670-0
Saper, J., Raina, JB., Humphrey, C., Høj, L., Bourne, D.G. (2025). Microbial Processes and Nutrient Uptake in the Coral Holobiont and Reef Ecosystems. In: Peixoto, R.S., Voolstra, C.R. (eds) Coral Reef Microbiome. Coral Reefs of the World, vol 20. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-76692-3_9
Thatcher, C., Damjanovic, K., Kuek, F., Laffy, P. W., Bourne, D. G., & Høj, L. (2025). Bacterial dynamics in newly settled Acropora kenti: Insights from inoculations with individual probiotic candidates. Environmental Microbiology, 27(7). https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.70143
Johnston, B. G., Nitschke, M. R., Chan, W. Y., & van Oppen, M. J. H. (2025). Horizontal transmission of heat-evolved microalgal symbionts in adult corals. The ISME Journal, 19(1), wraf157. https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wraf157
Roper, C. D., Suggett, D. J., Songsomboon, K., Edmondson, J., England, H., Haydon, T. D., Goyen, S., Duijser, C. M., Alderdice, R., Voolstra, C. R., & Camp, E. F. (2025). Coral thermotolerance retained following year-long exposure to a novel environment. Science Advances, 11(32), eadu3858. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adu3858
Goyen, S., Chille, E.E., Stephens, T.G. et al. Green fluorescent proteins show divergent patterns among species and strains of Porites from the Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-025-02781-z
Marquardt, B., Elder, H., Yeoh, Y. K., Heyward, A., Randall, C. J., Harrison, P. L., Logan, M., & Howells, E. (2025). Determining the diversity and relative abundance of coral taxa in wild spawning slicks for effective restoration. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 13, 1602543. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2025.1602543
Prokaryote treatments and coral nutrition: Feasibility of research and recommendations
Assessment and interpretation of Symbiodiniaceae community composition in adult coral
Dr Emily Howells
Project Lead
SCU
Dr Lone Hoj
Project Lead
AIMS
Assoc. Professor David Bourne
Project Lead
AIMS/JCU
Dr Cheong Xin Chan
UQ
Dr David Abrego
SCU
Dr Inke Vanwonterghem
UQ
Assoc. Professor David Francis
Deakin University
Craig Humphrey
AIMS
Dr Patrick Laffy
AIMS
Dr Paul O'Brien
Postdoc
UQ
Dr Owain Edwards
CSIRO
Dr Samantha Goyen
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
AIMS
Dr Wing Chan
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of Melbourne
Dr Patrick Buerger
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Macquarie University
Dr Matthew Nitschke
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
AIMS
