Mass coral bleaching events, driven by rising ocean temperatures, are pushing reef ecosystems toward collapse on a global scale. Without rapid, coordinated, and ambitious global action to combat climate change, coral reefs are at risk of extinction. Here, we tested a targeted antioxidant supplementation designed to boost antioxidant defenses in scleractinian corals, addressing oxidative stress, an early component of the cascade leading to bleaching. Three representative Red Sea coral species were subjected to a thermal challenge with or without antioxidant supplementation. While responses varied among species and metrics, supplemented corals consistently maintained higher photophysiological performance. In Stylophora pistillata, supplementation was additionally associated with enhanced enzymatic (catalase) and non-enzymatic (glutathione) antioxidant responses, lower intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species, and maintenance of protein content. Our findings bring evidence on the potential of targeted antioxidant supplementation to support coral physiological performance under thermal stress, offering a promising avenue to complement reef restoration efforts.
Fernandes de Barros Marangoni, L., Beraud, E., Chacon, M., Levy, O., Mies, M., Leray, M., Ferrier-Pages, C.
Advertisement
Stats
- Recommendations n/a n/a positive of 0 vote(s)
- Views 8
- Comments 0