Global coral genomic vulnerability explains recent reef losses
Oliver Selmoni1,2,3,4,5, Phillip A Cleves6,7,8, Moises Exposito-Alonso9,10,11,12,13
1Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, USA. oliver.selmoni@gmail.com.
Nature Communications
|December 19, 2025
Summary
Coral genetic diversity reveals adaptation to ocean warming. Heat-adapted Acropora genotypes are spreading, but this may cause population decline and reduce future adaptive capacity.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Genomics
- Climate Change Adaptation
Background:
- Coral reefs face decline due to ocean warming.
- Understanding coral adaptation is crucial for conservation.
Purpose of the Study:
- Characterize genetic diversity in the Acropora genus.
- Identify genomic regions associated with heat adaptation.
- Project the distribution of heat-adapted genotypes and assess future risks.
Main Methods:
- Built a genomic database of 595 Acropora samples.
- Performed genome-environment association analyses.
- Projected genotype distribution under current and future climate scenarios.
Main Results:
- Identified parallel evolutionary signals of heat adaptation in specific genomic regions across Acropora species.
- Linked heat adaptation to genes involved in molecular heat shock responses and symbiosis.
- Projected spread of heat-adapted genotypes until 2040, followed by potential genetic diversity loss.
- Correlated low frequencies of heat-adapted genotypes with higher Acropora decline rates.
Conclusions:
- Acropora populations exhibit genomic vulnerability to heat stress.
- The spread of heat-adapted genotypes may lead to significant population declines and loss of genetic diversity.
- Genomic vulnerability and diversity loss assessments are vital for coral reef risk assessment and conservation strategies.
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