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Updated: May 22, 2026
04:22
Physiological Characterization of the Coral Holobiont Using a New Micro-Respirometry Tool
Published on: April 28, 2023
Acute temperature effects on cilia beating increase coral deoxygenation.
Cesar O Pacherres1, Max S Dhillon2, Mads Bilbo1
1Marine Biology Section, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Strandpromenaden 5, Helsingør, Denmark.
Science Advances
|May 20, 2026
Summary
Coral cilia enhance oxygen transport but paradoxically worsen hypoxia during moderate warming. At higher temperatures, cilia failure accelerates coral mortality, revealing cilia as key to thermal tolerance.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Physiological Ecology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Cilia-driven flows are vital for nutrient and oxygen exchange in corals.
- The impact of thermal stress on coral ciliary function and its consequences are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how acute warming affects ciliary dynamics and oxygen transport in the reef-building coral *Porites lutea*.
- To identify the role of ciliary beating in coral thermal tolerance and physiological tipping points.
Main Methods:
- High-speed imaging of cilia beating.
- Particle image velocimetry using oxygen-sensitive nanoparticles.
- Mechanistic transport modeling.
Main Results:
- Moderate warming (~35°C) initially boosted ciliary activity but increased hypoxia by thickening the boundary layer.
- Higher temperatures led to ventilation failure, expanding anoxic zones.
- Above ~37°C, ciliary collapse shifted transport to diffusion limitation, accelerating mortality.
Conclusions:
- Ciliary function is a critical factor in coral thermal tolerance.
- Ciliary beating dynamics serve as an early indicator of physiological tipping points in corals under thermal stress.
- Understanding ciliary responses is crucial for predicting coral survival in a warming and deoxygenating ocean.
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