The planet's coral reefs did not appear to be prepared for the warming of the waters around them, but new research indicates they are adapting.
According to the New York Times, authors of a study published in the journal Science found corals in Australia's Great Barrier Reef are, in fact, designed to adapt to higher ocean temperatures. However, the corals are also apparently trying to ensure their counterparts to the south will do the same.
"Corals already have the genetic variance to adapt to changing temperature," study co-author Mikhail Matz, an assistant professor of integrative biology at the University of Texas at Austin, told the Times. "It's just a matter of transporting these mutations from hot locations to locations that will be hot very soon because of global warming."
The Great Barrier Reef corals were observed sending larvae to corals as much as 300 miles south where the water is cooler. The likely reason is the northern corals are aware in some way that the southern waters will soon start to warm.
"Our research found that corals do not have to wait for new mutations to appear. Averting coral extinction may start with something as simple as an exchange of coral immigrants to spread already existing genetic variants," Matz said in a press release. "Coral larvae can move across oceans naturally, but humans could also contribute, relocating adult corals to jump-start the process."
He stressed that this was likely not a long-term solution.
"This is not a magic bullet," Matz told the Times. "The existence of this gene variation buys us some time."
