Coral Bleaching
Warmer water temperatures can result in coral bleaching. When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white. When a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Corals can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality.
Algae is also known as Zooxanthellae and it gives the coral its coloration and helps it thrive. When a coral is under stress however, it expels the zooxanthellae which leads it to be "bleached".
Thousands of other organisms call coral reefs home- from large sharks and rays to tiny shrimp and worms. If most of the corals on a reef bleach and then die, this can impact the survival of many creatures that rely on the reef- either on corals as a food source or indirectly for a habitat.
This is very important because without coral reefs, food chains can become affected and many important species from it can die.
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