Nature and environment - Conservation - Coral reefs - Marine ecosystems
What happens during coral bleaching?
Correct!
Corals live in close association with tiny algae in their tissues, which provide much of their color and energy. When corals are strongly stressed, especially by excessively warm water, they can expel these algae. The pale limestone skeleton then becomes visible through the transparent coral tissue, making the coral appear white or bleached. A bleached coral is not automatically dead. If the stress continues for a long time, however, the coral loses an important part of its energy supply and may eventually die. Large-scale bleaching can therefore threaten entire coral reef ecosystems.
During bleaching, corals lose their symbiotic algae and therefore their color, but they are not immediately dead.
Source: NOAA – What is coral bleaching?
