Bleaching condition varies among Acropora millepora color morphs

摘要: Understanding the mechanisms that underpinvariation in bleaching susceptibility corals is central tothe conservation of reefs face climate change.Fluorescent proteins (FPs) are pigments associated with coral animal expressed by many species and govern color polymorphisms wild. FPs can play photoprotective anti-oxidant roles corals;however, it unclear whether abundance affects wild.Here, we analyse condition three morphs different FP levels Acropora millepora from northern Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Colonies were surveyed at four sites during a cold winter warm summer. In winter, following unusually temperatures, proportionally fewer green (high FP) paled (48%) than yellow(intermediate red (low (66 60%, respectively). summer, colonies bleached (20%) other two (34 33% for yellow red, This first demonstration differential to natural temperature stress among fluorescent similar habitats highlights functional importance subtle intraspecific differences content.