A comprehensive assessment of the thermal tolerance of corals at the Egyptian coast of the Red Sea is still unexplored despite the recent increasing global warnings concerning the mass bleaching events. However, our recent studies have provided field evidence on the vulnerability of some areas and coral species to bleaching events and have shown that the frequency and severity of these events are expected to increase in the near future in the northern Red Sea (NRS) as a result of the continuing warming rate of 0.3°C decade-1. Regarding that, the genetic traits regulating the relationship between coral and a wide diversity of photosynthetic microalgae (Family: Symbiodiniaceae), viruses, bacteria, and other associated micro-eukaryotes are fundamental elements in determining the physiological state of most corals. Yet, our knowledge of how this relationship is maintained under heat stress conditions is quite scant, especially under the environmental conditions of the Red Sea.
Therefore, in the current proposed study, we aim to assess the vulnerability and susceptibility of coral reefs to the recent bleaching events along the Egyptian coast of the Red Sea. To achieve that, the plan of work will include an integration of field, experimental, and modelling approaches. We will implement a range of extensive field surveys in a number of study sites along the Egyptian coast to evaluate the ability of reefs to tolerate climate change based on some resilience indicators (e.g., photosynthetic efficiency, proportion of thermotolerant to thermosensitive coral species, number of recruitment colonies, and abundance/biomass of the herbivorous fishes). On the other hand, samples will be collected and reared in temperature-controlled experimental tanks and corals in the treatment tanks will be subjected to a range of heat stresses to determine the bleaching thresholds and to which extent different species can resist thermal stress. In addition, we will use a suite of cutting-edge molecular tools to: (a) characterize the structure and functional potential of coral microbiomes associated with the Egyptian corals, (b) resolve the genetic composition of the Symbiodiniaceae, and (c) obtain omics data that describe the thermal tolerance of corals under stress. As a part of the proposed study, long-term remotely sensed data (e.g., SST, surface currents, and UV radiation) covering the coral reef environment of the NRS will be analyzed to identify the most threatened regions and to address the adaptability of corals in the NRS to the increasing warming rates under the different scenarios of the IPCC.
In all cases, we will use advanced computational frameworks to analyze the collected data and will combine the obtained results to construct a rigorous baseline information required to evaluate the impact of climate change on coral reefs extending along the Egyptian coast of the Red Sea. In addition to that, our proposed study will provide (for the first time in this region) extensive omics data that have recently shown high priority in reef conservation strategies. Finally, our group of Egyptian scientists will initiate “the Egyptian coral bleaching taskforce” that will use field surveys, climate modelling, and genomic data to better predict coral bleaching and conserve these natural resources for future generations.