Coral reefs often known as the rainforests of the seas are a critical part of our ecosystem due to its role in providing coastal stability, species habitat, and nutrient cycling. Corals are known to share a symbiotics relationship with algae which provide them with nutrient byproducts from photosynthesis and in return the algae have can live in the host coral giving it its colour. These natural barriers protecting us against storms and floods are in threat from global warming as even a slight increase in the local average maximum temperature can activate coral stress response which can lead to increased mortality. With recent heat surges in the MENA region the ability for coral reefs to thrive in this environment comes to question.
The Red Sea’s Unique Environment
The Red Sea located between north eastern African border and Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s border is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean. It is considered to be one of the warmest seas in the world where sea surface temperatures can go up to 34°C. The Northern Red Sea especially in the Gulf of Aqaba the sea surface temperature can reach up to 34.5°C in marine heatwaves. The corals in the Gulf of Aqaba are the most researched corals in the Red Sea allowing us to analyse them further.
Map showing distribution of coral reefs in the Red Sea (Allen Coral Atlas, 2025)
The Science Behind Super Corals
Scientists use two main methods to target symbiotic diversity, PCR (Polymerease Chain Reaction) and Genetic Profiling. Both these methods target a region in the algal DNA called a genetic marker which is usually the ITS2 Region which is a segment in the DNA that evolves faster than other regions making it perfect to study adaptability. Strains of Cladocopium which is a genus of algae have known to have maximum success in having high adaptability to high heat stress and can survive past the regular coral sea surface temperature threshold.
A paper in 2020 explained how 86% of all corals in the five sites they chose to study held a symbiotic relationship with the algae with Cladocopium genus, as well as five new strains of Cladocopium adapted for higher temperatures despite being in different latitudes and gradients (Osman et al, 2020). This suggests that the Red Sea is known to have high symbiotic specificity.
Styrophora Coral which contains algae with Cladocopium genus , causing vibrant colour.
Photography by: Dan Rigle, 2013
Under different PCR methods, Cladocopium is known to have good cell density stability even under heat stress and is able to perform basic tasks such as photosynthesis without depleting its energy. This allows the particular coral to have enough energy from the algae to prevent itself from bleaching.
Genetic traits are hard to pinpoint however, the KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) team found that there are other small microbial communities in the Red Sea corals that also contribute to heat tolerance. Single celled organisms and other bacteria in the corals can provide with recycled nitrates and phosphorus replenishing the corals energy in the case of algal mortality. This discovery has led to scientists producing probiotics filled with these microbial traits that can recover corals (Santoro et al., 2025).
Global Effects
These successes in finding adaptability traits in the Cladocopium and other few strains is not only for local restoration but can help with global restoration as well with global warming on the rise. Building on groundbreaking studies from institutions like KAUST, researchers are now applying advanced technologies to actively shape the future of reef ecosystems. These efforts are not just reactive—they’re strategic, forward-looking, and globally relevant.
Coral Reef restoration efforts. Photography by: Indo-Pacific Films
Targeted Breeding Program
Using these studies, new technology advances have been made such as targeted breeding where heat resilient traits would be chosen to develop new corals in breeding tanks especially Acropora as it is the most abundant coral genus in the world.
Translocation Experiments
To test adaptability, corals from thermally stable regions like the Gulf of Aqaba are being relocated to warmer reef systems. These experiments help assess survival rates, symbiont stability, and ecological integration in new environments.
Genome Mapping
Genome mapping is another method where scientists are trying to identify more strains like the cladocopium to isolate the gene markers and use them on less resilient corals (McGarth, 2024).
Final Words
The science behind super corals is powerful—but it’s the people who make it unstoppable. Around the world, citizen science projects are bridging the gap between research and reality, turning everyday ocean lovers into reef guardians. From school-led reef surveys to community-driven restoration dives, these efforts are amplifying the reach of coral conservation like never before.
Red Sea ‘Super Corals’ are more than a scientific marvel — they’re nature’s blueprint for resilience. If we harness their genetic strengths and ecological adaptability, the possibilities for global reef survival are not just promising, they’re limitless.
References
- Physiological and Biogeochemical Responses of Super-Corals to Thermal Stress from the Northern Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea – (Andrea, 2017)
- Coral microbiome composition along the northern Red Sea suggests high plasticity of bacterial and specificity of endosymbiotic dinoflagellate communities – (Osman et al., 2020)
- Inherent differential microbial assemblages and functions associated with corals exhibiting different thermal phenotypes – (Santoro et al., 2025)
- Highlight: Genomic Insights May Provide a Blueprint for Coral Conservation – (McGarth, 2024)
Very well researched article. Lovely read!