Abstract:
Coral reef ecosystems represent the marine ecosystems with the highest primary productivity, possessing immense ecological and economic value. As reef-building corals, they form a unique symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, holding profound significance for the sustainable development of coral reef ecosystems. Under the dual pressures of global climate change and human activities, coral reef ecosystems now face multiple threats including global warming, ocean acidification, emerging pollutants, and marine eutrophication. Particularly, the potential risks posed by emerging pollutants to reef-building corals and reef health have become a global concern. This report systematically reviews the current distribution status and threats facing corals, analyzes the distribution characteristics of new pollutants (PAHs) in Hainan’s nearshore environmental media and within coral tissues, and reveals spatiotemporal variations in symbiotic zooxanthellae community structure and diversity across different coral species. It focuses on the responses of reef-building corals to combined stressors of ocean acidification and new pollutants. By examining changes in photosynthetic metabolism, zooxanthellae symbiont communities, and microbial community structures, it elucidates the differential responses and mechanisms among different reef-building coral species. This research provides crucial reference data for studies on endosymbiotic regulation of coral responses to environmental stressors and ecological responses.
Speaker: Prof. Xiaoping Diao
Affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University
Time: 16:30 PM, Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Venue: Offline: The Conference Hall in XTBG
Online: Tencent Meeting ID: 659 765 636
