Microbe Found to Cause Some Coral Bleaching
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Coral bleaching, a modern epidemic that researchers predict will kill half the world’s coral reefs this century, is thought to be caused primarily by rising sea temperatures. Israeli researchers reported this week, however, that at least some bleaching is caused by a bacterium carried by a coral-eating worm.
The microbe, called Vibrio shiloi, is bleaching coral in the Mediterranean Sea. Surprisingly, its bleaching effect becomes stronger as water temperatures rise, suggesting that it may be responsible for much of the observed bleaching worldwide.
