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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Pacherres, Cesar O, Dhillon, Max S, Bilbo, Mads, Hansen, Mikkel, Brumley, Douglas R, Aranda, Manuel, Ahmerkamp, Soeren, Kühl, Michael
Format: Artículo científico
Language:en
Published: Science advances 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42160419/
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Table of Contents:
  • Acute temperature effects on cilia beating increase coral deoxygenation. Pacherres, Cesar O Dhillon, Max S Bilbo, Mads Hansen, Mikkel Brumley, Douglas R Aranda, Manuel Ahmerkamp, Soeren Kühl, Michael Animals Anthozoa Cilia Oxygen Temperature Coral Reefs Cilia-induced vortical flows are critical for regulating oxygen (O) and metabolite exchange across coral-water interfaces. While this active ventilation affects the coral tissue microenvironment, its role in thermal stress remains poorly understood. Using high-speed imaging of cilia beating, particle image velocimetry with O-sensitive nanoparticles, and a mechanistic transport model, we quantified how ciliary dynamics in the reef-building coral respond to acute warming in darkness. Moderate warming (~35°C) enhanced ciliary activity and advective transport yet paradoxically thickened the concentration boundary layer with O-depleted water, exposing tissues to transient hypoxia. At higher temperatures, ventilation failed to meet rising metabolic demands and anoxic regions expanded rapidly. Above ~37°C, ciliary coordination collapsed and vortical flows dissipated, shifting transport to a diffusion-limited regime accelerating coral mortality. These results identify ciliary beating as a key regulator of thermal tolerance and early indicator of critical physiological tipping points for reef-building corals in a warming, deoxygenating ocean.