2026-10-14T10:41:18Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34053387 2026-10-02T04:36:21Z category_62 portal_316 item_type_3 month_year_10_2026

Supplementary file 1_Casting a shadow: in situ shading of corals reduces hyperthermal paling.docx Karen L. Neely (6716663) Caroline E. Dennison (12493615) Kathryn A. Toth (17795351) Arelys A. Chaparro (20466401) Andrew C. Baker (9554624) Marine Biology Colpophyllia natans coral bleaching Durusdinium Pseudodiploria clivosa shading <p>Coral bleaching is an increasingly common and severe stressor to reefs that can result in mortality of wild and restoration colonies. One potential mitigation effort is the installation of shade structures that can minimize the synergistic UV stressor contributing to bleaching-related tissue loss. We tested the effect of temporarily installed in situ shade structures over wild colonies of two Caribbean species (Pseudodiploria clivosa and Colpophyllia natans) to determine whether they could mitigate bleaching, affect symbiont to host ratios, and alter symbiont community structure. Despite 2024 having the second highest cumulative heat stress on record at the study site, corals exhibited only moderate paling/bleaching. This is likely due to symbiont communities consisting almost exclusively of the heat-tolerant Durusdinium, a probable result of the unprecedented thermal stress the prior summer. However, even the moderate loss of color was remedied by the shade structures, preventing further paling/bleaching of experimental colonies after installation. The symbiont:host ratios exhibited moderate change through the thermal stress and recovery event, but the change was not affected by the presence of shades. We suggest that shading could be a relatively low-cost option for minimizing bleaching of high priority corals through a hyperthermal event.</p> 2026-10-02T04:36:21Z Dataset Dataset 10.3389/fmars.2026.1910202.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Supplementary_file_1_Casting_a_shadow_in_situ_shading_of_corals_reduces_hyperthermal_paling_docx/34053387 CC BY 4.0