The future of corals – what X-rays can tell us

How exactly does the increasing acidification of the oceans in the wake of the climate crisis affects skeleton formation in corals? Tali Mass and Paul Zaslansky investigated it

Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie

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image: 

Tali Mass is an experienced diver. Here she is securing the nets to collect planula larvae after the corals have spawned.

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Credit: Hagai Nativ

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Journal

Advanced Science

DOI

10.1002/advs.202508585 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Animal tissue samples

Article Title

4D Insights into Coral Biomineralization: Effects of Ocean Acidification on the Early Skeleton Development of a Stony Coral.

Stony corals in the Red Sea are rich ecosystems, hosting various fish and other marine organisms. The reef is formed by countless coral animals (polyps). The corals live symbiotically with certain algae, which give them their vibrant colour.

Credit

Tali Mass

The tomographic reconstruction shows the 3D architecture of RADs (red/yellow) and TDs (semi-transparent gray) in coral primary polyps grown under normal (pH 8.2, left picture) and conditions of severe ocean acidification(pH 7.6, right picture).

Credit

Advanced Science (2025), DOI: 10.1002/advs.202508585

Corals-Video [VIDEO] 

Cross-sections of a 3D tomogram of a coral skeleton reveal clear differences between the structure under normal conditions (left) and in a more acidic environment (right), as is expected in 2100 without climate protection measures.

Credit

Advanced Science (2025), DOI: 10.1002/advs.202508585