Understanding specificity and flexibility in coral symbioses

这个项目旨在了解为什么一些珊瑚可以改变藻类伴侣，而另一些珊瑚则保持对单一品系的忠诚。这一点很重要，因为珊瑚依靠它们的共生藻类伙伴生存，而且一些藻类比其他藻类对环境压力有更强的适应能力。这个项目将极大地提高我们对控制珊瑚-藻类共生的灵活性和专一性的分子和生理因素的理解。它将提供急需的知识，以确定最适合特定条件的联系，优先保护种群，并评估管理和恢复珊瑚礁的新方法的可行性。

This project aims to understand why some corals can switch algal partners while others remain faithful to a single strain. This is important because corals depend on their symbiotic algal partners for survival and because some algae provide greater resilience to environmental stress than others. This project will greatly enhance our understanding of the molecular and physiological factors governing flexibility and specificity in coral-algal symbioses. It will provide much-needed knowledge required to identify associations most appropriate for specific conditions, prioritise populations for conservation, and assess the feasibility of new approaches to managing and restoring coral reefs.