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PEBACC+ Project Factsheet

The Pacific Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change Plus/Phase 2 (PEBACC+) Project seeks to
strengthen the resilience of ecosystems, economies, and communities to the impacts of climate change in Fiji, New Caledonia, Wallis-and-Futuna, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. The factsheet provides an overview of how the project will develop, sustain, and institutionalise ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change in these five countries and territories.

Heat-evolved microalgal symbionts increase coral bleaching tolerance

Coral reefs worldwide are suffering mass mortalities from marine heat waves. With the aim of enhancing coral bleaching tolerance, we evolved 10 clonal strains of a common coral microalgal endosymbiont at elevated temperatures (31°C) for 4 years in the laboratory. All 10 heat-evolved strains had expanded their thermal tolerance in vitro following laboratory evolution. After reintroduction into coral host larvae, 3 of the 10 heat-evolved endosymbionts also increased the holobionts’ bleaching tolerance.