Antioxidant and Phytoplankton-Enriched Microparticle Diets Mitigate Thermal Stress in the Reef-Building Coral Stylophora pistillata.
- 1Coral Biology Team, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Monaco98000, Principality of Monaco.
- 2Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, Sydney, New South Wales2007, Australia.
- 3Faculty of Marine Sciences, Autonomous University of Baja California, Ensenada, Baja California22860, Mexico.
Abstract
The global coral crisis continues to intensify the urgent need for conservation and restoration interventions. Heatwaves are the primary driver of coral declines, triggering coral bleaching by disrupting the symbiosis with the dinoflagellates that provide corals with essential nutrients and energy. Since oxidative stress and nutrient disruption are key processes associated with coral bleaching, we developed a novel, low-cost bioengineering approach to deliver antioxidant support to corals. We used the reef-building model coral Stylophora pistillata to test microparticle feeds containing antioxidants and phytoplankton cells during a simulated heatwave. Among five phytoplankton species, Pavlova lutheri, known to produce antioxidants de novo, offered the best protection to S. pistillata. Moreover, the encapsulated antioxidants curcumin and fucoxanthin outperformed P. lutheri, supporting corals by showing higher photosynthetic efficiency and total antioxidant capacity as well as lower lipid peroxidation impacts. Considering cost-effectiveness for upscaling, curcumin emerges as a promising, scalable intervention for coral conservation, allowing a direct delivery of antioxidant protection to fight oxidative stress associated with warming waters.
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BibTeX
@article{dorantesaranda2026antioxidant,
title = {{Antioxidant and Phytoplankton-Enriched Microparticle Diets Mitigate Thermal Stress in the Reef-Building Coral Stylophora pistillata.}},
author = {Juan José Dorantes-Aranda and Julie Stevens and Emma F Camp and Karina Del Carmen Lugo-Ibarra and Maria-Isabelle Marcus and Renaud Grover and Cécile Rottier and Jennifer L Matthews and Daniel Keaney and Christine Ferrier-Pagès},
journal = {Environmental science \& technology},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1021/acs.est.6c08004},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42916240},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Antioxidant and Phytoplankton-Enriched Microparticle Diets Mitigate Thermal Stress in the Reef-Building Coral Stylophora pistillata.
AU - Juan José Dorantes-Aranda
AU - Julie Stevens
AU - Emma F Camp
AU - Karina Del Carmen Lugo-Ibarra
AU - Maria-Isabelle Marcus
AU - Renaud Grover
AU - Cécile Rottier
AU - Jennifer L Matthews
AU - Daniel Keaney
AU - Christine Ferrier-Pagès
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - Environmental science & technology
DO - 10.1021/acs.est.6c08004
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42916240
AB - The global coral crisis continues to intensify the urgent need for conservation and restoration interventions. Heatwaves are the primary driver of coral declines, triggering coral bleaching by disrupting the symbiosis with the dinoflagellates that provide corals with essential nutrients and energy. Since oxidative stress and nutrient disruption are key processes associated with coral bleaching, we developed a novel, low-cost bioengineering approach to deliver antioxidant support to corals. We used the reef-building model coral Stylophora pistillata to test microparticle feeds containing antioxidants and phytoplankton cells during a simulated heatwave. Among five phytoplankton species, Pavlova lutheri, known to produce antioxidants de novo, offered the best protection to S. pistillata. Moreover, the encapsulated antioxidants curcumin and fucoxanthin outperformed P. lutheri, supporting corals by showing higher photosynthetic efficiency and total antioxidant capacity as well as lower lipid peroxidation impacts. Considering cost-effectiveness for upscaling, curcumin emerges as a promising, scalable intervention for coral conservation, allowing a direct delivery of antioxidant protection to fight oxidative stress associated with warming waters.
SN - 0013-936X
SN - 1520-5851
ER -