How do Gulf corals beat the heat?

The temperature of the Gulf’s water is too hot in summer. Over the years, coral managed to survive this heat by creating a stable local stock of heat-resistant corals or by switching on a genetic protective mechanism to handle the heat of the region. The coral live in symbiosis with algae which produces sugar to give energy to the coral while the coral gives shelter and nutrients to algae. Both of them are entirely co-dependent. At high temperature, algae produce oxygen that damages the coral tissue and causes bleaching, so the coral spits out the algae to protect itself. The coral can live up to one week from its reserves then it needs to take back in the algae or it will die. Over years, the corals recovered from damage in different places all over the world. The corals reproduce by fragmentation or by larval reproduction. The coral larvae are produced in billions during spawning and float until they attach themselves to rocks. An oceanographer suspects there maybe seeding reefs upstream in the Gulf, which would strengthen calls for cross-boundary environmental protection agreements.